Soap-making questions - X-posted

[ChristieB]

I want to make soap, but have some questions.

I posted this thread on the crafts forum. In case this forum is the more appropriate place to post this, I have posted a link here to that thread. I appreciate any help.

(OK, it's late, and the above paragraph didn't make a lot of sense to me, but I hope it does to you. I just can't think how else to word it now.)

[3bees~1flower]

hi, there...

if you don't want to use palm, and aren't opposed to using animal oils, lard is an excellent sub for palm and you can buy 1lb blcoks of it to get started...also, some use veggie shortening instead. otherwise, i would think the palm shortening would be fine. is it just pure palm?

as far as cleaning up your soap pots...just let them set for 24hrs or so and then just wash them up...it will sapponified by then. (pssst...this is why i make hot process soap...i hated cleaning up the raw soap pots or letting them sit for a day *before* i could clean them up).

also, this is a great site for beginners www.millersoap.com unless your book is by aliccia grosso (sp), i have rarely seen a book that i liked for soapmaking...but the site i gave is excellent!

happy soaping!

[ChristieB]

Thanks for responding. That sounds like a reasonable clean-up strategy. And it makes sense to just wait. Don't know why I didn't think of that.

And thanks for the link. I looked at it briefly, but I'll go back and look more. It looks like a helpful site.

As for the palm oil, I'm really wanting to use it and not some other fat. The reason is that I have really sensitive and dry skin, and there's a soap I found that works fabulously (no small feat). Not only do I not react badly to it, but it leaves my skin feeling soft. But the place that was selling it is no longer selling it. They do share the recipe, though. So to begin with, anyway, I want to stick pretty close to the recipe (I can rarely resist tinkering with recipes of all kinds, though, so who knows how many times I'll actually make it before I start tinkering ).

Here is info about what the palm shortening is. They've altered the melting point and the fats, so I'm wondering if the SAP value might have been changed in the process. Any thoughts anyone?

[ChristieB]

Oh, I forgot to ask, what is hot process soap?

[3bees~1flower]

actually...lard makes an *incredibly* mild soap...but of course you should do what's best for your skin...i am tinkering with an high lard soap so if you'd like to try some, i'd be glad to send you a bar when i get it made.

hot process is actually cooking the soap...i cook ine in a crock pot...i LOVE it...instant gratification as far as being able touse it right away...of course it will continue to get more mild as it ages as with all soap, but it's definitely more mild right away than CP soap.

basically all you do it mix your oils/lye solution like with CP, except you wait to add the fo till the end...it quite amazing to watch the transformation. there are limitations to it as far as getting fancy swirls and all that, but i just love the process too much to worry about making my soap look like a work of art. on thing i alos love about HP is that you can know exactly which oil is your superfat as you add it AFTER all saponfication is done and there is no more free lye. with cp, you can add things at trace to "superfat", but to lye, oils are oils...it will digest any oil so you don't actually know WHAT oils are left over at the end of the process....kwim? with HP you DO know that. i love this aspect of HP. then there's the eas clean up.

HTH!

edited....fix typo

[ChristieB]

Thank you for the info! And for the offer. I'd love to try a bar, when you have some. Always looking for a good bar of soap.

So, would lard be a good substitute for the palm oil in the recipe? Does it serve a similar purpose, hardening the bar of soap? Obviously I'd have to refigure the lye, but otherwise would it work as a sub?

Thanks for telling me about hot process soap making. I hadn't heard of it before. It sounds easier than cold process, at least the way I've seen it described for the crockpot. Is this how you make it? I'm thinking I'd like to try the crockpot method, if this is a good description.

From what I've read in other places (I did some looking around today ), some other ways of making hot process soap are incredibly difficult, or at least majorly labor-intensive.

What do you use for a mold? I'm trying to decide if I want to use my plastic molds (from doing melt & pour) or if that might ruin them. I've seen conflicting information. But it looks like maybe superfatting the soap at the end would make it possible to use them. Or maybe it takes more than that.

I really appreciate you sharing all your information and experience.

[3bees~1flower]

YES! Beth's tutorial is fantastic!!! i post on a ocuple of the same forums as her. stick with that one and you'll do great! oh, one major suggestion i would give you...leave your CP on LOW...and you'll (almost) never have to worry about volcanoing of your soap. also, keep in mind that different recips cook differently...so don't fret if your soap doesn't go thru all the stages described in the tut. basically, once your soap traces, put the lid on, put the CP on low and let it cook....it will cook from the outside in...the edges get a gel, transparent look to them and you'll see an isalnd of raw soap start to form asthe soap cooks...once that island is gone, then the soap is ready to be stirred...it's best not to stir it until that island is gone...i let it cook a little longer after i have stirred it. if you want to taste it at this point to see if it's done, just touch a small bit to your tongue, if you get a zap like touching a 9-volt battery, it's not done...if you feel nothing, then it's done...it's not as scary as it sounds...

yes, lard would make a great sub for palm...not to mention it's a lot easier to get ahold of. www.soapcalc.com a great soap calc for figuring you recipes and learning about how different oils combine.

my dh makes my molds with wood...even a sturdy cardboard box lined with a trash bag will work until you get a different mold. i know a lot of people use martha stewart drawer organizers for molds....lined, of course.

do fragrances bother you? (just wondering for a sample)

[ChristieB]

Thanks so much for all the information you've shared!! We bought some lard, and now I'm just waiting on some other oils I've ordered. I can't wait to try this! I really like the idea of hot process soap. The lye is still something to be careful of, but there won't be the raw soap to contend with. And I won't have to wait two months to use it! I'll admit to being impatient to see how it turns out, and waiting that long wasn't appealing to me. Also, we're on our last bar of soap, so we were going to have to find something else to use while waiting for the soap to cure. This just sounds so much more doable, all around. I'm excited about making my own soap now!

Thanks again.

[3bees~1flower]

it IS fun!! don't hesitate if you have any questions...just let me know. and there is no need to *fear* lye...just respect it and you'll get along fine.

pm me your addy...i have your bar ready.