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So the water range is from 1:1 water:lye to 3:1 water:lye. For beginners it’s usually prudent to stay in the middle of the range and use water at 1.5 or 2 times the weight of lye. More water does not make the process safer either for soapmaker or soap so it’s not worth adding extra water for that reason.
How much lye should I use to make soap?
The Pallas Athene Soap company formulated a quick and easy cold process soap recipe that requires exactly 20 ounces of lye (the size of 1 canister from Certified Lye™) and yields a superior bar of natural soap.
What happens if you put too much lye in soap?
There are two common issues people run into when making soap: not enough lye or too much lye used. Too much lye will result in a bar whose pH is too high and can cause skin irritation and burning. Not enough lye can result in oils going rancid, causing discoloration and bad odors.
What is a good lye concentration?
We don’t recommend more than 15% because it can speed up trace too much. Also, the lye may not fully dissolve. That can create lye pockets in the final bars that irritate or burn the skin. Start somewhere between 1-15%.
What is the lye to fat ratio?
Multiply 16 (fat wt) by 0.132 = 2.1 oz. of lye. Why different oils have their own SAP values: It all has to do with the length of the fatty acid chain. Briefly, it takes the same amount of lye to saponify a short fatty acid molecule as it does to saponify a long fatty acid molecule.
Is homemade lye soap good for your skin?
Lye is a caustic substance that can certainly damage your skin if you’re exposed to it. It can cause a number of problems, such as burns, blindness, and even death when consumed. But, and this is a big but, soap that is created with lye (which is all real soap) will do absolutely no harm to your skin.
What is a Superfat in soap making?
Superfatting is the process of using less lye (or more fat) than industry standards so that there’s some leftover oil in the soap that’s not bound to lye. This leaves behind more unsaponified fat, providing more moisture in the soap. Every oil requires a different amount of lye to turn it into soap.
What happens if you don’t put enough lye in soap?
If the soap does not contain enough lye, the oils will not saponify. Another reason for soft soap is there was not enough hard oils or butters (such as coconut oil, palm oil or cocoa butter). Soap made with only soft oils can take an extremely long time to unmold (such as castile soap).
Why is my homemade soap not foaming?
Why doesn’t my handmade soap lather? – Quora. Handmade soaps can have different lather forms depending on the carrier oils you using in it. Simple tip is to reduce the super-fat oils( superfat oil in soap-making refers to free oil in the soap after the saponification process), too many oils will cut down the lather.
How do you know if lye is out of soap?
The first test – the “zap test” – is nice and simple. It involves tapping the soap lightly on your tongue. It sounds weird, but it totally works. If it “zaps” you, it is likely lye heavy.
Which oils Saponify faster?
More saturated oils (like coconut and palm oils which are solid at room temperature) tend to saponify more quickly than less saturated oils such as olive oil.
How do you keep lye from heavy soap?
If your soap turns out lye-heavy (with a pH at 10 or above), you can add oils or fats in small amounts until the pH reaches a safe and mild number 8. If your soap is soft and oily, melting it back down and adding small amounts of lye solution can save it.
How do you calculate soap making?
Calculating the Amount of Soap Needed to Fill a Soap Mold Calculate the volume of the mold in cubic inches. Multiply the volume of the mold by 0.4 to find the total amount of oils in the recipe. Enter that amount of oils into an online lye calculator to get the final recipe quantities.
Which palm oil is best for soap making?
Red palm oil – This oil has a gorgeous natural color that turns soap orange. Like palm oil, it’s solid at room temperature and it can be used in soap up to 33%, although you may want to start with a smaller amount because it can stain molds and skin. This oil is also from an RSPO supplier.
How much fat do you need to make soap?
We always soap at 5 percent excess fat. A customary warning when mixing the water and the lye: Always add your lye to the liquid. If you pour water into a container of lye, a caustic lye volcano could erupt in your kitchen.
Does Dove soap have lye in it?
Dove. It is true that the words “lye” or “sodium hydroxide” do not appear on the Dove ingredient label. But, the first ingredients listed were sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and sodium palm kernelate. Yes, Dove is made with lye!Feb 18, 2014.
Why is lye soap harsh?
So why does “lye soap” have a reputation of being harsh? In days past, homemakers made soap using lye made from wood ash. Sophisticated scales for measuring were not available, and often too much lye was used. When saponification occurred, some lye was left in the soap, making it harsh on the skin.
Is lye soap antibacterial?
Lye is both a disinfectant and a cleanser. Lye is particularly suitable to kill germs and bacteria as well as cleaning the surface of food containers, room vessels, the surface of wash bowls, etc.
What oils make soap more bubbly?
Things That Increase Soap Lather Coconut Oil – This is the number one soap making ingredient for creating lather with big, luxurious bubbles. Castor Oil – This is often used in a low percentage in soap recipes. Sunflower Oil – This oil helps to stabilize the lather so it doesn’t disappear right away.
What is the best Superfat in soap making?
A superfat of 1% to 3% is good safety margin. The second reason is to increase the mildness of the soap on the skin. Soap sometimes cleans so well that it dries or irritates the skin. Increasing the superfat above the 1% to 3% safety margin can help tame this tendency.
How do you calculate Superfat in soap making?
You can also use the following equation: (1 – % superfat you want). So, if you want to superfat your olive oil soap in the above example by 4%, it would be: (1.34 oz. lye) x (1 – . 04) = 1.29 oz.
