Teach Soap

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their patience and wisdom, I've been reading this forum for a while and am so impressed with people's willingness to help those of us who are new.

Ok, that being said, I could use some help from experienced soapers

I've been making CP for a week now (I'm on my 7th batch) and have had trouble with several batches. I've used a few different recipes but this is the one I've used most frequently:
9oz Olive oil
5oz Coconut
2oz Palm
Run through 2 different lye calculators, double checked all measurements. Temps ~110 when the lye and oils are combined.
My problem is that I have never been able to reach a thick trace, the kind that looks like custard. I reach what I think is thin trace, glossy surface, oils all well incorporated, no separation if I let it sit. I've mixed with a mixer and by hand anywhere from 30 minutes to nearly 2 hours. Does this sound normal? Might it be because of our house being rather cool (60F-ish)? I've poured it anyway and let the soap sit in the mold for 24 hours covered with multiple blankets and then remove it. A few batches have cut normally but a couple others have been very soft and crumbly. Should I have let them sit longer in the mold/before cutting?

I realize I'm asking a bunch of questions here; I'm very eager to learn and would appreciate any words of wisdom or constructive criticism. I'm completely addicted! Thanks.

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Kim

Hi kbn!

There are so many factors that affect this--- it would be nice to know 1--- how much lye and water did you use? Crumbley is usually a lye heavy soap.... but not necessarily. 2--- did you use a frangrance oil? Those really affect how quickly trace comes or not. 3-- I don't think your room temp has any affect on your soap IMO 4---your olive oil being the biggest contributor in your recipe will make the soap softer initially and will require a longer cure time for a harder bar. There are things you can do to make it harder, but you don't have to do that as long as you are patient in the curing phase ( I'm not!! )

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You may be only one person to the world, but you may also be the world to one person

I would try a stick blender instead of a mixer.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thank you so much for the responses. I'm going to try to develop more patience and I just invested in a hand blender. I'll let you know how the next batch comes out.

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Kim

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks soapbuddy, I should clarify: I invested in a stick blender. Previously I was using an electric hand mixer that my husband modified the beaters on. I'm waiting for the stick blender to be delivered and will let you all know how it works out. Thanks again for all the advice.

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Kim

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Kim

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Yup, stick blenders are the bomb!

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"A baby goat can stand up within minutes of being born, and know what its looking for and pretty much where the udder is. Yet people think it happened by accident, and there is no Creator. Guess again!"

Katie M Molalla Oregon

I run my stick blender for a minute or two, turn it off and stir with it, then turn it back on; repeat til you reach trace.

If the stick blender gets hot, it's best to turn it off so you don't burn out the motor.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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[color=blue]New Blog To Help You

Thanks so much for the link, sudz. I've had much better luck since using the stick blender but can use all the help I can get I appreciate everyone's input. Thank you!!!

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Kim