Teach Soap

After some research I am ready to try shaving soap but still have a few questions which I'm hoping someone can answer. My stearic no. is 23 and my creamy 53. Can I do cold process method with my stearic this high? Or do I have to hot process? As I understand a high stearic will make my soap to harden fast so not sure if I can work fast enough with CP. I would really like to do CP as to me its a nicer soap all around.
Also does high stearic cause soap to be more brittle when cutting? If so I would have to use individual molds, right?
Thanks to anyone who will take the time to help me out

Shaving soap is very different from traditional soap. Most are made with a combination of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide and have higher amounts of stearic acid. It doesn't really lend itself to CP due to the high temps required to melt the stearic (if you are using stearic) If you're using a combination of high stearic oils, you want your stearic & palmitic acid numbers to be between 50-60 on soapcalc. Lower numbers may not give your lather enough staying power for shaving. You want a dense lather rather than a foamy lather.

If you use potassium hydroxide along with the NaOH, the soap will be less brittle and can be cut more easily. Otherwise individual molds or cutting while still warm is helpful.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

High stearic acid can make your soaps seize. HP is the best way to go.

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

Thanks for your help. I will try a small batch HP and go from there....

I tried out my shaving soap recipe and it was the first time I had to throw out a batch of soap!! As soon as I added my lye water to my oils it turned into a hard globby mess. I could not do anything with it. Could I maybe add my stearic acid after trace so that it will not do this? Or will that not work? Should the oils be cooler or hotter when I add lye water if I do a HP? I would greatly appreciate any advise anyone can give me on this.

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

So if I would have left that 'glob' in my crock pot and let it heat it would have turned into soap? I did try stirring it and it just seemed to get thicker. And then how long would I need to hot process it till its ready? I am used to cold process so this is a new learning curve!!

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

Thanks soapbuddy I will try again and let u know

Well I tried again and it worked this time ! Used the same recipe but mixed my oils and lye water at a lower temp. maybe that was part of my problem before when it seized. Thanks everyone for your help. Now for volunteers to try it out:))

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