Teach Soap

I have been making cp soap for about a year now i am not very adventures, stick with my tried and true recipes i swirle a bit and use oatmeal and a few other things when i get brave. But i have never used honey and now i am ready i need to know how much i should use my standerd batch makes about 3 1/2 lb it has coconut oil, palm oil, tallow,shea butter and caster oil . can somebody give me a hand with this. i have been told the heat level will go up so do you still cover it with a blanket. i just need to know what to expect.
thank you
Edree

I would start off with 1 tsp. per lb. of soap. I know some people have gone higher than that, but at a higher rate, you risk overhating and separation.

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

thank you.
but should i cover it with the blanket as i normaly do
Edree

If you go with 1 tsp. I would think that the blanket would be safe.

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

ok its made and put to bed and it all went tha same and it is all tucked in for the night. thank you for your help. will let you know in the morning.
Edree

Good luck! I hope that you can post pics when you are done.

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

For a fun twist, add the honey to your water and dissolve it prior to adding the lye. Make a very cool orange color.

WOW did that get hot was still very warm at 14 hours can't wait to unmold.
thank you
edree

You can uncover it as soon as the soap goes into a full gel. Soaps with honey tend to go into a hot gel more often.

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

well its done not bad looking a little darker than my normal batch i hope it lightens up abit. smells good sliced it and put it on the rack took a picture but will have to wait for one of the kids to come over to put it on the computer. thank you for your help.
Edree

Sounds like it worked out for you. Soaps with honey that go through full gel tend to be a little darker.

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

When I make my honey oatmeal soap, I don't cover it with a blanket. I just put a piece of wax paper on top and then put the top to my mold on. It still gels just fine. Glad it came out well for you.

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Haven

When adding honey to any soap recipe, the temp goes higher. I make goat's milk and honey soap all the time and do not insulate the soap because the honey raises the temp higher, but cools down slower. Insulating soap is to keep the soap from cooling too quickly and allows the soap to go through the correct gel stage.

I love using honey and know it makes the soap feel smooth and creamy. You can also use beeswax by melting in the oils.

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Loyce

I guess I'm the odd duck here. If I have to gel, as soon as the gel is complete, I stick it in the fridge or the freezer, so I can cut it sooner.

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

Ok. What am I missing here soapbuddy? You don't gel so you can cut it sooner?

Here's my experience:

If I stick it in the fridge right after pouring to prevent gel, I have to allow it to harden for several days before I can cut it.

Alternatively, If I put it in a warm oven (170 F is my lowest setting) to force a gel, I can unmold and cut as soon as it finishes gel. I've cut/unmolded within 1.5 hours after pouring.

If I put the soap in a warm oven, I keep checking it every 20 minutes or so. Right after it starts to gel, I remove it and set it on the counter. The primary reason I get is to get it unmolded, cut and thrown into the curing room. If I don't gel, that process takes me days instead of hours. What am I missing here?