Teach Soap

As discussed in my other thread, I'm going back to square one and starting from scratch again. I'm 90% sure I just didn't heat my mixture up enough last night, but decided to go back to the beginning anyway.

I figured I would go back to that very first recipe and duplicate it. Try to make the exact same batch and see if I get the same result.

Problem is, running it through the soap making software and the sage calculator is giving me back a recipe that's not 100%. As in, when you add up the percentages, it doesn't equal 100%. I can't for the life of me figure out why....

The recipe is:
622g Olive Oil
200g Coconut Oil
150g Palm Oil
56g Castor Oil

The soap making software tells me it's 41.1%, 13.2%, 9.9% and 3.7% - that doesn't add up to 100%

Now I know that first batch I was so nervous that I went over my marks a little (castor was only meant to be 50g for example, Olive was meant to be 600, etc, etc), but wouldn't that then make it MORE than 100% if anything? At the moment I only have 67.9% of a repice.

I'm confused...

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

Castor Oil 56gm 5.45%
Coconut Oil 200gm 19.46%
Olive Oil 622gm 60.51%
Palm Oil 150gm 14.59%

I get 100.01% because the soap calculator doesn't add a third number after the decimal point in the %.

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

Hrm ok, now I'm even more confused lol. I wonder why the soap software gives me the percentages I posted?

_________________
The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

Its new years, the calculator is clearly on vacation, or had too much to drink =D hehe

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

LOL true. We'll blame the booze!

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

I know sometimes the truth hurts, but maybe you should read a little more about soaping so you dont have a lot of mistakes, slow down take your time and check what your doing twice. In your past post you showed your picture of your first soap and you said it turned out fine. I think you was very carefull about what you was doing and took the time to make it right. Also i think you should stick to the basic for a bit, but this just what i think not trying to be hurtful in any way. You make a good soap just slow it do a little....

Um... reading is not my problem. I have 5 books and have read god knows how many web pages, watched even more YouTube videos etc. I may have only just started CP soaping, but I have been reading and learning for a lot longer.

I'm a beginner when it comes to CP. Mistakes are apart of learning. No one jumps in and instantly makes every batch perfect, no matter how much they study first. It's also slightly harder for me since every recipe out there is written in ounces, and in Oz we don't use that measurement, we use grams. So I have to convert everything first.

It's also harder as I am using goat's milk - but I have yet another book coming about that as recommended by a lovely member here.

I'm happy to be makinng mistakes. I'd rather make them now when I can sit down and evaluate what went wrong so I can learn from it, than make them later when I'm so cocky because everything previouslly worked perfectly. Mistakes are good. You learn 100 times more from a mistake than reading. Hands on is where the learning is at.

This thread wasn't even about a mistake. It was about me not understanding why the soap making program I purchased was spitting out results that didn't make sense. This IS me slowing down and double checking everything.

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

Hi there. I live in New Zealand and always use the Soap Calc to work my recipes out http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp as you can do them in grams or ounces. So far I have found it to be very reliable and wouldn't be without it. Might be worth a try. Good luck

Thanks for that. I ended up purchasing the soap making software which now tells me everything in grams to make it easier.

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

Right on Coolah. I learn the best when things go haywire and love the brainstorming that comes with figuring out what went wrong. I agree that this is the time for learning right at the beginning. You are doing great.

I live in New Zealand too! Just over the hill from you busybee!

I know what you mean about the oz to grams thing Coolah! Nearly does my head with all the decimals etc
I just use soapcalc & it gives me everything!!!

Hope your soapmaking software works out!

Coolah, so are you using the soapmaking program? I have it on my computer but am a little daunted by it.... computer savey I am not! Also got very busy with visiting over the holidays so will look at it this coming week.
As long as you are going back to basics.... keeping notes (and I know you do) there is a time when insead of reading we just have to jump in and try it! One of my favorite soaps is one I made with too little lye so the superfatting is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy up there, yet I love that soap in the dead of winter when my skin gets super itchy. I refuse to give any of this away... its all mine.
As a side note, this fall I just switched from fresh goats milk to powdered (as Linda said, add to your warmed oils before the lye) and found that easier. I switched because the powder was easier to keep available. I asked my DH if we could get some goats.... that did not go over very well.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!