Teach Soap

There is lots of discussion to be found on water discounting (strong lye solutions) to speed up trace for high olive oil recipes - or castille soap.

However, what about the opposite? I simply cannot do any kind of moderate to complex designs with ANY recipe that has less than 70% olive oil - irregardless of the FO, oil/lye temps, hand stirring instead of stick blend, etc....

I would really like to have a nice, "you can work with it" recipe with a higher percentage of harder oils. However, even with a 50/50 soft/hard oil ratio - trace happens too fast - and it really thickens when I mix in color! %&*#@($!!!

So now I'm wondering if I should work with weaker lye solutions for these recipes - hence my question: how LOW can one go with lye solutions without going overboard?

I have been using 28% lye solution - here is an example:

OO 40%
Castor 10%
Palm 30%
Coconut 20% (92 deg)
8% SF
Lye solution 28%
Oils at 110 F
Lye at 115 F
FO - Brown Sugar and Fig - a well known, non accelerator
Stick blended no longer than 15-20 seconds!

Could I reduce the lye strength to 27%? What about 26%? Those just seem awfully low, but then a soap like this hardens up nicely.

Your thoughts please.

At first I thought maybe you were soaping too hot, but then I noticed your temps listed, so that's not it. You use about the same percentages of hard/soft oils as I do and I don't have a problem with my soap tracing too quickly. Depending on the FO, I almost always have plenty of time for swirls. Have you tried just whisking your lye water into the oils rather than stick blending?

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

The smaller the batch and the wider the container you mix it in, the more chance for bubbles or uneven trace. The stick blender needs to be submerged enough that you don't introduce air into the batch. If the batter is only 1" deep, go with a narrower container.

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

Nothing jumps out as a cause for fast trace. How big of a batch were you making?

As time goes on, I blend less & less. I would ditch the stick blender as you suggest to see how that goes.

I sometimes soap with a 10-15% water discount, and havn't had any experience with accelerated trace. However, any time I use a F/O that has "sugar" I have noticed that it does accelerate. Two examples are brown sugar and chestnut, also sugar plum pudding.
But it also might be whipping too much air into the batter, as soap buddy mentioned.

Keep the castor oil in the refri and it won't go rancid.
Using a weak lye solution? I don't like that because the bars when cured lose the water and take on that concave look.
Better to use a variable - speed beater type blender than the stick blender if you are having trouble tracing too fast.

Pulsing your SB on and off to blend can help too. I don't think 10% castor would cause the acceleration (I've done it with no noticeable acceleration) but it's better to stick with 7% or less. Good luck!

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Linda

I learn so much when I can't leave well enough alone!

I am thinking of ditching the stick blender completely for recipes lower than 60% soft oils. I like wielding a wire whisk anyhow - puts hair on your chest.

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http://blissfulsoaps.wordpress.com/

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

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Linda

I learn so much when I can't leave well enough alone!