Teach Soap

howdy yall, I am very new to soap making. I did a few MP which was easy and just now made my first batch of CP. Not crazy about the color I added so I shall call it Texas mud HAHA...My questions I am sure have been asked a zillion times but here it goes:
1. When a recipe asks for Tallow and I don't have tallow, what else can I use and do I use the same amount as it asked for?
2. Can I replace a oil with a different kind like if it asks for olive and I use hemp and would the amounts be the same? So many great recipes out there I want to try but don't have all the exact things on hand.

I am sure I will have more questions but for now I will leave it at this. I am starting my soap adventure now so I can have it someone mastered by the holidays so I can make gift baskets for the family

I'll leave the question answering to those who have been doing this longer than me.
I'm new and have only made one batch.

I just wanted to say welcome!!!

thanks
my other question was can I use reverse osmosis water instead of distilled?

I consider myself new too (only about 25 batches or so) but I wanted to day hi. Welcome. When you want to substitute an oil or butter within a recipe the most important thing is that you run the entire new recipe through a lye calculator with you batch size and superfat % to get the correct amt of lye and water to use. I use Soapcalc.net but here are many others. Also do this if you are resizing a batch so you don't end up with lye heavy soap. I use distilled water in my batches, but others here will use regular filtered water from their tap. Mainly you want water with fewer minerals that can react with the lye. Good luck and have fun playing.

Also forgot to mention if you are replacing an oil in a recipe with something else you might want to familiarize yourself with some of the properties of oils so you can replace with a similar type of oil. For instance Rice Bran Oil and Olive Oil have many of the same properties, but if you replace olive with hemp the soap will have a completely different feel to it... not a bad thing if that is what you are intending. Some oils are considered soft and others hard, so if you replace a hard oil with a soft oil your soap could get softer or sticky feeling. For instance replacing Tallow with something like almond oil would give you a very soft bar. Once you start using a lye calculator you can create your own recipes using oils that you like or have on hand by playing with the numbers to get a bar that has the values you like. Always run your full recipe through a lye calculator though even those that you find from someone else and use as written as mistakes can and do happen all the time.

You can sub other oils or butters with similar properties. Make sure that you run any changes through a lye calc first! They all have different SAP values.

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

Yes, you can use r/o water in your soap. What part of Texas? I'm in Dallas. Welcome to the addiction!

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Haven

Welcome!
While you may use any oil you want, you cannot simply change it out. It may or may not work to use the same quantity, as some oils will make your bar way too soft to exchange for the same amount as another. You have to take all your oils that you want to use and learn how to use a lye calculator and plug them in. Then, assuming the numbers are descent, go on from there.
You can use the reverse osmosis water, yes.
I suggest that you try watching the soap queen videos on utube for beginning soaping, as well as doing a lot of reading on this forum, especially the stickies.

Enjoy the journey~

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Thanks yall. I am in Texas yes, Just south of Paris
Ok so I am wanting to make another batch ....I need another recipe but seems I can't find one with what I have on hand. can I use the same recipe and just double the calculations to make a double batch?

ANY time you alter a recipe you need to run it through a lye calculator. I wouldn't trust just doubling it and hoping for the best. If you resize your batch, change an oil, change the mount of any given oil, whatever run it through to be safe.

Anytime you change anything; whether making a bigger batch or using another oil, always, always run it through lye calc.

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

how do I know superfatting level?

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

Wild Chick and Soapbuddy, along with everyone who has given an answer in this thread are very correct. It is really important that you use a lye calculator EVERY tine you make a change in a recipe -- even if that change is midway through making a batch of soap (as in "OOPS I just poured .1 ounces too much castor oil).

DO NOT think you can just substitute. You can make soap out of most oils and butters; however, some are nicer than others. I mostly use olive oil, coconut oil and shea butter. Sometimes I use sunflower oil. I always use a calculator EVERY time . . . just like I always wear protective gloves and glasses. I've made about 6,000 bars of soap.

Welcome to the forums -- read through them and you'll learn alot. Only make small batches until you get the hang of it!

Jill

6000 bars...OH MY!
so I put in just the oils in the calculator and select 7% and it will tell me how much lye to use?
the only oils I have left are coconut, palm, help and olive. I am looking for 1 recipe that can be the staple of most soaps. I love lather and bubbles. any suggestions? How about a homemade soap for dogs?