Teach Soap

Soapbuddy, if you see this, would you opine? You and a couple of others are my soap gurus (we need a prostrating emoticon here). Also, you made reference in the newbie post to the fact that you added all fragrances to your oils, is that true even with established accelerators (spice oils, florals and the like?). I am assuming you would not recommend that to the experience-impaired like me but wanted to clarify.

After doing mp for a year-ish and yearning for the swirls/tops/credibility (yes, I admit it, I feel like a weenie for just doing MP) with cp soap, I'm going to face my lye phobia and start with it. I would like to start with small/1 lb batches, as I'm sure I will ruin many before I catch on.

I've done a bunch of reading on line and in the basic books (Grosso, Cavitch) but am confused a bit by a reference in the Alicia Grosso book, The Everything Soapmaking Book. In a section on starting swirling techniques (Chapter 7, p. 95 of the 3d edition) she says that b/c in swirling you need to divide the batter into smaller portions for FO and colorant, "you'll need to blend the lye and oils at about 110 degrees F. Higher temperatures can help to delay trace."

It seems like the other references I've seen w/r/t higher temps say that they speed trace. Does anyone have some insight for me here? I'm sure I'm missing something, but not sure how to figure it out.

If you know that the fragrance accelerates or seizes, I let it. Then I let it gel right in the pot. Obviously this won't work if you are trying to swirl. For temps, I go by the feel of my hands on the outside of the soap pot and lye pitcher. If both are just warmer then my hands, I soap. If you are just starting out, having both the oils and the lye water at about the same temp helps. So 110 for both (or thereabouts) will help. I find the higher the temps, the faster the soap accelerates trace.

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

I'm by no means a soap guru, but I've suffered lots of trial and error. I have found that there is a happy temperature medium when it comes to preventing acceleration, for me it works best if I soap between 100 and 120 degrees. Higher or lower than that and the soap accelerates even when I have a fragrance that's behaved well in the past. Making milk soap is hard for me, because I do try to start at a cooler temp but sometimes I wait a little too long and can't swirl or do anything pretty. You will figure things out as you go. I recommend printing each recipe and taking notes on each batch you make to keep in a binder, or do it on the computer if that's easier. When I first started I even took pictures of each batch! It helps a lot if you have issues to look back and see what you might have done differently. Plus, when you have a recipe that you absolutely love, you can repeat it easily, the ones you hate you can learn from.

Good luck and have fun with it!

And BTW, I still like making M&P sometimes, it doesn't make you a weenie, lol. There are some things MP is great for, like intricate designs and when you need something fast. I get the MP soap from BB because it lathers wonderfully, almost as good as my CP!

Thanks, you guys. Irena, you confirmed that I probably need to keep things on the cool side, I figured I should probably try and avoid anything which might make things go faster, regardless of anything else. I think I will pm the author to see if she can help me understand if there is a sub-issue I was misunderstanding, if that makes any sense.

GCF, I am so looking forward to starting on this new adventure! I am going to keep a journal, and I love the idea of taking pictures, even if just for myself. I am all thumbs with my phone camera, but the pressure is off if I know it is just for me, especially since my soaps will probably be pretty ugly while I learn. Weeniness aside, thank goodness for mp, at least I know I can make that look pretty

Keep in mind, too, that your recipe has a lot to do with how fast your soap moves. Some oils trace quickly, and others like olive oil and lard move much more slowly and can give you more time to do swirls.

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