Teach Soap

$25/kg????

1 kg = 2.2 pounds, right?

that's right. chemistry lab lye is $25 per kg but industrial lye is $2 per kg

Yah. You do not need chem lye. Check the industrial lye, because that 96-99% number may mean the balance of the lye = WATER!!!

I hope you didn't buy much...that would be a very costly mistake!

Thanks Vinca leaf, I just bought 1kg. by 96-99% purity for industrial lye I meant they have different
industrial lye purity from 96-99%. which purity percentage should I buy?
96%, 98%, 99%?

Well, I'd say you'd want the purest lye you can get for a reasonable price. They should give you info on what the other part is though...like my lye says that the "other" part is composed of water....so, it's all lye but they acknowledge that some moisture is absorbed by the crystals.

You do not need lab-grade. I don't know exactly what that's used for, but we're doing stuff in the open air kwim?

Sounds like the industrial lye should work out fine for you. Lab lye is extra refined and is also used for food stuffs like toothpaste, pickles or pretzels.

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

soapbuddy, could my flakey soap be a result of using lab lye?(I hope it is!!)

^^^No, probably not.

Recipe error, operator error, etc. More pure lye wouldn't mess up your soap. Really yucky lye could though.

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

Thanks soapbuddy, I am always very careful in measuring exactly. I soap at 100F and I reach medium trace.
I have no idea and it really worries me. When I use my soap it doesn't really dry out my skin and it's
even soft, but I can see a dandruff like white layer on my skin. I used to use 26% coconut but now I'm using 20%
and still the same problem with my last batch which is 2 weeks.

I use: olive 40% - Coconut 20% - Palm 30% - Castor 5% - Sweet almond 5% sf 5%

Hmmmmm....does your soap get any ash? Do you have hard or soft water?

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

I usually do get ash on top in spite of covering my mold with a plastic wrap before
covering it with a lid. I use distilled water which I get from drug store.

Maybe the white you see on your skin is the ash? Does it rinse off?

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

Yes, I always wipe the ash off with a damp cloth before using.