Teach Soap

Hi all,

In my last couple of GM soap, I added the honey (about 1 tsp per PPO) to the hot water before adding the lye. Most people seem to add the honey at trace.

Which method works better?

Does either change the color in one way or another?

Is that quantity (1 tsp ppo) consistent with everyone elses?

Does either way change the lather or hardness of the soap any?

Please advise.

Thanks,

Lisa

I subtract some of the water used for the lye to dissolve the honey in. I add this as soon as the oils and lye water are just emulsified, but before trace. I use about 1 tsp. per lb. of oils. Since I don't gel, or prefer not to, my batches come out lighter. Honey helps with more bubbles. If you have a good formula, it should not change the hardness of the soap.

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

Did you say that you used hot water to mix your lye in? Doesnt that make your lye solution too hot?

I add honey at light trace. And I do what soapbuddy does, take a portion of water out to dissolve honey, but not hot water, room temperature. I guess the reason I pour honey at light trace is honey tends to over heat. Even when I don't mean for it to gel it does anyway. You might want to see Soap Queen's latest blog, 4/18/2010, mid way down there's a photo of over heated honey soap, not pretty at all. And I don't think honey adds any lather. I never pay attention on whether honey makes the soap more or less hard... interesting...

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

My previous batches with the honey to the water then adding lye didn't create an overheated batch, but I didn't insulate but just put the bugger on the counter and walked away. However the lye water looked like caramel.

I guess I will try it at trace too and see what that does next.

Thanks everyone for replying!

Lisa

Lisa,

So if the lye water looked like carmel what color did the final soaps come out to be? If you read my other post I am looking for shades of brown. And did you add your goats milk to the lye water or at trace?

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

The final soaps turned into a beige/tan which is what my GM soaps always look like since I gel so no major change and no scent change.

i dissolve in a bit of water the same way that soapbuddy describes.

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