Teach Soap

I can go along fine making soap then all of a sudden everything I make seizes and forms a gobby mess that I have to plop in a mold. No chance to swirl or anything.
So...........what is the main culprit?

I am soaping at about 105 degrees.
I use almost the highest rate of water.
I use a 5% lye solution
I added 2.5 ounces of Brambleberry fragrance in 3 pounds
My recipe is usually castor, cocoa butter, sunflower, soybean, coconut or palm, lard and maybe olive.

I am thinking that somehow the fragrace is the problem. Maybe I should cut back to only .5 ounce per pound.

oops. Maybe I am soaping more at about 110 degrees

I don't understand what you mean by 5% lye solution. Do you mean a 5% superfat? Cocoa butter has a high melt point. Is it possible that the butter started to solidify at the lower temp and you got a false trace? If not, it could be the fragrance.

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

Yes. I guess I mean 5% superfat. When I print a recipe on The Sage and it gives different % of lye I go 5%.

I guess I don't understand false trace. All I know is it gets globby.

Should I use less fragrance? I have read some things that say to heat the fragrance.

The cocoa butter was all melted.

I will say once I get the soap in the mold and do a lot of banging on the counter to get the air bubbles out it comes out ok. It is just that I can't do fun things with it. Some of my soap is real fluid so I can swirl it and stuff. I am getting pretty discouraged. I am taking another soap making class in October and I have a whole list of questions.

I use anywhere from 0.5 to 1 oz. of fragrance per lb. of CP soap. I wouldn't use less. Try this; next time you make soap, add 1 TBS of liquid lecithin to your batch and see if that will give you more time to reach trace withour seizing or ricing. If it still seizes, I would say it's the FO. Some people add their fragrance after the cook.

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

I assume I get liquid lecithin at a health food store?

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

Of all the factors listed which is the most likely to cause seizing? i guess I am just not satisfied until I know why.

Most seizing is caused by fragrance oils; especially the floral ones.

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

Would the use of essential oils reduce the chance of seizing?

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www.lovinsoap.com

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

I've had beer make my soap trace like lightning with and without FOs added. Maybe Big Moose can help me out here? All his soaps are made with beer.

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