Teach Soap

Hi Linda, included is the recipe for Woof bars. The oils are not essential oils, they are made by me and very mild, I only ground the herbs and heated them in olive oil until just warm once, then cooled them and strained, so they are not strong enough to harm your dog, I did that on purpose as my Doberman can be very sensitive to animal shampoos.

Recipe: 8 1/2 oz Coconut Oil, 7 oz Vegetable shortening, 10 oz Pomace oil (Third pressing of Olive oil), 9 1/2 oz Distilled water, 3 1/2 oz Lye. At trace I stirred in 1 Tablespoon Castor oil, 1 Vitamin E oil Capsule cut open and emptied, 2 teaspoons Pine oil, 1 teaspoon Thyme oil, 1 teaspoon Lavender oil, 1 teaspoon Rosemary oil. Add 2 tablespoons dried finely chopped lavender leaves.

After my dog was washed and dried and didn't react to the soap, the neighbour who has a Sharpee washed her dog, and he has been fine also. This is a very mild soap, so should be fine with most dogs. Hope you like the recipe.

Hi SuperSoaper, My daughter lives in Christchurch, I will ask her if she knows the shop at all. The quake may have damaged the shop, so maybe they aren't up and running yet. But will check it out for you. Regards a very happy kiwi.

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

BarbaraMay & Teresa:

The phone number for this place is 64 7 308-9588. And I found a website in very small print. I must've been mistaken that PeeJay was the company name....perhaps only a holding company. I believe the website is www.whiteisland.co.nz Their soap is the volcanic sulphur soap and is incredible.....with no smell.

And we should probably stop hijacking this thread. Mea Culpa to everyone for straying so far off topic.

Hi Supersoaper I tried apple cider once adding it at trace and the end soap had lye pockets everywhere, I was wondering how you managed to incorporate it without this kind of result as cider is acid which will interfere with saponification ???

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

I think we have to make a clarification here: one is apple cider: juice that is pressed from apples and contains bits of apple, if purchased in a grocery store it will be pasteurized. The other is apple cider vinegar, which if apple cider is not pasteurized and left to ferment long enough will produce this. I do believe that the only way to get unpasteurized cider is make it yourself or a farmers roadside stand or market. So lets say we use apple cider vinegar, would that not neutralize the lye and we would have an oily bar of soap, not lye heavy. Someone with a chemistry background needs to help us here!

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

Hi there, just to clarify, the apple cider I used was alcoholic cider, 4.5 %, and I used it instead of distilled water. This isn't vinegar, and worked out really well in the batch. I haven't used cider vinegar, because as has been said, it would damage the lye because of the high acid content.
I tried a Lemon soap using lemon juice 50/50 with distilled water, turned out terrible, too acidic, and dry and crumbly. The bin wore that one.
If there is a way of using Cider vinegar without some hideous mess as a result, I would love to make it. Please let me know if you can. Happy Kiwi Barbara May.

I don't add anything at trace. I mix the lye right in the cider. Here are my steps:

I open a bottle of Woodchuck cider and put it in the back of the fridge for about 3 or 4 days to allow the carbonation to dissipate. I pour the mass of cider I need into my plastic measuring cup then start mixing in the lye. There is no water, no ice....nothing except lye and cider. If you remember your stoichiometry from high school chemistry class, you'll know that 3.2% or 4.2% alcohol content in 8 oz of lye liquid with a 2.5 : 1 liquid/lye ratio shouldn't be enough to affect your mix. My point in this is for the "cider" which is acidic (lower pH) than the lye. There isn't enough acidic content in cider to affect your lye liquid. If there was, your pancreas would explode as soon as you took a drink of this stuff sitting on your favorite bar stool.

In my opinion people who make "goat's milk soap" that use water to dissolve the lye then add milk at trace should not put "Goat's Milk Soap" on their label because that is a lye. The only thing I add at trace are superfat oils. Yes, yes, yes, I've heard the argument dozens of times that "just add all your oils up front because the lye takes what it wants". Hogwash. I could explain chemically why that theory is incorrect. I broke it down on a molecular level and am convinced my theory is correct. My background is in Molecular Biology with a minor in BioChemistry. I just don't argue my point because it would most likely cause a revolution in the forum and I would end up getting banned. I walk on thin ice around here as it is.

To reiterate....don't mix your cider at trace. Pour your lye slowly into the "very cold" cider and stir. I like soapbuddy's idea of boiling off the alcohol first. I end up with a thick film on my cured soap that I have to scrap off before packaging. I'm convinced its from the alcohol.

So my next thought, why use the 'hard cider' if boiling off the alcolol is advised. I would just use fresh apple cider that has yet to ferment. Now that there has been so much discussion I will have to try this next fall.

As for the argument that you can add your superfat oils after the trace... the only way to know for sure would be to send samples to a lab along with the list of what you used and have it analysed for what is in there. I cannot afford to do this nor the smarts to be able to do it, so will stick with what is easiest for me.

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

Ahhh....the beauty in having the knowledge in being able to work this out on paper with chemical formula means you don't have to send everything to a laboratory. I am a scientist. Science does not provide us with answers, but only enables us to ask more intelligent questions. On paper, my theory is correct. That's why it is called a theory because it is not proven. Otherwise it would be a supposition. This could be the second biggest theory affirmation of all time behind that of creationism/evolution.

Greatest Theories of all Time:
1) Creationism/Evolution
2) Superfatting at beginning or at trace
3) Detroit winning the Super Bowl

Leaving for Chicago to watch the game. I'll be in the second row above the team. I'll wave to everyone from Soldier Field if I see a camera pointing my direction. Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy the games.

I don't add anything at trace either, since the lye is still quite active at this point and it will take whatever it wants. There is no guarantee that the castor will end up as your superfat. (unless you add it after the cook)

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

The batch of Cider& Sandal is awesome. I added Sandalwood to the mix and the smell is amazing, fresh apple scent with a touch of Sandalwood, you just want to eat it.
Poured it into a deep container lined with bubblewrap, the bars look perfect and lovely caramel colour. Can't wait to try them out.
I don't add the oils at trace anymore, and you're right the lye takes what it wants, so a lot easier and less fussier that way. Thanks again from a happy kiwi.

I'm very happy that it turned out well for you BarbaraMay. I had no doubt it would. I never tried the Sandalwood combination but you may have prompted me to try it with my next batch.