Teach Soap

Why are the temperatures of the lye solution and the oils/fats important (when you stir them together)? What can happen if you don't bother to check temperature at all?

(Just to see what would happen, I poured 150 degree lye solution into my 90 degree pot of fats/oils. The soap went through gel and is fine now on day 3, when I got around to unmolding it and cutting it--still somewhat soft, but soap. That is why I am asking.)

Hot lye solution with room temp oils works fine too, just as long as you don't have too may hard oils. The problem becomes when you add a fragrance that can accelerate trace or reach false trace.

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

Oh, okay. I gather from that that if I am just making a base soap (no fragrance), or adding essential oils (haven't read anything about these causing accelerated trace or seizing), then I don't need to worry too much about temps--is that right?

I haven't been measuring temps, but I wager from my procedure and the speed at which I do things (make lye solution, measure solid fats--heat just enough to melt--meanwhile I measure liquid oils, pour liquids into melted solids, add the lye, with no pauses in between) that the lye solution is pretty hot and the oils have cooled somewhat (b/c I add room temp oils to melted fats). I have only had "accelerated" trace on one tiny batch, a 100% olive oil castile (so the lye solution would have been super HOT and the oil 70 degrees) in which I probably did the whole procedure in under five minutes--it took 30 seconds to reach thick trace w/ stick blender, and then I poured it w/o adding anything else. Could this be why that particular batch turned out to have an amazing, heavenly scent? (My other two 100% olive oil castiles smell like nothing.)

Thank you.
Thank you.

I don't know about the scent. When you add screaming hot lye to room temp oils, there is more chance of accelerating trace. Essential oils like cinnamon or clove can accelerate trace as well or make your soap seize up.

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

I too am interested in temperatures as I have read conflicting comments. Can someone tell me what temperature is too hot and what is too cold? So far I have been working with both lye and oils at around 40C but have just read not to go below that. Why would that be?

The higher the temp of your oils or butters, the faster they can oxidize and possibly cause DOS. I heat my oils on low til they almost melted. Then I take them off the heat and let them melt the rest of the way. I soap my oils when the pot is comfortably warm to the touch. Ditto for lye water.

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

I soap hot, cold, and in between. I did everything 'by the book' until I realized that an idiot wrote the book. Soapbuddy offers excellent advice on accelerated trace, but I don't ever measure temps any more and I still have yet to have a failed batch.

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

Thanks so much for the advice. I have been watching the thermometer like crazy making sure both my lye and oils are at the same temperature. Sounds like I don't have to be so paranoid which will make life a lot easier.

Making my first batch yesterday, I was paralyzed by that! my oils had cooled off too much before my lye was 100* so I heated the oil back up, it took forever to get them both in sync. Nearly dumped the lye and started again

Don't stress too much over the temperatures. As long as they are close to the same temp you shouldn't have a problem. You just don't want one to be really hot and the other to be really cool when mixing.

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