Teach Soap

Hello Everyone,

I am new to soap-making. I would like to know how everyone handles testing the PH of the soap they make. I have read many ways of doing this from tongue test, to using strips, to meters and even people saying just follow the recipe and believe it is safe to use. What is the best way to make sure the soap has the correct PH and is safe to use?

The best way is to get a pH meter, but they are expensive. I've been making soap for so long, I don't test for the most part anymore.

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

I use the zap (tongue test) but only on batches I think are questionable because something didn't go as planned.

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

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JKM Creative Enterprises

Different pH meters have different pH specifications. You need one like this. http://www.lotioncrafter.com/ph-meter-e ... lable.html

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

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JKM Creative Enterprises

Yes it is expensive. You can safely test you soap via the tongue method. Dampen your finger with water. Touch your soap with that finger. Then touch it to your tongue. You don't need to lick the soap like some people do. If there's any free lye, it will zap. If it zaps, a misclculation has been made. Recheck your recipe. If it's just a small batch I would throw it away. Some people rebatch with extra oil, but the hard part is knowing how much extra oil to add, since you don't know how lye heavy the soap might be. Have some fruit juice handy to rinse your mouth out with. Don't do this with raw soap!
I find the test strips not very accurate.

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

Here is one I found a little less expensive then the one listed above.It has a Ph range: 0.0 to 14.0 pH http://www.soapcrafters.com/ph_meters