Teach Soap

Hey y'all.
I ultimately came here looking for answers to a couple of stupid questions but so far I haven't seen the info so i decided to introduce myself and get to know so of you guys... then maybe I can just come out and ask my stupid questions LOL

I was born and raised in the mountains of NC. I have a tiny little shop (opened a year ago) in a small town that is just struggling to stay alive. I was always looking for good homemade soaps for the shop... did find a couple of people and their soaps I liked but they are not close and local...plus they each have a style and I had my own ideas of some styles or kinds of soap I want to carry as well... and since I always am dabbling in crafty things...I decided to give this a whirl.

I have been reading and collecting my supplies etc for over a month now. Last night I did my first attempt at what we call "kettle soap" or cooked soap. It is basically like my ancestors made out back in the yard in a big black kettle over a fire. I wanted to do this for more than one reason. It's a strong heritage that I wanted to revisit for myself but I also want to offer another part of Mtn Heritage with customers.

Now keep in mind I want to do other types of soap too but this Old Timey Lye soap or kettle soap like Grandma used to make was something I wanted to try right away. Some of it (the first mold full) turnd out pretty good i think...the next one not so much and i am thinking it was from loss of too much fluid or too much evaporation without replenishing the water. However even the first mold wasn't really "pour"able. It was too thick but seems to have turned out ok. I had just scooped it into the mold and pressed.

something I can't figure out (tonight I am rebatching that 2nd mold of soap) is how to tell if it is cooked to neutral or if the lye is "all cooked up" and balanced and won't burn. I got some of that pheno red stuff that is supposed to test ph but i can't get it to do anything. Any ideas or advice???

Hot process really appeals to me but I didn't see any info in the message boards...or I guess i didn't see a common place for discussions on hot process. If there is such a place here....can you point me in the right direction?

Thank you oh so kindly..... dixie

Welcome Dixie!
My mother and grandmother made soap also. I presume you are cooking your soap in a crock pot? There is no need to replenish water, but a lid is helpful if you are making direct heat soap. You can test your soap with pheno. If there is no color change, then your soap should be ok. Are you running your recipe through a lye calculator? Do you have an accurate scale? I hope you're not using cups, as that's not an accurate method. Do you have a stick blender? Hot process soap will never be as pourable as when your soap comes to trace. Lye doesn't get cooked up. If your recipe is lye heavy, it will still be lye heavy, even after cooking. Always run any recipe through a lye calculator. Most superfat at around 5 to 7% to make sure it isn't lye heavy.

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

Soap does not need to cook in order for it to become soap. I make cold process soap and I don't gel. It still comes out a great soap in the end. Oils and lye interact whether it's with heat or without.

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

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