Teach Soap

I live in Crete Greece and with the crisis i'm struggling to make ends meet but I have many resources around me, for instance I have 2 tons of 16 year old organic extra virgin olive oil which is very good for making soap but not for anything else. Iv'e already made a couple of batches with 100% olive oil ( just for the home) and they came out very nice but came to trace very quickly, not sure if this is due to the temperatures or over speeding with the whisk. I would like to start a business but still need a lot more info. I'm experimenting with food colouring and swirling techniques, very nice but have to work very quickly due to the fast trace. Does anyone know if this is due to using 100% olive oil?

Hi laina! Do you discount your water when you make 100% olive oil soap? I discount mine and it helps speed up trace. If you go with a higher water percentage, it should slow things down. Usually EVOO will take longer to trace than pomace olive oil.

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

It may be due to the age of your oil, I find that EVOO is slow to trace for me.

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

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

Are you using weight or volume to measure your ingredients?

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

It would be very helpful if you did. A good digital kitchen scale works well and many of them can be set for pounds, ounces, or grams. I weigh my oils and other ingredients in grams because it is more accurate.

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

16 year old olive oil would be iffy for me. If you are making a small recipe, I would convert it to grams on your scale for better accuracy.

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

thanks Irena, i'll try a mix of different years. Also, do you know if food colouring will stay in the soap after its cured or will it wash out or give coloured bubbles?