Teach Soap

When watching You Tube videos on making soap, no-one ever seems to talk about the PH of the end product. How important is PH, if you've used the lye calculator correctly, stired lye sufficiently with water, stired sufficiently with your oils and have let it cure for a few weeks, then how much risk is there to your finished product?

PH must be between 8 - 10. Just try it to your skin, if it is not irritates you then it's ok to use.

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When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!!!

The "zap test" we commonly talk about is a poor mans pH test. You either rub your finger against the soap then touch it to your tongue, or you touch your tongue to the soap itself. If all you get is soap taste its good to go, if you get a zap (feels like you touched a 9 volt battery to your tongue, or someone snapped an elastic against your tongue) then there is still lye present. Alternatively you can purchase litmus paper and get an actual pH reading.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Yes, the zap test seems to work as a rough guide, and also as evidence of the originators masochistic tendencies

Adam S

p.s. My wife does think Im rather odd sometimes "Are you *licking* that soap???"

Definitely once cured - if done whilst curing (the initial 24hrs, say) rather than the longer drying-off cure (if you see what I mean), then theres a good chance you might lick pure lye solution - not a good idea....


Adam

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

I zap test usually between 12 and 24 hours after pouring, and have yet *knock on wood* had a zap yet.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

It is important do not know why they do not talk about it. I use the zap test too and thank God have never been zapped. I also use ph test stripes which read always between 9 -10 can never get them to read lower, but I heard they are not that accurate. I always superfat at 7% just to be safe.

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Four Seasons Fine Handcrafted Soaps
& Specialties, Inc.
Laugh, Love, Live!

Regarding accuracy - it depends on the grade of test strips. I have a box of lab grade pH 0-14 strips (so not that high a resolution, but quite accurate) that I check every so often, and generally the soaps come out at pH 10, with superfatting of 6-8% depending on how a particular recipe has worked out.

Cheers,
Adam

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Four Seasons Fine Handcrafted Soaps
& Specialties, Inc.
Laugh, Love, Live!

The ones I have look very similar, but are made by BDH.

Adam

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