Teach Soap

Yeah, so about to start my first batch, as soon as the hubs is done making lunch and everything gets cleaned up. I'd like to make two batches if possible, one being a 100% OO Castile , which will most likely used up all my OO and another being...whatever is easy that I can get away with making with whatever I have left over...I have a lot of different oils to pick from (overly excited beginner :X) just not a lot of OO. I do have rice bran oil, which I know is used in place of OO, would this be something too hard for a beginner to work with? I was thinking something like....

Castor Oil 2.56oz 08.0%
Coconut Oil (76 Degrees) 6.72oz 21.0%
Palm Oil 6.40oz 20.0%
Rice Bran Oil 16.32oz 51.0%
7% Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Amount 4.249oz
Ounces of liquid recommended 10.56oz
Yields 46.81oz
.....?
I also have....sweet almond oil and sunflower oil..... wish I would picked up more OO.

Also, what's your method of cleaning up? I'm putting newspaper down, but as far as the lye pitcher? Just let it soak in water for awhile, then wash really good?

I ran a few variations through SoapCalc and this is what I would use. It is for a 48 ounce batch.

Sweet Almond Oil 7.2 ounces 15%
Palm Oil 7.2 ounces 15%
Coconut Oil 14.4 ounces 30%
Castor Oil 2.4 ounces 5%
Rice Bran Oil 16.8 ounces 35%

Water 18.24 ounces
Lye (at a 7% Superfat) 6.6 ounces

Here's what the chart looks like although these are just a guideline...
Soap Bar Quality Suggested Range Your Recipe
Hardness 29 - 54 41
Cleansing 12 - 22 21
Conditioning 44 - 69 53
Bubbly 14 - 46 25
Creamy 16 - 48 25
Iodine 41 - 70 69
INS 136 - 165 143


As for cleanup, make sure to keep your gloves on and just rinse your lye pitcher with water. No need to soap it. Just regular dish soap will clean up the rest of the utensils and bowls and such. Keep some paper towels handy too. Have fun!

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Haven

ok, hmmm, I have 47 oz of OO, if I made 32 oz batch of castile, that would leave me some to put into the next soap...would a 32 oz batch be an ok size? or should I just soap all 47oz of OO?
Thanks for the help!

Do NOT add any soap to your lye water pitcher. You will end up with floaties when you make the next batch. Just rinse it with lots of plain water.

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

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

This is kind of what I ended up doing (MIL came over and Xed my page with my recipes on it before I saved it...CRAP!!!!)....So,

First batch, went something kind of like this....

Castor Oil 2.56oz 08.0%
Olive Oil 23.04oz 72.0%
Palm Oil 6.40oz 20.0%
7% Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Amount 4.050oz
Ounces of liquid recommended 10.56oz
Yields 46.61oz
Current Batch (total oil weight): 32.00oz
......

So far so good. I put a little green lab color in it. It traced much faster then I was expecting, but I don't think it traced too fast. That batch was more then 32oz, I just really don't remember how much it was . TOTALLY bummed.
..........
Second batch went a little something like this.....

Almond Oil (Sweet) 4.80oz 15.0%
Castor Oil 1.60oz 05.0%
Coconut Oil (76 Degrees) 6.40oz 20.0%
Olive Oil 3.20oz 10.0%
Palm Oil 4.80oz 15.0%
Rice Bran Oil 11.20oz 35.0%
7% Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Amount 4.253oz
Ounces of liquid recommended 10.56oz
Yields 46.81oz
Current Batch (total oil weight): 32.00oz

Again, not exactly what I made, but close enough. I'm pretty sure I used more castor oil, I just don't remember exactly how much. Put more green in this one, tried to make it darker...we'll see how it turns out. Scented it with BB Ginger Ale scent, only used 3/4 of a oz. I'm not a huge fan of the scent, so I was wanting it to be light, hopefully it's not too light.

I really enjoyed this and can't wait to do it again. The lye was scary, but nothing too crazy. Clean up was much much easier then I was expecting. All and all I'd say it went very good...maybe too good...l'm keeping my fingers crossed that my soap turns out good!

Again, thanks for all the help! I know I'm new and don't have a lot of post, but I'm already in love with this place and how nice everyone is.

Sounds good. Next time make sure to record exactly what you put in it and make notes about it. How fast did it trace? How much fragrance. You really need to make sure that your scale is accurate and you are accurately measuring everything. Welcome to the addiction!

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Haven