Teach Soap

Your batch that riced and seized was most likely caused by the FO and/or temperatures (Strawberry can be a real bugger)...the sunflower oil should not do that if it is a small percentage of your recipe. Did you run the recipe through a lye calculator?

If you are trying different recipes, slow down a bit and find one recipe that works well for you and expand on it with colors, additives, fragrances and etc. I like using sunflower oil or grapeseed oil....try one of these and see how it works for you:



2 oz GO or Sunflower 9.09%
2 oz Castor Oil 9.09%
2 oz Shea Butter 9.09%
8 oz Coconut Oil 36.36%
8 oz Olive Oil 36.36%
3.121 oz Lye
6.336 oz Water

Buttermilk Recipe:

28 oz Olive Oil 65.85%
10 oz Coconut Oil 23.53%
2 oz GO or Sunflower 4.71%
2 oz Shea Butter 4.71%
.5 oz Buttermilk (powdered mixed with distilled water, add to warmed oils) 1.18%
5.847 oz Lye
11.871 oz Water (discount by the water used in buttermilk)

(this makes approximately 53 ounces)

Also, you can try soaping closer to 100 F degrees...try to stay at 100 - 105 with both oils and lye. See if that works better for you and gives you more time...just remember that trace takes a bit longer at lower temps.

Hope that helps....if not we will try again as I have plenty of recipes and ideas

Sorry, I missed this post, but thank you for your suggestions. I really liked my original recipe and thought I'd try adding sunflower oil or GO and then I got some PKO flakes and thought I'd try those and then I tried some Shea Butter.

I finally figured out the one big goof is I misread the bottle of OO. It was actually OO/Canola blend -- so I threw that batch out. I'm having lots of fun and that's the important thing!

I do need to take some pics and get them posted. I've just been so busy (Grandpa John, daughter, work, fired the Realtor, hired the new Realtor, etc.). Anyway, I really appreciate the input!

Awesome. Just thought I would toss it out there for you.