Soap Making Tips

See the attached for some more tips on soapmaking.

Roger

Hello Roger
I don't use palm oil. I use shortening, coconut oil, and olive oil. To answer your question, no, you can't substitute grapeseed oil. It is used in very small quantities as a preservative to keep the soap from going rancid. So be glad you have it, use it by the teaspoon to each 8 lb. batch. Have you discovered the soap makers' server through "majestic mountain sage"? Very informative. I have learned a lot from this list server, and the other soapers are so friendly and helpful. You can email "chemlab" in California, www.chemlab.com, they have soap making supplies including palm oil. You can get castor oil at the drug store.

By the way, by your recipe - are you using Norma Coney's book? Lousy, scary book, be careful. She instructs to put the water into the lye. This is wrong and very dangerous. put the lye into the water. her recipes are too lye heavy - scary! If the soap comes out looking like feta cheese be careful. (Note the pictures in the book, looks like feta cheese.) I also don't rebatch, why waste the time, add the essential oils at trace and stir for a few minutes more. Also - soap is not supposed to be caustic when cutting it, if you can't work bare handed, throw it away. End of soap box.

Before doing anything so complicated, try this. (This is my recipe.) 8 lb batch. you can get everything at the grocery store. Makes about 20 5 oz bars/balls. Good luck soaping! let me know how it comes out.

38 oz cheap storebrand vegetable Crisco
1.5 lbs coconut oil
1.5 lbs. olive oil
2 lbs water
12. 5 - 12.75 oz red devil lye, (depending on how "oily" your fragrance or essential oil is)
1/2 cup essential oil or fragrance oil

Kim Smith, Soap Maker
Treasure Recovery Soap Works
Katy, Texas
smithfamily3@prodigy.net