You must fill out all the information for your oils. Scroll down and click on the calculate button it will then generate the SAP values for the amount of lye needed and the water.
Soap Makers Help!
- Thread starter Jenlyn9483
- Start date
I know I'm being a pain in the bum, but where it says 10 -15 fluid ounces I thought you were supposed to by that number on the chart where you get the lye amount. I see where you have the six circled and I see the 5.32 but I don't understand the connection between the 2. I'm sorry MP I'm just kinda slow at this I guess. Thankfully you and NP are here to help because I don't think I would have gotten this far without the two of you helping.
You have 3 column up there
1 = liquids - 10 - 15 ounces water/milk/etc for the recipe to work
2 = fats - the list of fats and theamounts you will measure out
3 = the amount of lye to use in order for the oils to saponify
You need all of these measures to make the recipe complete.
1 = liquids - 10 - 15 ounces water/milk/etc for the recipe to work
2 = fats - the list of fats and theamounts you will measure out
3 = the amount of lye to use in order for the oils to saponify
You need all of these measures to make the recipe complete.
but how did you know it was 5.32? I'm sorry. I'm looking at it and I just don't get it. I see the three colums and I thought that the amount of lye was decided by the amount of fluid liquids. But when the amount of liquids goes past 10 I get lost on how to figure up the amount of lye I need. I wish I would have been better at math. Maybe if you pretend I'm five that would help. Seriously sometimes with math that is how I feel.
OK, I think I've got this one, dummy as I am in this area still. NP and MP, PLEASE correct any part of this where I'm incorrect so that I can learn as well.
Water/liquids - You have a RANGE to work within. The reason for this is that some people discount the water to have less water to evaporate, therefore less TIME til the soap is ready. Some, like NP use the maximum because it pours better and allows for you to do fun swirling or just to allow for more room for error. Some SAP calculators ask you to start with the percentage of water then work from there. This one just provides you a range to work within and allows you to make your best judgment. So far, since I'm not swirling, I'm aiming at a range between mid- to max since I need mine done within the next 4 weeks. After this Christmas rush, I'm going to go more toward NP's max level and play around further.
Oils - Each of these provide something to the soap. Do you have the TSC book? If so, see page 96. There's a chart there that'll tell you what each oil contributes to the soap - hardness, cleansing, various kinds of lather, conditioning, and quick trace. TSC also details this further in the following pages and recommends percentages for some of these oils. You can play with this some to make a soap that will work for what you're trying to accomplish.
If you don't have TSC, this online source is pretty good: http://www.soap-making-resource.com/soap-making-ingredients.html
Lye - This is dependent on the oils. Each oil has a different level of saponification. If you increase or decrease the amounts of one oil or another, the saponification level changes. This is why you run your recipe through the calculator to determine which amount of lye you need.
Along the lines with this, the MMS calculator gives you a CHART to determine which amount of lye you want to use depending on your level of superfatting. Again, this is a range, and these are the numbers you're seeing on the right side. Some soapers prefer more excess fat, others less. Newbies like you and I are still working this one out. Most likely we've been using homemade soaps without knowing at what level they're superfatted. Until we get to try our own stuff and know what we did to it, we're going to be a bit lost. As for me, I've been aiming for the 7% - 8% range. It gives me a little room to make some mistakes, but not too much. After trying my soap when it's done, I may play with this further. In the meantime, I've been running it through two calculators, MMS and the one at Soapers Choice. SC wants more detailed information up front and asks you what percentage of water/liquid you want to use. I've been aiming for 37% because that's what TSC is doing for her basic recipe. So, I use that info from the one site to give me a guideline (since otherwise I wouldn't know what to do) and the rest of the info from MMS. Each time, what SC has given for my 37% is within the range found at MMS. I know that's probably more detailed than either MP or NP would do, but until I've figured out exactly what I'm doing, I figure the more questions I ask, the better it is.
I appreciate all your questions. Each time you ask one, I learn something new as well!
Water/liquids - You have a RANGE to work within. The reason for this is that some people discount the water to have less water to evaporate, therefore less TIME til the soap is ready. Some, like NP use the maximum because it pours better and allows for you to do fun swirling or just to allow for more room for error. Some SAP calculators ask you to start with the percentage of water then work from there. This one just provides you a range to work within and allows you to make your best judgment. So far, since I'm not swirling, I'm aiming at a range between mid- to max since I need mine done within the next 4 weeks. After this Christmas rush, I'm going to go more toward NP's max level and play around further.
Oils - Each of these provide something to the soap. Do you have the TSC book? If so, see page 96. There's a chart there that'll tell you what each oil contributes to the soap - hardness, cleansing, various kinds of lather, conditioning, and quick trace. TSC also details this further in the following pages and recommends percentages for some of these oils. You can play with this some to make a soap that will work for what you're trying to accomplish.
If you don't have TSC, this online source is pretty good: http://www.soap-making-resource.com/soap-making-ingredients.html
Lye - This is dependent on the oils. Each oil has a different level of saponification. If you increase or decrease the amounts of one oil or another, the saponification level changes. This is why you run your recipe through the calculator to determine which amount of lye you need.
Along the lines with this, the MMS calculator gives you a CHART to determine which amount of lye you want to use depending on your level of superfatting. Again, this is a range, and these are the numbers you're seeing on the right side. Some soapers prefer more excess fat, others less. Newbies like you and I are still working this one out. Most likely we've been using homemade soaps without knowing at what level they're superfatted. Until we get to try our own stuff and know what we did to it, we're going to be a bit lost. As for me, I've been aiming for the 7% - 8% range. It gives me a little room to make some mistakes, but not too much. After trying my soap when it's done, I may play with this further. In the meantime, I've been running it through two calculators, MMS and the one at Soapers Choice. SC wants more detailed information up front and asks you what percentage of water/liquid you want to use. I've been aiming for 37% because that's what TSC is doing for her basic recipe. So, I use that info from the one site to give me a guideline (since otherwise I wouldn't know what to do) and the rest of the info from MMS. Each time, what SC has given for my 37% is within the range found at MMS. I know that's probably more detailed than either MP or NP would do, but until I've figured out exactly what I'm doing, I figure the more questions I ask, the better it is.
I appreciate all your questions. Each time you ask one, I learn something new as well!
Last edited:
Quote:
BB ~ where did you get a lemon verbena scent? I have been looking for the seed, or the plant, or the scent ~ but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Do you mind divulging your source?
Also ~ looked for tallow today, and was disgusted at the high prices, so, called around to my grocery stores & found beef suet for 29c a pound! I guess I can make my own for that price. :-D
~Red
BB ~ where did you get a lemon verbena scent? I have been looking for the seed, or the plant, or the scent ~ but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Do you mind divulging your source?
Also ~ looked for tallow today, and was disgusted at the high prices, so, called around to my grocery stores & found beef suet for 29c a pound! I guess I can make my own for that price. :-D
~Red
Quote:
It is the fats that determine the amount of lye you need to use. The water is the carrier by which you are able to mix the lye in order to get it safely into the oils for the saponification process to happen and to create the soap.
The amount of water has no direct relation to the amount of lye.
Whatever you think you have been trying to calculate based on the fluid ounces of water you need to forget about it. You are making your own self confused.
Until the light bulb goes on and you understand clearly what is being done with soap making I strongly urge you not to try a recipe. You may suffer a severe injury.
It is the fats that determine the amount of lye you need to use. The water is the carrier by which you are able to mix the lye in order to get it safely into the oils for the saponification process to happen and to create the soap.
The amount of water has no direct relation to the amount of lye.
Whatever you think you have been trying to calculate based on the fluid ounces of water you need to forget about it. You are making your own self confused.
Until the light bulb goes on and you understand clearly what is being done with soap making I strongly urge you not to try a recipe. You may suffer a severe injury.
Well I've been using other recipes that I have been findiing but I was intersted in my own. But that was why when I got confused I came direclty here to ask my questions. So I never did make that batch last night becasue of the confusion. I really don't want to make a mistake with that stuff becasue of the danger. But thank you for the advice. As far as the explaining about this that you have all done, Thank you very much. I finally understand it now and see where I was wrong. I will stick to other's recipes until I am more educated with all this stuff. Thanks everyone
Fat Amount(oz wt) % in recipe
Coconut Oil 5 12.50
Olive Oil 15 37.50
Soybean Oil 20 50.00
Total Weight 40
5.32 lye
15 fluid ounces of liquid.
This recipe from yesterday should work for you.
Remember coconut oil is a drying agent so you don't want more than 10 - 15% of your recipe to be coconut oil based.
The better the oils that you use the more luxurious the soap becomes.
The coconut oil helps make a hard bar but also helps produce lather.
I use coconut oil along with castor oil in my soaps to make creamy rich lather.
Olive oil makes some of the best soap so if you can use it make it one of the largest ingredients in your recipe.
Coconut Oil 5 12.50
Olive Oil 15 37.50
Soybean Oil 20 50.00
Total Weight 40
5.32 lye
15 fluid ounces of liquid.
This recipe from yesterday should work for you.
Remember coconut oil is a drying agent so you don't want more than 10 - 15% of your recipe to be coconut oil based.
The better the oils that you use the more luxurious the soap becomes.
The coconut oil helps make a hard bar but also helps produce lather.
I use coconut oil along with castor oil in my soaps to make creamy rich lather.
Olive oil makes some of the best soap so if you can use it make it one of the largest ingredients in your recipe.
I'll write that down so I can remember that. And what is the TSC book? Is that the actual title or is the abbreviation? I think that would defilitly be worth the money so I know what oils do what. Thank you very much for having so much patience with me. I'm really happy that I have a place to come and ask questions and actually get responses.
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