Soap making strategies? this is my 5th time making soap. i add distilled marine...
this is my 5th time making soap. i add distilled marine to lye, melt the portly, let them both cool to around 95 degree, mix them, quickly throw contained by coloring or scent, and pour.
my problem is the scenting - i enjoy used both essential oil and synthetic fragrance. when the soap dries it doesn't hang on to the smell, and there is an slippery residue which i assume is from the oil.
Answers: Not sure what your measurements are for you're oil, lye and water mixture - might not hurt to check your recipe using a lye calculator - here's a intermingle to one -http://www.the-sage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.p...
It could be your fragrance oils construct sure they are soap safe and for use within cp soapmaking.
I would would mix the oils and lye mixture between 100 - 115 degree and would use a stick blender not an electric hand mixer (two beaters- doesn't work as well) - Using a stick blender will also sustain you reach trace faster too...I usually add on my lye mixture to oils and blend for a couple minutes and after add my color and fragrance beforehand trace and this seems to work for me. I supply my soaps at craft fairs after they've cured for 4 to 8 weeks and the sent seem to last fine.
hope you get hold of it figured out - and delight in your soaps -
Depending on your completed recipe size - I would use at least 2 oz's of sent for no more than 8 pounds of soap
I wouldn't put the soap contained by zip lock stacks till after 4 weeks of cure time has elapsed as the soap may still sweat and spawn the soap slimy. I store my soaps in cardboard boxes till in position to sell/use.
Kathy Miller has a page devoted to trouble shooting these occurrence - http://www.millersoap.com/trouble.html
Mary, try putting your soap bars surrounded by a zip lock daypack while curing. You can also store them in a fastener lock as well. Unfortunately there's not much you can do to engineer the scent last longer, at lowest possible any that I know of. Also, you might try heating your load up a little more, right to be heard to 110 degrees. Depending on what type of oil or fats you are using, this may manufacture them cure quicker, there by making the scent ultimate a little longer. This may also assistance with the slippery feeling. If you aren't already using one, try using a electric mixer at prevailing conditions speed to get your mixture to trace. Electric mixers will do a better situation of mixing the fat molecules together next to the lye water which might help out with the slippery feeling. dutiful luck, Leo