5
votes
Accepted
Soap not hardening
As hlg said, cold process takes 4 to 8 weeks to dry.
Also, each oil sets differently and gives the soap a different hardness.
I don't have a link in English, but here's a good one in French (that you ...
- 66
4
votes
Accepted
Can I use a combination of milk and vegetable oil as fat source for soap making?
Yes, you can, but there are some things you need to consider.
In summary:
Using milk in soap will always create an unpleasant smell for about a week after cutting the soap. After that first week, the ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
4
votes
Accepted
Can I use cleaning gloves whilst handling lye during soap making?
These gloves have both advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
They are reusable (You should rinse them under fresh water before taking them off your hands).
They are long and protect your forearms from ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
4
votes
Can I use cleaning gloves whilst handling lye during soap making?
I'll stop short of recommending any particular product, but highly recommend wearing non-absorbing gloves when handling sodium hydroxide (lye) at any concentration.
Latex gloves will suffice for this, ...
- 141
3
votes
How to infuse candles/soaps with scents from tea leaves?
The problem with your ingredients is that both (green tea and toasted rice) only have a mild scent to begin with.
The scent mostly comes from essential oils. Things that are rich in essential oils ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
2
votes
Soap not hardening
Cold process soap usually needs 4 weeks minimum to set up completely. You may just need to give it more time.
- 81
2
votes
How I can calculate how much sodium hydroxide I need for a given amount of oils during soap making?
If you are using an existing recipe, as described in the question, and want to make a smaller batch, just keep the same proportions; if you start with say half the oil, use half the lye (and any other ...
- 11.5k
2
votes
How I can calculate how much sodium hydroxide I need for a given amount of oils during soap making?
I am not familiar with the soap-making process, so someone experienced might want to chip in here, but there is an online calculator here.
You can fill in the amounts of oils you have, the type and ...
- 10.4k
2
votes
Accepted
Would you recommend the use of pH paper so I can eyeball the ingredients during soap making?
Unfortunately, this strategy won't be much help. pH is affected by both how active the alkali is and its concentration. When the concentration goes down by a factor of 10, the pH goes down by 1. ...
- 11.5k
2
votes
Accepted
What alternate alkali can I use instead of ashes and lye (sodium or potasium hydroxide solutions) for soap making?
The answer depends on how literally you intend the wording. Technically, you can't make "soap" from scratch without lye (it's how "soap" is defined; it isn't just broken-down fat, ...
- 11.5k
1
vote
Accepted
How I can calculate how much sodium hydroxide I need for a given amount of oils during soap making?
Look up the saponification value of the oils you are using, then you can be more precise about the amount of NaOH needed.
The wikipedia article also has a handy list of values.
For example; changing ...
1
vote
What alternate alkali can I use instead of ashes and lye (sodium or potasium hydroxide solutions) for soap making?
Soap contains alkali metal ; Li, Na, K, Rb. Cs . If properly made there is no free alkali just as there is no free chlorine in table salt.
- 1,245
1
vote
How to ferment green indigo powder to make it blue
Try mixing the unfermented indigo powder with water in a bowl, and 'beating' it, using a smaller bowl to scoop it up and pouring it back until the mix turns blue.
Consider adding lye [NaOH] or slaked ...
- 10.4k
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