# Liquid soap questions



## nappint (Jun 26, 2008)

I've looked at Barbara's liquid soap recipe and would love to use that one because it seems so low maintenance but there is no way I can do a 3 day cook with all my kids running around. I've thought about setting it up with a roaster in the soap room in the barn but I'm so afraid I'd burn the barn down :blush Does anyone here have a different way of making liquid soap? I've looked at Snowdrift Farms instructions and they seem doable but has anyone tried her recipe/way to cook the soap? They don't mention neutralizing the soap, which makes me curious about the finished product...

Thanks for any thoughts!


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## Sharpgoat (Feb 7, 2008)

I pick 3 or 4 day I will be around and for the time I was out I unplug the roster and put a blanket on it to keep it warm and cook it when I was in.
You will know when it's done it goes from cloudy to clear.
Fran


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2011)

Just like Fran says above, you can turn it off, even at night and continue to cook the next day.. I have tried many many recipes and in my opinion the only way to get a good soap is to cook cook cook... When I first started making ls soaps I would go by the rec or book and cook as long as they said.. I ended up with cloudy nasty smelly soaps.. 
LS is formulated different by all, some with excess lye so that all the oils safonify ( won't be cloudy) clear and pretty.. if you don't neutralize this you end up with harsh soap and cooking longer also makes it gentler on your skin.. some are formulated with superfat so to speak and because it is liquid your soap can actually mold, (something that never happens in bar soap) Again cooking makes it all safonify and makes it better...
When I start a batch and something comes up in life and I can't continue, I just turn it off, wrap up to stay warm.. and turn it back on later even two days later and it is fine.. But you just can't go wrong by cook, cook cook..for this reason I make a huge batch twice a year..age it for a full year.. While I understand that someone new at making it is going to make a small batch (I did) and go from there..
I don't have small children around and have the advantage of cooking it whenever I feel like it.. 
Have fun and enjoy, handmade LS is lovely..


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## nappint (Jun 26, 2008)

Thanks for the replies, I didn't know you could stop cooking for periods of time so this might just work. 

I have another question though, I ran the recipe through soapcalc, changed the type of lye and superfatted at 0% and the lye calculation came back a couple of ounces lower than Barb's recipe which I understand because of needing all of the fats to saponify and neutralizing at the end. But how do you figure the lye needed if you want to play with some recipes? I even used a -10 superfat and the lye calculation was still less than that of Barb's recipe. Any thoughts on calculating?

Thanks again!


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I'd like to know that as well as I am going to try my first batch next week. How do we alter the recipe to make it larger or smaller? Can we just use percentages of the whole?


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2011)

The recipes that I use are forumlated with extra lye, so that all my fats will safonify easily.... I use recipes from the Liquid soap book and they are all this way.. This is the main reason they have to be neutralized or they are harsh on your skin.. this is also the reason some don't speak about neutralization with LS soaps.. because they use less lye,,, they also end up cloudy alot or moldly... You can go by what the lye calculator tells you, just make sure you cook it alot.. 
Kathy you can change the size of the recipe in any soap calculator.. 
Barb


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Yes, I know I can change the oil amounts but I'm trying to figure out how to determine the lye amount. If I run the formula as is with 48 CO and 14 KOH through a lye calculator I come up with a NEGATIVE 21% SF. If I run the 35 CO, 13 OO, 13 KOH I come up with a negative 14% SF. If I want to stay with those oils in that ratio I'm comfortable just duplicating the SF but since it's a significant difference I'm not sure what I should use if I want to alter the ratio or use different oils. Does she address this in her book (which for some reason I thought I picked up last year but if I did I sure don't know where I put it LOL)?


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I use www. summerbeemeadow.com calculator for liquid soap. Works well for me.

I just made a batch with the "different" mothod of using glycerine in place of water. Quick, fast, no cooking and I am diluting it as we speak. WIll have to see how it works when in the foamers. 
I


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## nappint (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm with Kathy - I'm fine with the higher lye amount I'm just trying to figure out how it's calculated so that I can re-size or change oils etc. and still get a good soap. So I guess I need to buy the book? 

Glycerin instead of water? Sounds interesting. Did that come from the book too?


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## Guest (Jan 9, 2011)

Yes, she does address this in the book and gives the formula that she used to figure out the lye.. 
I have never tried making LS soap using glycerin instead of water, does sound interesting.. But I have a good recipe now and will stick with that.. I do sell tons of LS


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I have agood LS soap recipe too but I just can't pass up a good research project. I get bored easily I guess. January and February are my research months and I just have to experiment.


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