# 5% supperfat for goats milk soaps?



## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I've been setting my lye calculator at 5% forever, but lately my soaps seem a little brittle around the edges when I unmold, even the soaps I did yesterday and I unmolded them from my kelsie molds at around 2 hours. Just regular soap, set under fans immediately after soaping. Lye completely dissolved, used the lower amount of liquid, (all milk, frozen). I've changed oils in the past couple months, but used the lye calculator to make sure I'm using the right amount of lye.

The house is not air conditioned, (we live in the south), and the soaps are set on bread racks turned upside down with fans aimed on them. They harden up pretty fast and I can unmold them after a couple of hours, which is great, I just don't like the brittle edges. I'm thinking of going up to 6%, unless it could be caused by something else? This is stumping me.


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## 2Sticks (Dec 13, 2007)

Hi Anita,
I usually do mine at 7%SF, but I can't imagine being able to get it out of the mold at 2hrs. I must be sloooow... :lol


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I would try to increase your milk - that also increases the fat.


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## Guest (Jul 6, 2011)

I would also increase the milk..... using less liquid is what is doing it..


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I will try increasing my milk. All winter I was using the max amount of milk because I was doing lots of colors and new fragrances and did not have the same problem. I did not really know I could unmold at 2 hours until I tried it. I took the bottom off first and let the fan blow on that and then I pushed down on the logs and they pushed right out without denting at all. I did wait until the soap was cool. I doubt that I can do that when I increase my milk but I really don't need to unmold so fast. I never need to use my molds more than once a day.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

MRFBarbara said:


> I would also increase the milk..... using less liquid is what is doing it..


I agree with this! When I tried going to a 40% lye solution strength, this happened to me. Now I stick with 35%.

And I'm having the opposite problem. We have no A/C and I'm finding it's taking a couple of days to set up in the mold (slab) before I can unmold. This will be my first year soaping in the summer, so I'm chalking it up to the heat and humidity. I cut my superfat to 5%, down from 7%, and this seems to have helped me.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I was wondering why my soaps were getting so hard so fast! I guess I've been discounting the liquid and didn't think of it that way. If it were not for the little bit of crumble on some of the edges I would leave it alone....I just like my edges as perfect as possible.  Cindy, maybe you could try some fans. They do dry the air out. It's working for me and I live in South Central Virginia...air so thick you could cut it some days. And hot too! We only have fans and window screens for ventilation....plus a yard full of huge shade trees...that helps a lot. 

We do have a window AC unit but it seems to dry out CG's sinus and he gets infections when we run it, so we're making do without it.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Thanks, Anita. I'll try the fans. I was thinking about putting a window unit in the small bedroom where the soap cures. No one sleeps in there.


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