HERB - Re: Help with olive oil soap?

[Gaylin Walli]

Diana wrote:
>Olive oil soap is also supposed to take a long time--up to several hours--to
>reach trace.

Actually, I was refering to the completion of the majority of the
saponification process, not the act of tracing.

>But one trick I have picked up in my reading on the net is that
>using what is called variously a "stick blender" or "immersion
>blender" to do your stirring can cut that time down dramatically,
>to as little as 10 minutes!

Again, it depends on your mix and your oils, any additions you've
made, and the temperatures you choose to mix your lye solution and
your fat/oil combination at. Some people can't get the hang of working
a stick blender and end up incorportaing too much air into the soap
and essentially destroy the saponification process. It takes a deft
hand. Another suggestion that I've yet to try is the idea of using
a paint mixer. Regular, slow, low-air stirring with a steel rod.
Hands-free mixing at its best! I can't wait to try it.

>saying that all-vegetable oil soaps, in particular, benefit from having some
>animal proteins in there to help the soap melt well.

I don't know that I'd agree with this.

>In the batches I've done
>the soap turned rather caramel colored, which I have wondered if too high a
>heat on the milk might have caused.

That's because the sugars are changing in the milk you're adding. This
is very natural. As far as I can tell, it doesn't change the texture
or efficacy of the soap. I've not personally experienced any scent
changes either (though I'm told people can very occasionally detect
some small amount of odor). A somewhat popular book on milk-based
soaps gives some very detailed instructions on making soaps. However,
many of the soapers I know seem to think the extra effort proposed in
the book is a waste of time. I've not tried the method proposed, so
I can't say (but it basically involves using an ice bath for your soap
making when you do CP soap with milk as the liquid).

I think you have one of two, well, maybe four. First, don't add milk.
Obviously that's not realistically a choice. Second, you could try
powdered milk as an additive instead of the liquid. Simply add it at
trace or when you add ingredients during rebatch, similar to adding
oatmeal. Third, don't use *all* milk as you're liquid, replace no more
than 15% of your rebatch liquid with milk. Fourth, keep your liquid
milk in the freezer without letting it get ice crystals in it (i.e.
keep it as cold as possible without freezing just prior to adding it
to the soap).

>I've been wondering about adding buttermilk to the soap at the remelting
>stage myself, but buttermilk usually curdles and separates when it is heated

I use buttermilk powder added at trace. I like how the finished product
makes my skin feel. And I'd personally like to compare this kind of
addition to the recipe that was posted last week which included the grain
flour. Maybe the medieval folk actually knew something we don't. :)

>As to adding herbs in to the milled soap, well, that's the only reason I'm
>going to the trouble, myself! ;-) I want to protect my additions from the lye
>as much as possible.

I personally add them at trace to avoid the extra work of rebatching.
But I do admire the soaps that some people come up with when rebatching.
I personally think marbled and layer soaps turn out much nicer using
that method than using plain first-time CP soaps.

>That said, a possible intermediate method is to shred the
>soap while it is still pretty soft--within it's first week, usually--and knead
>in the extras by hand. Then either push it into molds to harden, or roll it
>into balls (That looks the best to my eyes.)

This seems to be the method that Markham advises in "The English Housewife"
as far as I can tell. But I'm still struggling with the difference between
regular soap for human use or "washing balls" and whether or not that
meant washing for laundry and general household cleaning. Maybe I should
post the recipe and see what you guys think.

Sorry to go on so. Just got out of an evil staff meeting and needed to
take my mind off work. :)

Jasmine
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