How to Use a Lye Calculator

I have a series of "classroom" style videos coming up. These look at the elements of soap making beyond just making soap. I'm sure when most of you started making soap you used a recipe given to you or you found from (hopefully) a reputable soap maker/teacher. But we all reach a point where we usually want to start creating our own recipe. To do that you either need to be able to calculate a recipe from scratch (Say what! Yes, from scratch...I might even have a video series coming up on that!) or use a lye calculator.

So, today I am walking you through how to use a lye calculator. I use the calculator from SoapCalc.net. It is my favorite and one that gives you the most control over your recipe.

#lyecalculator #howtousealyecalculator #soapmaking #recipeformualtionforsoap

SoapCalc: http://www.soapcalc.net
SoapCalc Directions: http://www.soapcalc.net/info/helptext...
Modern Soapmaking How to Better Understand Water: https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/blog...

0:00 How to Use a Lye Calculator
0:05 Introduction to the Lye Calculator
1:23 Part 1 - The Oils
3:08 Part 2 - NaOH vs. KOH
3:22 Part 3 - Choosing Your Oil Weight
4:03 Part 4 - Water Content
5:15 Part 5 - Determining Your Superfat
6:00 Part 6 - Creating Your Recipe
6:50 Part 7 - Your Final Recipe

A little extra info on Calculating Water Amount
Water is needed to dissolve the lye (sodium hydroxide) and for the hydrolysis of the fats. Hydrolysis is a reaction involving the breaking of a bond in a molecule using water. The reaction mainly occurs between an ion and water molecules and often changes the pH of a solution.

When making soap too much water will result in a soft bar of soap that will need extra drying time and could even encourage rancidity (depending on how much water and the oils you used). Too little water could result in an inability for your lye to completely dissolve (worst case) or significantly speed up your trace (giving you less time to make the soap).

As you learn and experiment you will figure out a water “amount” that you want to use. The more water used the more fluid the mixture will remain. Higher water discounts will trace much quicker. However they will also cure quicker. It’s really a matter of preference. There’s no right or wrong water amount unless you go below a 50-50 solution. Sodium hydroxide needs at least equal amounts of water to dissolve. A good starting point is a lye solution strength between 25 and 33%.

What does 25% solution strength mean? When a water strength is referred to in a percentage the percentage is representing the lye. The remainder is water. So, a 25% solution means that 25% of your lye solution is lye and the remaining 75% is water.

A 33% solution means 33% is lye and the remaining 67% is water. A 50% solution means you’ve got each amounts of lye and water. You cannot go any higher than this if you want the sodium hydroxide to fully dissolve.

You’re going to work with a solution strength between 25% and 50%. If you’re unsure what strength to use or are new to soap making stick with a solution strength between 28% and 33% until you have a better understand of how water works in the soap making process.