How to use a 50/50 lye water solution for soapmaking

[@mizraggy]

The generosity to break this down for your viewers is so amazing and appreciated! 💖💖. You both answered several questions that I had. Especially mixing & storing lye for small projects (too soon for a tank investment). Thank you!!

[@muddymintsoap]

Aww, thank you!! I'm so happy that you found it valuable. I was worried it would be too confusing, but it sounds like most people we able to follow. Let us know if you give it a try! :)

[@mizraggy]

@@muddymintsoap I just need to find that container you used at the end for smaller scale storage. That's right up my alley!

[@mizraggy]

Just saw the Amazon link!! #winning 😊

[@muddymintsoap]

Woohoo!! 🎉

[@lisac9342]

REALLY appreciate the explanation in all of this. Hardly anyone explains this so I reallllly appreciate it.

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you so much!! :)

[@thirddaysoapsgarden]

Thank you. 20+ soapmaker here. I finally understand the 50/50 method. Thank you. You both explained it to me like im a 5 year old. Lol. Subscribed

[@muddymintsoap]

YES!!! This is what I love to hear! Thanks for subscribing and welcome! :)

[@georgianasalter]

❤TY for the enlightenment!

[@georgianasalter]

YOU're a sweet couple❤

[@herbneq]

Hallelujah, right?

[@Lumin8ed]

This is an amazing chemistry lesson! Thank you for breaking down how to calculate liquid additives and manage timing for scorchable products-plus how to use a 50/50 lye solution as a standby product. I’ve been making soap for 8 months, and I can’t believe I missed this lesson until now. Your explanations are so clear and helpful. You’re amazing-thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you!! I'm so happy you enjoyed this video! We are pretty new here on KZbin so many folks haven't found us yet. Glad you did! :)

[@herfruitfulglow]

This my third time watching this, and gosh I swear I learned so much more the third time around. I really appreciate this video! Thank you guys so much!💛

[@muddymintsoap]

Woohoo!! I'm so happy that you got it figured out!! Thanks for watching. :)

[@K9Equine23]

I have been soaping for years and have struggled to understand using 50/50. I get it now!!!! Thank you!

[@muddymintsoap]

Hooray!!! That's so awesome! I'm so glad this video helped get you to the other side! :)

[@A.l.l16]

I hope I can understand this also soap making understanding can be alittle bit rough but can be be understood

[@tassiegirl1991]

I think you have clarified the whole thing making 50:50 batch then adding liquid to get the % required. Thank you. I have just ordered two containers you recommended. An excellent video. Keep them coming please.

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you! So glad you found this video helpful! :)

[@kfoss70]

I'm not sure why I couldn't wrap my head around how to use a 50/50 lye solution. Thanks to both of you, I get it! It actually makes complete sense the way you explained it. Clearly, I was overthinking it. Thank you!!!!

[@muddymintsoap]

Yay! That's so awesome that you get it now! Thanks for watching! :)

[@Anna-Laurie]

No one ever mentioned premixing the lye. I didn’t even know you could do that!

[@muddymintsoap]

Woohoo!! Now you know! 🎉🎉

[@annmariemiller8744]

Oh my gosh you guys! I actually followed, took notes, drew my own graphs to follow and I think I finally got it! Which is a HUGE success for me! I love your videos. You’re helping me learn concepts verses just following recipes. I’d like to make this business a success but friggin soap is REALLY HARD to claim in my brain. So helpful

[@muddymintsoap]

Woohoo!! I love hearing this! So happy that it finally clicked - it's a concept that a lot of folks find very confusing and many people with large soap businesses still don't get it, so don't worry too much about it. Thanks for watching! :)

[@debfiel6585]

I have just recently heard of doing a 50/50 lye solution. It is wonderful! Since we did our first batch I've made 4 loaves of soap. It was in one to two days. I kept putting it off because I also dread making the lye solution. Thank you so much for these videos!

[@muddymintsoap]

Yes! I love hearing that! It really is a game-changer (or business changer?) to have your lye water all ready to go. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you! ❤️

[@ldbonbon1983]

That is so nice of both of you to explain to everyone. You guys are amazing keep up the great work and may you continue to be blessed in your business

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you! Appreciate you watching!

[@marthagichia]

That was great! I love how you too talk to each other! Great teamwork❤️

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you!! :)

[@NinaHernandez-qb3rb]

This information was so helpful in understanding the lye/water/liquid ratio. You took a complex topic and made it easy to understand, especially for a newbie like me. Thank you! Can you do videos on explaining the saponification value and benefits of specific types of oils and butters?

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you! I'm so glad it was helpful and that you found it easy to follow. A video on SAP values would be fun, along with oils and butters. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@iwannaapple7190]

@@muddymintsoap I have a suggestion to NO ONE makes videos on. Lye calculators often give conditioning and hardness et. etc. .. No one covers the math behind that! If I knew that math I could put it in graph form into the lye calculator I made. It would also help others to calculate the values they are trying to get to. The benefit of that knowledge is making better soap. Before I made my calculator I blindly followed a lye calculator and did what it said not knowing what really went into a recipe. By the time I finished my lye calculator I know exactly what's going on but at the same time I see what online lye calculators can do much better. For instance, Online lye calculators do not allow you to change the value of oils. Did you know there are 3 different values for cocoa butter? That can make a difference in calculating the amount of lye. So , short story is the more info you give people the more they are in control of their own recipe.

[@A.l.l16]

​@iwannaapple7190 can you tell me please how did you for your self calculate your lye yourself thank you

[@WhiteOrchidBathBoutique-sr4ub]

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation for using 50/50 lye solution, especially using the drawing to illustrate what you can do with the remainder of the liquid in using your own recipe. I'm going to make my solution tomorrow!

[@muddymintsoap]

You’re welcome! I’m happy it helped and good luck with your lye solution! ❤️

[@karolinefranjotti782]

Thank you for so throughly explaining how to do 50/50 lye concentration and for sharing some of your knowledge. Your brand is beautiful and you are certainly inspiring many. 💕

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you so much for watching and I'm glad you found this video helpful! :)

[@MyDelance]

Great job explaining this information! It answered a lot of questions I had about mixing, measuring and storing the lye solution. Thank You so much for sharing!💕💕💕

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you so much! And thanks for watching! :)

[@Lovelygreens]

Clever, clever :) Thanks for sharing!

[@muddymintsoap]

Hi!! What a treat to see you here! Thank you for watching! Do you use a 50/50 lye water solution when making soap?

[@marinrodriguez7729]

Appreciate you breaking down and explaining what exactly a 50/50 solution is. As a math teacher, i def appreciate how you explained it in multiple ways and used a drawing to illustrate the concept. I will be incorporating soap making and the math and science behind it into my math curriculum this year inspired by you all and other soap makers i have found on youtube. There are quite a few fundamental math and science concepts that are involved in soap making that dovetail perfectly with middle and high school math/science curriculum! Who knew!?

[@muddymintsoap]

Yes!! I love this! I actually taught a math class to gifted students once that was all about soapmaking math. I think they really enjoyed it and they got free soap at the end too. :)

[@gintroma]

I just want to say a huge thank you for making this video, it cleared up all the questions i had about lye, additives, fragrances, usage percentages and more. Cheers from Italy

[@muddymintsoap]

Wow! That's great! I'm really happy to hear that. Glad you found it valuable and thanks for watching!

[@mekaneal6189]

I so appreciate you two making this video. I’m about a month and a half into making soap, I’ve looked at hundreds of videos. None that I’ve watched breaks it down like this. I have so much better understanding than before I watched this and I’ll definitely be making me a big batch of lye water going forward. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 😊😊

[@muddymintsoap]

Wow! This is great feedback! Thank you! I'm hoping we can get back to making videos soon. I'm so happy to hear you found this helpful and good luck with your back of lye-water!

[@sheilafrenette326]

Thank You for doing this it makes allot of sense to me now!! I am a visual learner and this certainly did make it so easy to understand!!!

[@muddymintsoap]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching! :)

[@elaineburslie1045]

So very happy to have found you. I finally understand the 50/50 master batch. Thank you for the simple explanations and diagram.

[@muddymintsoap]

Yay!! I just love getting this comment. So happy the video was helpful to you! :)

[@ansobritz5795]

This is the best explanation for how 50/50 lye solution works . I didn't know how to calculate the extra liquid. Thank you.

[@muddymintsoap]

That is great to hear! I'm so happy that this video was helpful. :)

[@petoknight5455]

Thank you so much ,i was confused ,but now am beginning to understand

[@muddymintsoap]

Glad to hear it! It can get pretty complicated, especially if you’re a new soapmaker. Way to hang in there! 😊

[@A.l.l16]

​@@muddymintsoap thank you very much

[@tassiegirl1991]

I was one who asked about using ice, i have just checked it out here in Australia, we definitely have one manufacturer Bells who makes ice using filtered and purified water so would be perfect. I believe other ice from reputable sources is also ok.

[@muddymintsoap]

Awesome! Yes, I think most bagged ice works, but it's good to check. Good luck with the lye water!

[@danyellehouk5679]

Wow!!! So awesome! I have watched and searched and searched for a great video. I was not understanding anyone at all….you two were great! I truly appreciate your teaching. I started out with melt and pour and now I’m ready to move on to cold process!! You guys have me so excited and confident after your teaching!!

[@muddymintsoap]

Wow! Thank you so much for this incredibly kind comment. I'm so happy that you were able to understand, as it can be a difficult concept to explain. Good luck with cold process! Hope it rocks your world! :)

[@nancygorman]

I came here seeking how to put alternative liquids in the process and found out lots more. Thank you!

[@muddymintsoap]

Hooray! Love hearing that! :)

[@sandraclark6851]

Thank you, I was looking in the comments but found it in the video description as you said thank you!

[@delizianaturally]

Such an informative video. It's worth noting that the plastic grade is PP 5. That's Polypropylene - safe for lye and lye water. In case anyone was wondering. Also can i just say - you two are adorable! sweet to see.

[@muddymintsoap]

Yes, good point! Thanks for mentioning this and for watching our video! And, we appreciate your sweet compliment too. 🥰

[@A.l.l16]

Yup #5 #2hpde plastic or stainless steel

[@humbird-ld9yr]

Absolutely agree!

[@JT-2024-ME]

Great info. Thank you

[@muddymintsoap]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@carolstaten7747]

Love your channel and your patience in answering questions. I currently use 100% water replacement with goat milk from my Nubian herd. I now need to research fully the advantage of water as a ‘carrier’. Thanks for introducing me to that opinion.

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you so much for watching! I'd be really curious to see what you think of a soap made with only part goat milk and if you notice a big difference when using the bar. I just love when soapmakers made soap from their own goat milk! I would love to do that! :)

[@christinalang4238]

As a brand new maker.. this is so helpful! Explained perfectly! Ty

[@muddymintsoap]

I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you and thanks for watching! :)

[@lkrsoapandsuch5767]

Great information. Thank you so much. Blessings to you both.

[@muddymintsoap]

Thanks for watching! I’m glad you found it helpful! :)

[@carolinek220]

This video was amazing! Thank you for sitting down and taking it step-by-step. I was trying to explain a 50-50 solution to my husband, but was unable to. That’s when I realized that if I can’t explain it, I don’t understand it. In any case I am thinking of buying those containers, and perhaps freezing the water before I put the lye in. That might be a helpful step for me.

[@muddymintsoap]

Of course! Thanks for watching and I'm so glad to hear it was helpful. It's a simple concept, but kind of tricky to explain, particularly to newer soapmakers. If you freeze the water completely, you might have a hard time mixing the lye in... I recommend using ice cubes, so you can still stir everything around and make sure the lye is fully incorporated. Otherwise the dry lye might just sit on top of your giant ice block for a while, but I might be wrong! I would think you'd want to start stirring right away if you can. Good luck!

[@carolinek220]

@@muddymintsoap Thank you again!!! I’ll let you know if it works ❤️

[@ruraldiy3385]

Wow incredible, one of the most informative videos . I am in india and teaching rural women to start sme’s (small to medium enterprises ). We are teaching them a variety of businesses . Thank you so much for sharing this. I showed this video with some of the people who are making soap. They had the following questions. Please if you can reply that would be great. I can look up things on the internet, but it’s not the same. Given your, experience, , 1. At what temperature are you storing the lye? Our average temperature in our area is 90 degrees f. 2. What is the shelf live of large quantity of lye solution? These were the 2 questions that came up. I thank you again for sharing this video.

[@muddymintsoap]

Oh my goodness! What a treat to have you and all the people you are teaching watch this video! This is what this channel is all about. I'm so happy you found this video to be informative. I'm so sorry it took so long to respond... we've been traveling and I wanted to make sure to reply to this question properly. To answer your questions: 1. We store our lye water at room temperature, but we heat it up to about 95 degrees before making our soap. Since we have a tank, it contains a heating element especially for this purpose, but if you're not using a lye tank, you can heat your lye-water solution by placing it in a warm water bath to slowly get your lye water to the temperature you would like. Please never heat up lye water in a microwave or directly on a flame. You always want to use a warm water bath to safely heat your lye water. 2. The shelf life of this amount of lye water is probably about a month, maybe longer. I believe I've gone 2 months and the lye-water was still good. You'll want to be sure to store it properly in a cool dry place and ensure that it has a proper lid and seal. If you start to notice that the lye-water looks lye-heavy (it has floating pieces of lye or isn't all that clear anymore), then you won't want to use it. If you know what your lye-water should look like, then it'll be obvious when it looks different. I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any follow-up questions. Thanks for watching!

[@RyanTrumpinski]

This was immensely helpful! Thank you so much!!!

[@muddymintsoap]

So happy to hear that! Thanks for watching! 🥰

[@jodijackson9645]

Thank you so much for explaining this. Your video is the only one that goes into detail. You both are great teachers!! Keep teaching us new soap makers, please❤

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you found it helpful! :)

[@urbanharveystead6692]

Thank you for the expanded explanation! You answered a question I had about how much of the 1:1 solution to add. I now understand that it would be double the amount of the lye called for in order to ensure the 50/50. THEN add the additional liquid to the oils. 🧡

[@muddymintsoap]

YES! You got it! Thanks for watching and I'm so glad it helped! :)

[@michellemetdepenningen1423]

Thank you for sharing and helping us understand the 50/50 process

[@muddymintsoap]

@@michellemetdepenningen1423 You’re welcome! I hope it was helpful to you! :)

[@tonyawilson3065]

Extremely helpful!

[@muddymintsoap]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@jaymillaur_]

This was beautifully explained and much appreciated. Thank you

[@muddymintsoap]

So glad you found it helpful. Thank YOU! :)

[@isabelrodriguez1863]

BTW: your fluency in math and how you explain the step-by-step procedure was useful. Thank you two, kindly. 🙂

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you!! :)

[@vlastaoreb2930]

Thank you so much, this video has just opened a whole new perspective.

[@muddymintsoap]

So happy to hear that! Thanks for watching❣️

[@karenhernke281]

Wow, you guys are always teaching me new things. Great video! Thank you.

[@muddymintsoap]

I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for watching. ❤️

[@lyndawest8612]

Thanks so much. This is very clear, and i think it will be a game changer for me

[@muddymintsoap]

That’s so great to hear! I’m glad you found it to be clear. It’s a hard thing to explain! :)

[@tonyajohnson178]

Yes Great info thank you so much. I never understood the 50-50 either. So what I do because I am very impatient is I mix my lye and water and immediately put it in the freezer it’s ready to go in about 2025 minutes and that time I am melting my hard oils and mixing my and fragrance oil so by the time the lye is cooled down everything else is ready to go

[@muddymintsoap]

I think it's important to do what works for you! I don't like waiting (I'm also impatient!), so I like to have a big batch of lye water ready to go at all times, so I wait zero minutes every time I make soap. :)

[@melissaedwards498]

You guys are wonderful teachers! I can’t wait to watch and learn more from your channel🥰🙌👏 I now have the confidence in using a 50/50 lye solution, and can’t wait to use a lye tank for upscaling my business. I am forever grateful to you both for sharing your knowledge. 🙌👏🙏❤️🥰Thank you!!

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you!! That means a lot and I'm so glad that you have the confidence to try a 50/50 lye water solution! Let us know how it goes!

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

Thanks so much for the explanation of the role of water in a soap formulation, in my research so far that's something that hasn't really been well described. In retrospect, I definitely did need to use a lot more water that one time I used clove oil and cinnamon oil, but I also had other problems due to the things I put in there (pumpkin puree and grated nutmeg and honey) that the lye was reacting to and oveheating, on top of the EO's acceleration effect, and I know now that was the one batch I've done where ice cubes may have been a smart idea, that batch actually seized and started releasing oil in the mold, though I did dump it back in the bowl and hit it with the stick blender and re-incorporate it but it set up before I could get it back into the mold and was crumbly as heck for several days (I broke most bars into several pieces while trying to cut it, where layers as I was getting it into the mold hadn't adhered at all to each other) so I ended up rebatching it as my only hot process soap, and I had to add a lot more water than I'd thought I would from the "how do I fix my soap" videos I'd watched to get it mixable (actually broke a spatula handle on that batch too). Lessons learned! ...though when I get more lye I may try that again, as even though it's a really ugly soap because scorch and hot processing, it works really well, feels really nice and smells amazing after 2 months now that the cinnamon oil is starting to relax its control over the situation. The amount of time it takes for a lye solution to cool (and also how much heat it can release when you mix it with the oils and it starts reacting) depends on the surface/volume ratio, I've run into the same thing when scaling up wine and mead fermentations, the gallon batch is fine, the 5 gallon batch needed an ice pack and if I'd been doing a 55 gallon batch I'd have had to use a chiller. With the bowl I have designated for my lye mixing, I find it cools way faster for a 600g batch than the oils do, espeically if I had to heat the oils warm enough to melt beeswax into it (I've been using a rice cooker, the keep warm setting is perfect for infusing oils and keeps it around 38C/100F and then I do 5 minute increments on its high setting when I'm melting beeswax (or rebatching) and it usually needs to be at least 60C to melt beeswax. Though thanks to this video, I am starting to think maybe I should try batching my beeswax (1:2 or maybe 1:4 with olive oil) in the hopes that it melts easier for my small batches and I can get the oils cooling at a similar rate to my lye mixture. And I haven't gotten a lye solution past boiling yet, mine usually stopped around 95C which I guess is near 200F, but the small stainless steel bowl I use is fairly shallow, so lots of surface area to a relatively small volume for good heat release, maybe when I start making larger batches, I'll find it stays too warm for too long and will start sitting it on a cold cloth or icepack or something.

[@muddymintsoap]

Oh gosh! We've all had that one soap that went crazy and then we tried to rebatch and all kinds of things got messed up. It's basically a right of passage for all soapmakers! I mean, are you even a soapmaker if that hasn't happened? Haha! We do have a whole video on how we batch 200 lbs of lye using our lye tank, if you're interested in that. Thanks for your comment and for watching!

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

@@muddymintsoap Haha, we say something similar in mead and winemaking, you're not official till you've had a batch go all "mentos in diet coke" on you!

[@muddymintsoap]

Hahaha!! Love that!

[@GS-uc6dy]

Thank you for your amazing video and I’d like to complement your teaching style. The drawing helped me understand everything very clearly.

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you found the drawing helpful! :)

[@marieann77]

I had never heard of 50/50 before, or the idea of using ice instead of distilled water or bulk making your lye solution. Sounds like a interesting concept which i will definitely be looking into. Thank you for posting

[@muddymintsoap]

Glad you were able to learn something new! Using 50/50 lye water solution was a game-changer for our business. Thanks for watching! :)

[@scottramage1756]

Thanks for another informative and articulate video. I'm loving the videos and think you both are fantastic!

[@muddymintsoap]

Aww, thank you so much! Really appreciate that! :)

[@havendallaire5988]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! Hoping to see more of your videos ❤

[@muddymintsoap]

Thanks so much for watching! :)

[@lesleyJOHNSON-s4u]

Thanks for sharing this information. Cleared up several questions......always a wealth of information that you guys are willing to share. So appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us.

[@muddymintsoap]

That’s great to hear! Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@paulaspicer5681]

This is one of the most informative videos about lye water I have seen. I can't wait to try different liquids now since I was afraid to add that to lye water before. Thanks!!

[@muddymintsoap]

Wow! Thank you so much!! That means a lot to us. Good luck!

[@BreadanCotter-vb5xd]

thank you so much guys so lovely to see people out there are willing to share there success to help others. cheers from London

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you for watching! :)

[@lauralove5347]

3:08 😮🎉❤ I comprehend. Thank you. Answered my biggest question ❤❤❤❤

[@muddymintsoap]

Oh, hooray! That’s great to hear! 😊

[@carolyncooper9092]

Love your videos please please do more

[@muddymintsoap]

We will! We have a lot going on right now, but we definitely have plans for a lot more videos! Thanks for watching. :)

[@holliepatterson8414]

Thanks for sharing how you made your small batch 50/50 lye solution, containers and all. Again, so many great tips. I watched your previous video showing how you currently batch and I've been wanting to switch to 50/50 but have been a little intimidated because I'm not ready for a lye warmer. This was exactly what I needed! I also love watching you guys interact btw. ❤

[@muddymintsoap]

Oh good! I'm so glad to hear that! We did it this way for many years and it works great! Let us know if you try it!

[@debfiel6585]

I warmed my lye just putting the container in a hot water bath. It's pretty simple and works fairly quickly.

[@donica5860]

Thank you so much ive been so confused 😢, ive wanted to use coconut milk and carrot juice as alternative to water , but couldnt find out how, i wanted more of the alternatives than the added water

[@muddymintsoap]

You're welcome! I'm glad our video was helpful to you! :)

[@trekkersoaps]

Thanks for the great video! I'm fairly new to soap making and make small batches. I measure out distilled water and put it in the refrigerator in the plastic container I'll be mixing the lye in. When I'm ready to make my batch, I remeasure the water to make sure the correct amount is there. Depending on how long it's been in the refrigerator, I may have to top it off. I then place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. My lye solution rarely gets over 180. It's still hot, but while it's cooling I mix up my oils/butters and prep anything else I'm going to add to. If the solution is still too warm when I'm ready to mix, I put it in the fridge or freezer, but not for long. When I start doing larger batches I'll keep a 1G jug of DW in the fridge so it's always ready to go.

[@muddymintsoap]

Hi there! Thanks for sharing your technique! Using cold water from the fridge will definitely help with fumes and with the lye water getting too hot. For larger production, a lye-tank can make things much quicker, but for smaller batches your technique works great!

[@MoonstoneBeardandBody]

This video explained things so perfectly, I appreciate it! Also, you two clearly have a beautiful connection, it's so wonderful to see ♥️

[@muddymintsoap]

I'm so happy to hear that you found it valuable! Thank you for your kind comment and for watching! :)

[@rosegonzales3320]

Omg thank you so much for this straight to the point information I’ve been hoping someone would break this down for us beginners that want to try this thanks

[@muddymintsoap]

So happy this video helped! :)

[@Mexicanranch]

♥️ Great!! Thanks a ton for this info. Could we get a soap studio tour and where you get the supplies from?

[@muddymintsoap]

Yes! We'll be doing a studio tour soon! :)

[@WildRydeSoap]

Appreciation post: Just wanna say how awesome you guys are and thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@muddymintsoap]

Aww, thanks so much! Really appreciate that! :)

[@p.e.5336]

You guys are just adorable 🥰 Excellent and informative video! Thank you so much!

[@muddymintsoap]

Aww, thanks! So happy you found the video to be informative. Thanks for watching!

[@paulalynrider4009]

This was so very helpful! Thank you so much for making this video!

[@muddymintsoap]

You’re so welcome! I’m happy to hear it was helpful! ❤️

[@yahbel]

Amazing video, thanks! 😊

[@muddymintsoap]

Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@angelagardener1234]

I hate hate hate lye 😭 😊I don't wanna use it but it's the only ingredient which will help to make soaps. Why hasn't nobody found something else other than lye. So much value thank you so much.😊👍

[@muddymintsoap]

Unfortunately, you need an alkali to make soap, but you can try melt and pour if you want to avoid the lye part of the process! You can also purchase pre-mixed 50/50 lye water, so you don't have to make it yourself! :)

[@mrzif0013]

I GET IT NOW THANKS. ! Batch out 5050 and a 1/3 ching!. Goat Milk! 2 to one! ! Great channel!

[@muddymintsoap]

Woohoo!! So happy you found this video helpful! :)

[@jankates1274]

You have blown my mind. It is night time here now and I can't wait for morning so I can make a masterbatch of lye. Previously I was making the masterbatch to suit a specific recipe, ie I would take my std recipe and multiply everything by 5 so I could make 5 loaves, and as I went to make a loaf I would use 1/5th of the weight of the combined oils and same with the lye solution. It works but was limiting so I stopped doing it. Thanks you so much for generously sharing your knowledge.

[@muddymintsoap]

Oh yeah!! I love hearing that!! How did it go? Did you make your batch and also use it? So glad we were able to inspire you! :)

[@jankates1274]

@@muddymintsoap yes I did make it! I had a number of part containers of NaOH so weighed all the scraps then weighed out the equivalent in water before adding the scraps. I have so much room on my bench without all those part containers.

[@darleneboyd7941]

Best teacher on KZbin! Thank you. Math is my strong suit but for many the math is a big hurdle.

[@muddymintsoap]

Aww, thank you!! I really appreciate that. :) This can definitely be complicated for a lot of people.

[@FrankSumner-vn1mz]

Thank you so much for this video. Your explanation on how to make the 1:1 water:lye solution and adding the other liquids to the oils was great! I am brand new to soaping and I don't enjoy the whole lye mix and wait time. This will be great. Thanks again.

[@muddymintsoap]

I'm so happy to hear that you found it helpful! Thanks for watching. :)

[@CanterburySoapworks]

Another great video with helpful info. You two are so cute together. ❤

[@muddymintsoap]

Aww, thanks! And thanks for watching! ❤️

[@priscillatse1332]

This was Uber helpful!! Thank u so much. 🙏💕

[@muddymintsoap]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@coffeerocks4764]

Thank you for explaining this so well. I was confused and searching for a video that would answer my questions and you did! So thankful!

[@muddymintsoap]

So happy to hear that! Thank you! And thanks for watching. :)

[@marcellasalmen4371]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WISDOM. YOU ARE FABULOUS ❤

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you so much! Thanks for watching❣️

[@JackMayEd]

Very informative! I have never master batched my lye water but sounds like it helps speed things up! I usually only do one loaf a day when I do soap, mainly because of the lye prep so curious to try this! I will add that I make my lye water solution with room temperature distilled water and only average about 150 degrees F at most. You can control this by how quickly you incorporate the lye. I typically sprinkle in a little, stir with a stainless steel spoon until it disolves, and repeat. For 10 oz distilled water and 4.7 oz lye it takes me about an hour to mix and maybe only like 5-10 minutes for cooling. Not a great process for making large batches but is possible without having to wait hours for cooling. Great method if you are a hobby soap maker only making a small 33 oz loaf.

[@muddymintsoap]

Yes, the speed that you add your dry lye does matter, you're right! Also, the cooler your distilled water, the better! You can try putting your water in the fridge and that might make your process go faster. I personally can't imagine taking an hour to mix lye (I'd rather have it hot and let it sit while I do other things), but you should do what works best for you!

[@javabeanme]

This was fantastic! You two are adorable. A video idea is when/where do you add additives if you are using and masterbatching your lye. (I add to my oils except silk, add a titch of water (from the top off third liquids) to heat it up to melt the silk.) It's incredible how hot room temp lye can get when adding just a small amount of liquid. I figured this out as I needed my lye hot for heat transfer. Thanks for this video.

[@muddymintsoap]

Thanks so much for watching! We add our additives to our oils almost all the time. We do sometimes make hot lye water from scratch when using sea salt or indigo. Hope that helps!

[@mjk_63]

💡Finally, understand it now! Thank you for your detailed explanation!🙂

[@muddymintsoap]

Hooray!! So glad to hear that! :)

[@dianaandreu6342]

Diana Andreu thank you very much. Great help!

[@ana-mariastratulat3620]

Awesome video, learned a lot, i don't like making lye solution either. Takes a long time to cool down, always need to handle with care etc. Thanks!

[@muddymintsoap]

Yep! That's why it's so nice to make a larger batch. I'm glad you found our video helpful! :)

[@Leticia-fu9jz]

This is an awesome video! Clear as day! thank you for sharing!

[@muddymintsoap]

Hooray! I'm so glad you found it to be clear. Thanks!

[@pamelawalker8815]

Thank you for this because i never understood how too.

[@muddymintsoap]

I hope it was easy to follow - thanks! :)

[@moonshadowessentialssoapsn5287]

I’ve been making soap for many many years and I don’t do lye tanks. I freeze all my water into ice cubes and I have 1 lb and 4 ice cubes in each bag. Each of my ice cubes is 1 oz. So I do a 50-50 lye and 4 ic cubes to be on the safe side. I don’t add any other water that’s it. But it gives me a lot of playing room. I add my milk straight into the oils and I always use oats and a vegetable or fruit purée which would all add to the water portion. So I just made pumpkin n oats soap. I did my 50% water discount + 4 oz’s of ice cubes and I added ( I make 10 lb for 1 batch) before I poured the lye in I added my goat’s milk which was 4 oz. And 3 big table spoons of pumpkin purée and 2 1/2 table spoons of colloidal oats and 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seed powder that I grind up myself. I mix all of that into my oils well! I add the lye bring to trace and I add my fragrance n mica then pour. And they are cured in 14-21 days because I used the smallest amount of water that I could. I bar feels so much creamier I think at least. So that’s how I do mine. Sometimes I do powdered milk. It’s easier and again less liquid so soaps don’t have much water weight to loose I also use a high amount of sodium lactate. So I cut them after 12-16 hours and I have to stamp them immediately w a rubber mallet cause they r rock hard. I don’t need to cure them for 21 days 10-14 does the trick. But they r rock hard. I cut and my daughter stamps. If we don’t do it right away u can not beat that stamp in and the bars last a really long time. I do master batch my soaps oils and butters and lye for the week. I use ice to make mine and I do not have any fumes at all!

[@muddymintsoap]

That all sounds amazing! In our studio we were making 135-200+ lbs of soap every day, which required 25-35 lbs of lye water, so the lye tank was critical to our production. However, you’re right that it makes absolutely no sense when you’re making small batches like you are. I’m a huge fan of doing what works best for you and just the fact that you have such a well-tuned process is awesome! Having process that works is definitely key for soapmaking and for business. Thanks for sharing!

[@deborahrobinson4036]

What a great information video I appreciate you helping the public I couldn’t find the link for the plastic container All the best to you both

[@muddymintsoap]

Hi there! The link to the container is here: amzn.to/3K3oe9a. I hope this helps!

[@BaumgartBathCo]

I love soap math so much! This was right up my alley. Thanks for posting, MM! I really enjoy your videos.

[@muddymintsoap]

Yay! So happy to hear it was helpful! Thanks for watching and for your kind comment! :)

[@JaneHasGame]

Great video! Thanks for the visual. I want to study up a lot before making an attempt

[@muddymintsoap]

Studying up is a great idea. I watched videos for 3+ months before diving in because I was nervous, so it was a breeze once I actually did it. You got this!!

[@Sherrie_Martin]

Makes total sense! Thanks for explaining. I’m just starting to make soap but the lye and water solution really confused me. So I was using melt and pour.

[@muddymintsoap]

Did this help at all or did I just make it worse? 😂

[@jeanettewestover]

Thx for. The smaller alternatives

[@carlenestair6398]

This was so informative just as I was planning to try master batching my lye solution. This sure will help me.❤

[@muddymintsoap]

So happy to hear that! Thanks for watching. ❤️

[@MsLotus9]

Thank you so much for explaining this clearly. I really appreciate you Muddy Mint :)

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you for watching! I'm glad it helped. :)

[@deniseoliver-stergiou7842]

Hi guys. We tried to make a 50/50 solution the other day and the lye would just not dissolve 😢. What could have happened? We are so perplexed. We used distilled water ice cubes for the entire water amount. Love your videos and your book. 🩷😊

[@muddymintsoap]

Oh shoot. I've heard this happens to some people and I'm not sure why. I wonder if using lye flakes takes longer to dissolve - do you use the flakes or the little pellets? You do need to stir for quite some time and the solution should be getting hot, so check for that. I'll be doing a video soon on how to make a small batch of lye, so I'll try to talk about some of this stuff. Maybe try doing the 50/50 lye solution with distilled water (not the ice cubes) and see if it makes a difference.

[@deniseoliver-stergiou7842]

@@muddymintsoap thank you for the advice. We used the pellet kind of lye. We do live in a very dry place (Nevada). Could environmental be a factor you think? We will try the advice you gave and see if we can get it to work. 😄. Thanks again!!!!

[@muddymintsoap]

Let me know how it goes!

[@hilaryquinn8673]

Great video! Very thorough! Thank you. And, yes to a future video on scaling up please.

[@muddymintsoap]

Thank you! Glad you found it helpful. :)

[@simonedsouza7856]

You guys are so so amazing. And i cant wait for you'll to get back at it.. and share your generous wealth of knowledge. Thank you so much Simi and Troy ❤ YOU'LL are sooo loved and appreciated STAY BLESSED

[@muddymintsoap]

Wow! Thank you sooo much! We can't wait to get back at it too! It seems to be taking forever to get organized over here... we'll get there though. Thanks for being patient!

[@MrsDeannaLewis]

Thank you for the clarification that was clearly explained❤

[@muddymintsoap]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching! :)

[@WhatIngredients]

This video has been very helpful. Thanks.

[@muddymintsoap]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching! :)

[@alilew9183]

Finally, someone explained this in a way that was easy to understand. Thank you so much. I have a question. I do not soap on a regular basis, nor in large amounts. If I were to get one of the containers you spoke of typically how long would that still be good? Thank you and loved watching you.

[@muddymintsoap]

I'm so happy to hear that it was easy to understand! I used to keep the containers with pre-mixed lye-water for at least a month. As long as its properly sealed and you store it in a cool/dry place, it should be good. However, if you notice anything unusual about the lye-water, I wouldn't use it. You can certainly make a smaller amount to suit your needs - whatever amount of soap you typically make in a month. I hope that helps!

[@joyaghosh2940]

Hey am from India too, one of the ways I have started reducing the curing time is to incorporate salt about 10%.

[@muddymintsoap]

Hi there! Thanks for watching. Salt typically adds hardness to a bar, but I’m not sure about it reducing cure time… it probably feels that way because the bar is harder? I suppose salt is a humectant, so maybe it draws out the water more effectively while curing? I’m curious about this now! I’ve always cured my salt bars the same amount of time as my regular bars. I suppose testing the weight over time would be the easiest way to check.

[@joyaghosh2940]

@@muddymintsoap that's true.

[@morskasvinja2049]

Wow learnt so much never made soap but now i love to try

[@muddymintsoap]

Haha! I love it. You started with the hard stuff with this video... we'll be doing a series on beginner soapmaking at some point!

[@cathismith4497]

You guys are awesome!!! Best of luck and thank you SO much for sharing

[@muddymintsoap]

Thanks for watching! ❤️