Emulsion, Trace, False Trace, and how to fix thick soap batter.

#soapscience #emulsion #saponification
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @mrssoapandclay
Soap & Clay is a family owned business operating in Washington State, but started out online thanks to Mrs. Soap & Clay's kickass brother and his amazing web design skills. The business was started as a tribute to Mrs. Soap & Clay's grandmother, the OG maker in the family that cultivated everyone's love for the DIY life. The studio/retail shop opened in 2017 on 6th Ave in Tacoma, and immediately began teaching soap, bath bomb, lotion, and scrub classes to the makers and maker enthusiasts of the PNW. In 2019, the pottery studio opened as well, making the soap shop a busy place full of artistic energy every minute of the day.
Mrs. Soap & Clay has been featured on Business Spotlight, New Day Northwest, and was awarded a coveted place on the South Sound's 40 under 40 list in 2019, an award given to the most influential business people under the age of 40 each year. She cried when she walked up to the podium to accept the award. A lot.
Drawing from her chemistry background and her maker spirit, Mrs. Soap & Clay infuses her favorite things into her soapy designs and creates products that are fun to see, use, and learn to make. Stick around for this ride - she'll take you on a great one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can find Soap & Clay on all social media platforms:
/ idontevenusesoap
/ soapandclay
/ soapandclay
For information on products, wholesale orders, or ideas for a soap, contact Mrs. Soap & Clay at
[e-mail]

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Are your Summer soaps ready?!?

[@MsAubrey]

Working on them! 😊

[@happybrushchely7170]

Mine are done and ready for June market.

[@MsAubrey]

@@happybrushchely7170I’m not that organized. 😂

[@The-Grateful-Hippie]

Working on it 👍

[@paulalynrider4009]

No! No my summer soaps are not ready! But hey! I'm a Georgia gal so the summer is long. Getting ready to do my first ever farm market next weekend, and not sure I'm ready for that either though! 😜🤣

[@KayCee0216]

This is the first time I’ve heard trace and emulsion explained thoroughly. Thank you for taking the time in explaining this. I’ve not made about seven batches, taking notes on everything I’m doing, and noting the mistakes. Now I can annotate the proper trace. Also, everyone I’ve watched says there’s nothing that can be done once you’ve thickened too much. Thank you for telling us to simply add more water. As a beginner I’m not as concerned with drying time as I am with getting things right and producing nice bars. Thank you

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Thank you for watching! Glad you found some useful info for your soapy journey!

[@The-Grateful-Hippie]

I leave my lye solution out overnight to cool. I always have. That's one reason why my favorite lye water container is an industrial size gallon mayonnaise container / jug with a handle and a screw on top. I just fill a bucket in the sink with hot water and set the lye jug inside to warm up. By the time I've warmed the oils in the warmer, weighed out a batch and mixed my colorants they usually are pretty close in temperature. 10 degrees difference works fine for my formula.

[@thomasricks5737]

I was wondering how would I warm my lye solution back and I said well maybe I just put it in some hot water and boom I see this comment!

[@The-Grateful-Hippie]

@@thomasricks5737 I've actually changed methods since my original comment. I've started making a master batch of 50/50 lye water and then I weigh it out and add the additional water by weight when I'm ready to make soap. When I add the additional water it heats back up automatically. 🤯 So for my base formula I use 150g of lye. So 50/50 is 150g of water & ice / 150g of lye = 300g of stock solution that's already cooled down. I add to that 180g of distilled water and it reheats to 120F. So a lot less waiting for the lye to cool down and the oils to warm up.

[@sandraw7854]

Made soap with a cool lye solution for the first time this week. It went well and I may do again. I think I need to increase my water ratio, my recipe is always quick to thicken and I never get the chance for swirls. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@KayCee0216]

I’m just starting out and by no means any kind of expert or knowledgeable. I’ve watched at least a couple hundred hours of instructional videos and the message is clear from those with years experience. In soapcalc keep your lye water at 38%. At first I tried to do like those with experience and lower it significantly but for us beginners that’s not a good idea. When I soap at low temp and 38% I have enough time to play with hanger swirls and in the bucket swirls. But even when I’m doing only a single color or no color I’m still only dropping to 33%. Until I gain experience this is working for me and I’m having fun and really good results. Best wishes in your soap journey

[@happybrushchely7170]

My first order came in and it was for a $300.00 gift basket for a wedding.

[@MsAubrey]

That’s awesome!

[@The-Grateful-Hippie]

Wow!! That's awesome

[@coypeahen]

I absolutely love your chemistry!

[@soapwol]

Oooh yay! Gonna get some lye solution going then sit down and watch!

[@tzipporahbragg9798]

Great explanations! Thank you!

[@lifewithamberb]

That chair fabric is so pretty!

[@skuldarchleone]

I know so many soapmakers that make summer breaks because of the heat. I'm the opposite, i make less soap during wintertime 😂. I love soaping in summer because nothing solidifiyes, i meassure my fats and oils and let it sit on the counter or in the sun. No false trace, no need to microwave my stuff or use the oven. When i want my soap go through gel i out it in the sun

[@Twistedtree7]

You sing better than I do that’s for certain!

[@kellsgreenidge8885]

I used your tips on soaping temperature and water amount. I have a fragrance oil that accelerates and I must say your guidance is truly appreciated. I usually soap at 2:1; upping it to 2.5:1 was a total game changer. I had no acceleration; I was able to do a swirl and even pipe the top. Thanks for sharing. 🥰❤

[@kimberlyolson4705]

This was sooooooo helpful. I am very new to soap making and am serisously struggling to not create soap globs lol. Ugh....the struggle is oh so real..... Thank you for sharing!!

[@herbsandberries]

I just did a new recipe today, the new water content is 2.4x the lye. you should have seen my face when i did the math after you said that 🤯. Every time i do an update my water content goes lower and lower because it is paralleling my patience for water loss

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Ha! This is why I run dehumidifiers 24/7. I get it. 😂

[@user-zb1yy2xm9v]

❤ thank you 😊 Im new to this and your advice is great ❤

[@amandadawn5740]

Lol great Easter egg! I love singing Disney songs. Thank you for the tips. I'm just starting out with cold process--it's a relief to know I can add a little more water at the end, if I ever need to.

[@belindawakeling7946]

That was so helpful. Thank you. I don't use water- only goat milk and seem to have a few problems with the batter thickening quickly. I'll kept some warmed milk to one side now❤

[@j.m.johnson]

The ending!! ❤❤❤

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

🧜‍♀️

[@heathermoreland6015]

That was great information, thanks for going back to the basics.

[@georgettemelki391]

Thanks for your tutorial video.

[@timelessmemories5150]

Love you hair happy to see your video

[@OfficialLadyDarkSky]

YAY! more singing!!!!!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Oop spotted. 😂

[@OfficialLadyDarkSky]

love it you seriously have to sing more :) @@MrsSoapAndClay

[@georgettemelki391]

Can I use ice cube of aloe vera fresh cut to lye and what the temperature for lye rate to oil .

[@donnamdc8651]

Hi! I would like to know what are you adding to the solution before pouring to the mold? Is that additional oil? I would like to know why and what is the use of that. I'm a newbie. Thank you

[@KayCee0216]

I was wondering the same. Looks like oil but additional oil would change everything if not in the original recipe

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

The scent?

[@anneflereus6440]

You look so wonderful today

[@lifewithamberb]

What if you were to put the lye water container in a warm bath to try and warm it up some?

[@tzipporahbragg9798]

What were those pieces that you added to the soap to look like the black seeds?

[@courtneycozart2355]

MA'AM I'm just now getting my spring soaps done for market Saturday, and I haven't even ordered my summer fragrances yet 😅

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Same. The only reason I made this is because it was a special order. 😂

[@georgettemelki391]

I found white buble in my siap and how many days should my soap be in mold .

[@virginiajorda4226]

Ok. I have been soaping for close to 10 years. Been using a very basic recipe I formulated wayyyy back then (similar to lots of lather). I felt it was too drying on my skin and reformulated. My new recipe generally goes too fast. I'm experimenting every way I can because the end product is absolutely awesome. Long story short - would skipping the immersion blender and just using a large whisk slow the process down or would it only risk poor emulsion? I ask because I've never used a whisk and would need to purchase one and try it. I don't want to waste 88oz of oil if this is a no brainer. 🤔 Please help this over thinker. 😭🤣 I had my first soap on a stick this week and I'm slightly traumatized.

[@mariainesriascos6424]

❤️

[@jankates1274]

I love your sciency and maths speak, but I am confused I enter water to lye ratio in soap calc at 1.8:1 which most of the times gives me fluid batter for doing swirls and generally having time to faff about because I am disorganised. Should I instead use the water as %ge of oils figure in Soap calc? I always blend to emulsion only.

[@KaleighSofka]

If you’re comfortable using the water:lye ratio to calculate your water, that’s great and you should continue to do the thing. I personally do not like calculating as % of oils cuz the water to fat really kind of….doesn’t matter that much in the long run.

[@amazingracestudio]

Please help! Why is my soap not tracing? It is not mixing well either the oil is not turning white/cream color. What have I done wrong.? It's not thickening

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I mean, even if the lye calculations are way off in a recipe you’ll still see some form of trace as you’re mixing, so did you remember to add the lye to the water? I’m being serious; sometimes people forget.

[@amazingracestudio]

@@MrsSoapAndClay thank you so much for replying! I've been working on this batch all day. It did get a little thicker then just the oil consistency. But didn't really change color much and seams to slightly separate when I stop stirring. Yes I mixed the water and lye.

[@nancygarcia3361]

could be that the temperature of lye was too hot and the oils were at room temperature maybe ?

[@charlenec.4457]

❤❤

[@reenmah2102]

🧜‍♀️✨

[@anjalove9569]

Pretty watermelon looking soap but I would have preferred to see what you are talking about

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Lol what? All of the zoom ins on the stick showing you the different stages didn’t do it for you? 😂