# "Trace" happens in .4 seconds flat



## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

I have made this recipe twice, once as bath soap and once for shaving soap. In both cases, the "trace" happened at about .4 seconds and within about a minute the soap had hardened to the point that it had to be spooned into the molds. It makes awesome soap, but it would be nice to have a little more time to pour it up. What am I doing wrong?

· 4.5 ounces lard (10%)

· 15.6 ounces coconut oil (35%)

· 11.2 ounces olive oil (25%)

· 2.2 ounces castor oil (5%)

· 5.8 ounces cocoa butter (13%)

· 5.4 ounces shea butter (12%)

· 6.3 ounces lye

· 12.6 ounces water

2 ounces of fragrance


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## Nsoitgoes (Jan 31, 2016)

By my calculations you took quite a steep water discount for such a high ratio of hard oils, about 27%. I would have used about 16 ounces or so of water. What fragrance did you use? Some are notorious for doing the "soap on a stick" trick. Also, at what temperature did you combine the oils and lye water? Were they at a similar temperature? They should be within a few (10 or so) degrees of each other, and the warmer they are the faster they move, as a general rule.


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

I used different fragrances in each batch, one was Lavender and the other Bay Rum, both from Brambleberry. At this point, I'm leaning towards temperature being the problem. The oils and lye water were close enough in temperature but I think they may have been too warm.


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## RNinTN (May 31, 2018)

I would agree with the water discount. If you try adding more water or other liquid like aloe juice the water will cure out relatively quickly but it will give you the extra fluidity and work time during the process.
Another way to get a more pourable soap is to add something dairy based such as yogurt which is super good for the skin but also adds plenty of work time due to the increased temperature because the sugar content heats the batter back up. It is included in your superfat ratio and is added at the end and warmed somewhat...
Good luck!!


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