The amount of water used to dissolve the lye plays a crucial role in the soap-making process. It affects how quickly your soap thickens (reaches "trace"), when you can cut it, and how fast it dries (cures). This amount is typically expressed as a percentage, representing the ratio of water to the total weight of oils/fats in your recipe.
While you can use water percentages within the range of 22% to 40%, we recommend choosing a higher percentage (above 33%) if you’re new to soap making. A larger amount of water gives you more time to work with your soap before it reaches trace and is more forgiving in case of errors or delays.
Even for experienced soap makers, a higher water percentage is recommended when:
Alternatively, you can express the amount of water as a "water-to-lye ratio" (some soapmakers prefer this method).
If part of the lye does not react with the oils and remains in the soap after the saponification, the resulting soap can be caustic and harsh to the skin. To prevent this, most soapmakers use an excess of oils and fats in their recipes - more than the amount theoretically required to react with the lye. This process is called superfatting. You may also hear the term "Lye discount", which is essentially the same concept.
Superfatting also benefits the skin as the excess of oils in the soap create a protective, moisturizing layer.
Superfatting is expressed as a percentage, typically ranging between 1-10% (with the recommended value around 5%). However, many soapmakers use significantly higher superfatting percentages. Keep in mind that:
We recommend experimenting with different superfatting percentages to find the right balance for your preferences and needs.
The fats and oils you choose will determine the properties of your soap, such as lathering, conditioning, creaminess, and more.
To add a fat/oil to your recipe:
Note: If you’re entering quantities as percentages, ensure that the total sum of all percentages equals 100%.
Selected fats/oils are highlighted with a colored background in the list.
To remove a selected fat/oil:
Select your additives (herbs, fragrances, essential oils, etc.) from the list.
To add an additive to your recipe:
Selected additives are highlighted with a colored background in the list.
To remove a selected additive:
Enter any additional details about this recipe.
If you've added custom additives, you may want to note them here.