More Slow Cooker Soap - August 1, 2016

Soapmaking August 1, 2016:  I had 4 oz of Lye left from my previous soap making.  I decided to try this recipe.  Although found in the Handmade Soap Book by Melinda Cross, the recipe below was provided by (p 27) Lori Schenkelberg:

 

20 oz (567 g) vegetable fat (Crisco)

 6 oz (170 g) coconut oil

 6 oz (170 g) palm oil

12 oz (340 g) distilled water

4 ¼ oz (120g) lye

My Changes:  I had some flax oil on hand and used it in place of the palm oil.  I did not have Crisco and used Vegetable Shortening from Aldi.  For color I used 1 tsp tumeric mixed with some fragrance oils I had around the house.  I even added some patchouli essential oil and some clove oil.

Notes on this batch:  The soap began to trace at around 10 minutes.  I then put the lid on the cooker and continue to slow cook on low for a total of 60 minutes.  I did stir the mixture a couple times.  After 20 minutes it was already a thick glop.  After another 20 minutes there was some oil floating around the edges.  I stirred the mixture and finished cooking for a total of  60 minutes - mixture looked like vaseline.  After mixing in the color and essential oils,  I glopped the mixture into the molds. It took about  3 hours for the large bread pan mold to cool and harden enough to remove.  This soap is still soft so will probably need a week of drying time to harden.

So far, : The Prairie Homestead Slow Cooker Soap is the hardest and quickest soap.