Water to lye ratio for soap making?

Question

What is that ratio for making lye water? I mean, if you use 2 oz of lye, how much water would you put in. Is there a formula for this?

Answer 1

I have only made one experimental batch of soap (It turned out OK), You can use anywhere from twice to three times (or more) the lye weight.  So for 2 oz lye you would dissolve in 4 to 6 oz water.

You don't have to be exact with the water as most of it evaporates away as the soap dries. The water is really only a carrier for the lye. Therefore you don't need to weigh the water you can measure by volume.

I used 80g of lye in 180ml (= grams) of water. It traced in less than 10 minutes and the result was very creamy. When it was poured in the mould it formed peaks on top like whipped cream.

You probably have to be quicker when you use concentrated lye solution as the soap sets faster.

The formula I used mainly had olive oil and coconut oil. It is a bit greasy but that would be the fact that it was 10% super fatted rather than anything to do with the water.

Answer 2

This site may be useful to you. On this link, click on the heading 'how much liquid?' for some info. Then, go to the bottom of the page and look at the soapmaking spreadsheet. There are also tons of recipes on the site. http://www.millersoap.com/soapdesign.htm...

Answer 3

Your lye/water ratio is dependent on your oils and ratio of oils you use for example (from http://www.millersoap.com

*Rachael's "Tried and True" Recipe (Thanks! to Rachael Levitan)

48 ounces Crisco (a 3-pound can)

21 ounces Soybean Oil (or Olive, Canola, or a blend of these)

18 ounces Coconut Oil

28 ounces of cold water

12 ounces lye crystals

Temperatures: 100 degrees

Trace by hand should be in about 20 minutes. Cure about 24-48 hours before cutting.



uses 12 oz water and 28 oz water

*"Canolive" Soap (Kathy Miller)

40 ounces Canola Oil

36 ounces Olive Oil

12 ounces Coconut Oil

24 ounces cold water

12 ounces lye crystals

  

Temperatures: between 90-100 degrees

this recipe uses  12 oz lye and 24 oz water

for an explanation on how to figure you ratio's got to http://www.millersoap.com/soapdesign.htm... as mentioned before

I use Chris Mathes's template to create my own recipes using oils i get locally - they work everytime.