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SAPONIFICATION CALCULATOR - HANDCRAFT SOAP MAKING
HELP (You can post or read comments here)
This calculator is a useful instrument in the making of soap. It not only indicates the quantity of soda needed for a certain combination of fats but also predicts the result of the mixing.
The concepts:
The SAP value of a fat indicates the weight of KOH (potassium hydroxide) in grams that is needed to saponify one gram of that specific fat. Commonly, we use NaOH (sodium hydroxide) for hard soaps, which is why the value needed is the result of dividing the SAP value for KOH by 1.4025. This difference in the SAP values arises from the difference in the molecular weights of the two bases. The calculator offers the possibility of choosing between alkalis so that KOH can be selected for liquid soaps. You can double-click on the question mark at the right of each ingredient to obtain its values and its composition in the window below.
In short, 1.4025 g KOH is equivalent to 1 g NaOH.
The iodine value is a measure of how unsaturated a fat is. This value allows us to predict the tendency of a soap to become rancid: soap with a high iodine value will go off sooner than soap with a lower value.
The value INS determines the compatibility of a particular fat with the soap. It is calculated on the basis of the SAP and iodine values. Thus, a bar with suitable hardness and physical properties should have a value of about 160, according to Dr. Bob. However, I believe that this value is not highly relevant in predicting the final properties of the soap.
When a parameter of a fat is far below the desired value, it is then necessary to combine it with another fat that is far above the desired value, and vice versa, to balance the properties of the fats. As stated above, this calculator not only indicates the lye (sodium or potassium hydroxide) required for a specific blend of fats but also predicts the properties of the resulting blend.
I'd like to distinguish between these two functions:
The first function is a mathematical simple calculation: a rule of three. When we put the amount of fat in grams in the weight column (labelled "Grams") then change to another cell, the percentage that that particular fat represents in the total fat composition is calculated automatically as well as the percentage it represents in the whole formulation. The quantity of alkali needed for total saponification of this fat is also calculated. In the column "Grams" and in the row "Total ingredients" appears the sum of all weights and percentages for both fats and alkalis.
We can also select the superfat level: for better conditioning of the users skin, fats are calculated in excess with respect to lye. This excess is usually between 5% and 10%, but by exactly how much, you must decide!
Moving along the row: in the second cell, we select the lye concentration; in the third cell, we can distinguish between hard and soft oils: in general, liquid oils are soft and solid oils are hard. However, consideration of their corresponding melting points can be misleading. For example, in warm countries, coconut oil is liquid (here in Seville in Spain, coconut oil will start to melt in spring) even though it is considered to be a hard oil. The determination of an oil being hard or soft depends more on the length and the saturation of the fatty acid chains and on the fraction of the oil that cannot be saponified. We consider hard oils as being those with a high proportion of lauric, palmitic, stearic, and myristic acids and soft oils as those with a high proportion of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. In the first group we find coconut and palm oils, lard, tallow or stearic acid, whereas in the second group we find olive, almond, avocado, canola, cotton seed, and sunflower oils.
The lye concentration should be set by considering the hardness of the oil mixture. If the mixture is hard, then the lye concentration must be set lower and the water quantity higher.
In Summary:
Coconut oil -> very hard -> much water -> low lye concentration
Olive oil -> very soft -> little water -> high lye concentration
If we have a well-balanced mixture (i.e. hardness=50), the ideal lye concentration is 28%.
When we choose the concentration of lye, the amount of water is calculated automatically. The soda is dissolved in the water.
We now have enough to make soap.
The second function of the calculator is to predict the results of the mixture.
The iodine value is a bit like the expiration date. A high iodine value does not necessarily mean that the soap will go off earlier, but it usually does! So let's set the highest limit at 70. In places of warm and humid conditions, this value should not exceed 60. We should avoid high ratios of linolenic acid because it is the quickest to deteriorate. We can also use some antioxidant, such as vitamin E, to extend the life of the soap.
The ideal value for the following parameters is 50. The accepted range goes from 40 to 60. A value below 40 would be too low and above 60 would be too high.
Hardness is calculated by considering mainly lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids and, to a lesser extent, oleic and ricinoleic acids. Thus, fats containing these acids result in harder soaps.
The quantity of bubbles the soap produces is mainly due to lauric, myristic, linoleic and ricinoleic acids and, to a lesser extent, oleic acid.
Lather persistence is mainly calculated on the basis of palmitic and stearic acids. These acids prolong the duration of the lather and give the soap a creamy consistency.
The ability of a soap to clean is also proportional to the amount of lauric, myristic and ricinoleic acids. A soap that cleans too much is harsh for the skin (but maybe it works well for other purposes ).
Conditioning is the ability of the soap to smooth and nourish the skin or hair. It is provided principally by linoleic, oleic, ricinoleic and linolenic acids and to a lesser extent by palmitic acid.
Ideal values are the result of experimentation. This means that perhaps (no, certainly!) the values can be optimized.
Knowing this, if an alarm appears in any of the values, as indicated in red, we can balance the recipe by using a different fat or proportion.
If we want to work with percentages instead of weight measures, we can do as follows: As an example, we take 20% coconut oil, 20% lard, and 60% olive oil. We write each quantity (20, 20, and 60) in the corresponding weight box and we click on the "Rescale fats" button, thus obtaining the final amount of fats that we want in grams. Percentages become weight measures. We can also scale by choosing the final weight of the recipe.
It is possible to save the formula by clicking the save button, and to retrieve it later with the restore button from the display menu.
The Import/export module allows us to export the recipe as an alphanumeric chain, so that we can save it as a text file. This is a very useful tool for sharing recipes in a forum post. Once our formula is completed, we can export it by clicking on the export button and the lower window will display a chain made up of letters and numbers that represents our recipe. We can "cut and paste" it as a text and use it as we like. To restore the formula, first click the erase button to clean the window. Then paste the letters an numbers chain we have saved previously in the lower window then click on the import button. As if by magic, the formula reappears on the screen.
If we want to restart the calculation, we can just click on the erase button.
Furthermore, we can obtain information about the ingredients or the recipe in the lower window.
I think that this version of the calculator is more accurate than the first one. Let?s keep on testing it.
Thanks to Carmen, María, Maribel, Pepe and Maxwell (and everybody in jabolandia) in appreciation of all they have done in this help traslation.
go top
HELP (You can post or read comments here)
This calculator is a useful instrument in the making of soap. It not only indicates the quantity of soda needed for a certain combination of fats but also predicts the result of the mixing.
The concepts:
The SAP value of a fat indicates the weight of KOH (potassium hydroxide) in grams that is needed to saponify one gram of that specific fat. Commonly, we use NaOH (sodium hydroxide) for hard soaps, which is why the value needed is the result of dividing the SAP value for KOH by 1.4025. This difference in the SAP values arises from the difference in the molecular weights of the two bases. The calculator offers the possibility of choosing between alkalis so that KOH can be selected for liquid soaps. You can double-click on the question mark at the right of each ingredient to obtain its values and its composition in the window below.
In short, 1.4025 g KOH is equivalent to 1 g NaOH.
The iodine value is a measure of how unsaturated a fat is. This value allows us to predict the tendency of a soap to become rancid: soap with a high iodine value will go off sooner than soap with a lower value.
The value INS determines the compatibility of a particular fat with the soap. It is calculated on the basis of the SAP and iodine values. Thus, a bar with suitable hardness and physical properties should have a value of about 160, according to Dr. Bob. However, I believe that this value is not highly relevant in predicting the final properties of the soap.
When a parameter of a fat is far below the desired value, it is then necessary to combine it with another fat that is far above the desired value, and vice versa, to balance the properties of the fats. As stated above, this calculator not only indicates the lye (sodium or potassium hydroxide) required for a specific blend of fats but also predicts the properties of the resulting blend.
I'd like to distinguish between these two functions:
The first function is a mathematical simple calculation: a rule of three. When we put the amount of fat in grams in the weight column (labelled "Grams") then change to another cell, the percentage that that particular fat represents in the total fat composition is calculated automatically as well as the percentage it represents in the whole formulation. The quantity of alkali needed for total saponification of this fat is also calculated. In the column "Grams" and in the row "Total ingredients" appears the sum of all weights and percentages for both fats and alkalis.
We can also select the superfat level: for better conditioning of the users skin, fats are calculated in excess with respect to lye. This excess is usually between 5% and 10%, but by exactly how much, you must decide!
Moving along the row: in the second cell, we select the lye concentration; in the third cell, we can distinguish between hard and soft oils: in general, liquid oils are soft and solid oils are hard. However, consideration of their corresponding melting points can be misleading. For example, in warm countries, coconut oil is liquid (here in Seville in Spain, coconut oil will start to melt in spring) even though it is considered to be a hard oil. The determination of an oil being hard or soft depends more on the length and the saturation of the fatty acid chains and on the fraction of the oil that cannot be saponified. We consider hard oils as being those with a high proportion of lauric, palmitic, stearic, and myristic acids and soft oils as those with a high proportion of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. In the first group we find coconut and palm oils, lard, tallow or stearic acid, whereas in the second group we find olive, almond, avocado, canola, cotton seed, and sunflower oils.
The lye concentration should be set by considering the hardness of the oil mixture. If the mixture is hard, then the lye concentration must be set lower and the water quantity higher.
In Summary:
Coconut oil -> very hard -> much water -> low lye concentration
Olive oil -> very soft -> little water -> high lye concentration
If we have a well-balanced mixture (i.e. hardness=50), the ideal lye concentration is 28%.
When we choose the concentration of lye, the amount of water is calculated automatically. The soda is dissolved in the water.
We now have enough to make soap.
The second function of the calculator is to predict the results of the mixture.
The iodine value is a bit like the expiration date. A high iodine value does not necessarily mean that the soap will go off earlier, but it usually does! So let's set the highest limit at 70. In places of warm and humid conditions, this value should not exceed 60. We should avoid high ratios of linolenic acid because it is the quickest to deteriorate. We can also use some antioxidant, such as vitamin E, to extend the life of the soap.
The ideal value for the following parameters is 50. The accepted range goes from 40 to 60. A value below 40 would be too low and above 60 would be too high.
Hardness is calculated by considering mainly lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids and, to a lesser extent, oleic and ricinoleic acids. Thus, fats containing these acids result in harder soaps.
The quantity of bubbles the soap produces is mainly due to lauric, myristic, linoleic and ricinoleic acids and, to a lesser extent, oleic acid.
Lather persistence is mainly calculated on the basis of palmitic and stearic acids. These acids prolong the duration of the lather and give the soap a creamy consistency.
The ability of a soap to clean is also proportional to the amount of lauric, myristic and ricinoleic acids. A soap that cleans too much is harsh for the skin (but maybe it works well for other purposes ).
Conditioning is the ability of the soap to smooth and nourish the skin or hair. It is provided principally by linoleic, oleic, ricinoleic and linolenic acids and to a lesser extent by palmitic acid.
Ideal values are the result of experimentation. This means that perhaps (no, certainly!) the values can be optimized.
Knowing this, if an alarm appears in any of the values, as indicated in red, we can balance the recipe by using a different fat or proportion.
If we want to work with percentages instead of weight measures, we can do as follows: As an example, we take 20% coconut oil, 20% lard, and 60% olive oil. We write each quantity (20, 20, and 60) in the corresponding weight box and we click on the "Rescale fats" button, thus obtaining the final amount of fats that we want in grams. Percentages become weight measures. We can also scale by choosing the final weight of the recipe.
It is possible to save the formula by clicking the save button, and to retrieve it later with the restore button from the display menu.
The Import/export module allows us to export the recipe as an alphanumeric chain, so that we can save it as a text file. This is a very useful tool for sharing recipes in a forum post. Once our formula is completed, we can export it by clicking on the export button and the lower window will display a chain made up of letters and numbers that represents our recipe. We can "cut and paste" it as a text and use it as we like. To restore the formula, first click the erase button to clean the window. Then paste the letters an numbers chain we have saved previously in the lower window then click on the import button. As if by magic, the formula reappears on the screen.
If we want to restart the calculation, we can just click on the erase button.
Furthermore, we can obtain information about the ingredients or the recipe in the lower window.
I think that this version of the calculator is more accurate than the first one. Let?s keep on testing it.
Thanks to Carmen, María, Maribel, Pepe and Maxwell (and everybody in jabolandia) in appreciation of all they have done in this help traslation.
go top
Saponification calculator by
mendru is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike 3.0 Spain License.
Based on a previous work at
www.mendrulandia.es. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
www.mendrulandia.es.