Water discount

Using less water in a soap recipe than the standard amount, expressed as a percentage of the oil weight rather than as a proportion of the alkali. Less water means the soap sets faster, unmoulds sooner and cures to a harder bar, but it also leaves less working time.

Typical water amounts are 33 to 38 percent of the oil weight. A discount is a technique to use once a recipe is known, not a variable to change while learning.