Teach Soap

Hi! I just made my 1st batch of soap (after a couple of months of research and finally getting the courage to do it) - it is 15oz Olive Oil, 1oz Castor Oil, 150g water and 58g NaOH. Oil was at 108F and lye at 106F when it was mixed, it took me two and a half hours to mix to light trace using a wisk. After 24hrs it was still soft, after 42hsrs it firm enough so I removed it from the mold and cut to size, the texture was like butter when I touch my finger to the bars it would melt a little bit and oily. I did a zap test and it did zapped me, so I thought it might still be saponifying. The next day I turned over the bars and did another zap test, it still zapped but not as bad. Then again the following day - fifth day since mixing, three days from unmolding - I did another zap test, this time I can barely feel the zap. Now the questions are - is my soap lye heavy? what happens to a lye heavy soap, does it stay lye heavy even after curing it for 6-8 weeks (which is the length of time I plan on curing the bars for)?

Thank you in advance for any insight.

Sabon, welcome to the soapmaking world, you'll be hooked now. Sorry your soap did not turn out as planned and I am not sure what to do about this batch but wonder if it blended together well? Did it gel? If not it will zap the first few days and be soft longer (some prefer this). Your recipe is all soft oils and this could be part of the problem. Curing may cure it, proceed with caution is all I can say.

I can tell you that a stick blender is the only way to go. I purchased a new one before trying my first batch and can not believe how fast it blends up. The metal parts must be all stainless steel, some have a aluminum cover over the blade so look for this.

Good luck on your next batch.

Olive oil with a full water amount can take longer to come to trace. It really is better to use a stick blender. If it gelled, it should not zap. If it didn't, it should not zap after 3 days. Since you still got a light zap after 5 days, I would say it didn't get completely mixed. You can rebatch and add just a small amount of more oil, or just chalk it yp to experience and chuck it. Then make another batch, but you use some butter (ie: mango ir shea) and/or some coconut or palm kernel oil. If you are making a small batch like 1 lb., I would convert that into grams. You'll get a more accurate measure that way. I hope you have a good scale.

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I didn't get a stick blender as I was trying to do it cheap - only making the soap for family use. Do you guys think that the batch size is too small for it to saponify properly? I plan on making 1lb batch every couple months or so - kids have eczema and the reason I'm making homemade soap.

soapbuddy - I'm using a Jennings CJ-4000, do you think it's good enough for the job or should I look for a different scale?

Tnx!

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

i got a stick blender at cvs for less than 10 bucks. if your only making small batches for yourself i think a cheapy would serve its purpose.

_________________
ASH

stick blender - duly noted; I'll obtain one.
round up on oils, round down on lye - will be on all my recipe notes

Thank you all for your guidance.