Teach Soap

I attempted the cold or low temp mixing method tonight instead of mixing around 100 to 110 degrees as I normally do. I reached light to med trace and poured my batch into my wooden mold. I'm guessing it was a false trace because. . .
I just checked on it 3 hours later and it has seperated or something. It just looks like liquid oils, thin and transparent and no heat being generated. I'm paniced!
The recipe is 32% Coconut, 29% palm, 17% olive, 17 Canola, 3% Shea Butter, 2%Castor
Lye water is from yeasterday
The only reason I tried this method is because I was unable to mix my oils and lye last night as planned and I was not comfortable reheating lye as I have never done it and it seems dangerous. I am realizing now I should have at least reheated my oils.. I am new to the soaping forum world but have been soaping for 7 yrs. I read and used the Natural Soap Book by Cavitch which has alway made me think you had to watch temps like a hawk and mix only when they were just a few degrees

I have put it in the oven on 170 deg F hoping the heat will boost the soaponification process. Is there any hope this will work?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

You got false trace. Your oils were most likely too cold. At this point you could try to salvage this batch by CAREFULLY pouring all of it into a crock pot to cook (or try to hot process in the oven).

Dont forget to mix it to make sure everything gets incorporated!

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

Thanks I will try the hot oven process

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

I'm glad you didn't reheat your lye - that would have been dangerous. You could warm it up a little by placing the pitcher in a pan of hot water, but that's about all you can do safely.

I hope you are able to salvage your soap. I've had false trace happen several times and it isn't fun!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Can someone explain exactly how one can tell if they get a false trace or not? I mean how will I know if I am mixing away and it starts to trace that it isn't a false one?

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

You can reheat lye. Use the same method to reheat oils.
Use a double boiler because water will never go above 100C. If you keep the water to a simmer you will be ok. just keep a thermometer in it. If you do it on the stove directly.

I use a temperature controlled heating pot for my lye and a heat belt around my oils.

Ken

I would not advocate reheating your lye in a double boiler or on top of the stove. Put a heating pad underneath it if you must or put some very warm water into the sink, plug it up and add your lye pitcher into it. Temps of oils and lye don't have to be exactly the same.

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

What Soap Buddy said!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

I saw online that you will have no streaks in the mix if you have reached thin trace?? I havent done swirls yet, new to soaping, but I want to - but am afraid of just that problem - false trace. I have been making goats milk soap cp and am keeping temp at 100 and always use ice bath. I just made some shaving soap first time and it turned out awesome! But I did learn dont go smackin' your cylinder down on the counter to get out air bubbles with no bottom LOL So far, my only failure was a batch of coconut milk soap with a recipe that said mix the milk with the lye and keep at 90 degrees - my mix turned almost immediately into plaster type mashed potatoes.... I got the temp up some in a sink of hot water, but it never did look like anything else I had made. Now I wonder if I should throw it away.

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

I just did a shaving soap that noted her favorite temp was 110. I think I should have dissolved the lye in water and added the coconut milk at trace?? But then I am confused and unnerved at the thought of mixing lye with less water solution. Cause dont you have to have like a 3:1 ratio of lye to water? The other thing was how do you know for sure your lye is dissolved (ex. coconut milk) if you cant see it?? How long should you give it as far as just stirring with the stick blender - to see if the lye/oil separates?

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