# Itchy after using homemade soap



## guavaman (Feb 11, 2011)

Hi,

This is my first post AND my first batch of soap which I made about 5 days ago. I made it with extra virgin olive oil and Rooto Lye (says 100%) using soapcalc.com and a digital scale for weight measurement. I just used the default settings in soapcalc for olive oil and got the measurements for the lye and water. In terms of process, I follewd this video [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM0_eTgmCQU[/ame] for his hot process method using the oven.

Since I was doing hot process, I didn't think it would take as long to cure, and I was eager to try out my soap ASAP. Being a little paranoid, I mixed some of the soap up with a little vinegar to look for an acid/base reaction -- nothing. Ok so I tried it in the shower yesterday and everything seemed fine, except I felt a slightly bit itchy after getting out and drying off. The same feeling I used to get after every shower when I lived in a dry desert city. So I chalked it up to dry skin... That night, in bed I felt annoyingly itchy in various places and had a hard time sleeping. It seemed to get worse the longer I stayed in bed. So I wiped myself down with a wet towel and finally was able to get to sleep, meaning in my mind I wiped of something that was irritating me. First suspect: Residual lye.

I have used Kiss My Face pure olive oil soap for years (it basically cured my persistent eczema), so it shouldn't be just a reaction to normal soap (vs chemical stuff).

I know cold process soap is supposed to cure for about 6 weeks, but according to that video I posted the guy sells the hot process stuff the day after he makes it. I did my vinegar test and today tried a tongue test like I see people doing on this forum and nothing. So I'm thinking I'm either SUPER sensitive to residual alkalinity, or the Rooto lye isn't 100% pure like they claim on the jar.

One note: during the soap making process I never really got to what most people consider "trace", but it was more like BARELY trace. I used an electric hand beater and a cup blender (getting frustrated not seeing trace) for probably half an hour on the stuff but finally gave up and put it in the oven. (I've seen other videos saying "trace" doesn't have to be thick.)

Anyway, sorry to be long winded. I'm just looking for possible thoughts on what might have gone wrong and what I might do about it.


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## newbie (Feb 11, 2011)

Olive oil soap is well-known to take a long time to trace and a long time to cure properly (like 3 months). You don't mention if your soap gelled, or got hot enough to look like, well, gel,  and got translucent and very sticky, then cooled. That speeds up the saponification process. If you didn't gel, it could take several days or a week to fully saponify. Using an olive oil soap the next day- probably was not fully saponified and is definitely not cured. It is probably too early to get a good experience from. If you wait and let it cure, I'm sure you'll have a lovely, mild soap! In the meantime, I would stick with your current soap.

Happy soaping!


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## guavaman (Feb 12, 2011)

Wow, I'd heard 6 weeks as a generic baseline for the curing process in CP, but 3 months.... I'd better get started on my next batch (olive oil CP) ASAP! (Guess it's gonna be a while till my next shower... J/k!) I guess I'll give it a couple more weeks cure time and give it another shot then. Maybe I should get some PH strips.

As for the gelling, no I didn't really get to the ultra sticky semi-crystalline stage I've seen in some HP making videos that I've watched since I made it. I guess I didn't do enough research about HP ... the video I linked in my first post made it look so easy, so I essentially followed that. It looked pretty similar to his at the end stage -- kinda blobby and starting to get some translucency, but got opaque when I mixed it. And I cooked it probably 1.5 hours (the vid only did it 45 min).

Thanks for the help! I hope I can get this sorted out because the idea of making my own soap is kinda exciting. (I just started homebrew beer making last month as well. That's "curing" too as we speak.)


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## AmyW (Feb 12, 2011)

My suggestion: Get a crockpot and do HP in that. HP is meant to be "messed with" - stirred often, and you can very easily see each of the stages it goes through that way. I like the information on this page, was extremely helpful in making my batches (done 3 HP so far, the other 19 have been CP) successful (and usable the next day). http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/FA ... aking.aspx


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## ToniD (Feb 12, 2011)

I use Rooto lye and it is fine.  I do strain it after I mix with distilled water and before I use it.  

I don't do HP, but I have read most people say that it still needs to cure for at least a few weeks.


Yes,   you would get very thin trace using 100% OO and the default setting for water on soapcalc.  As long as it did not separate, you are fine. 

a couple of possibilities could be:    did you use all materials for your pots and utensils  safe for making soap?   Did you use a scent?   Was it skin safe?   (Or, even if it was skin safe, are you possibly sensitive to scents?    Some give me  a burning sensation on my skin) Did you use any other additives?   Just stuff to think about....


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## Bubbles Galore (Feb 12, 2011)

I get itchy when I use fresh olive oil soap but can you post the amount of oil and lye you used so that we can check.

I have only made HP in the crock pot but I never stirred it until the cook had finished, so I don't think that is the problem.


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## tespring (Feb 12, 2011)

I have used a cup blender and it comes to trace within three minutes and that is thick trace. There is a guy that actually has a website that has a full list of blender recipes and since you can only do 13 oz. at a time, they are perfect for test batches.  I cannot remember the website though.  I let my bastille cure for around 3-4 months because when I first used it, there was absolutely no lather.  Now, it is super bubbly and the lather is excellent.  Maybe try some other ingredients and did you superfat any?


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## carebear (Feb 12, 2011)

tespring said:
			
		

> I have used a cup blender and it comes to trace within three minutes and that is thick trace. There is a guy that actually has a website that has a full list of blender recipes and since you can only do 13 oz. at a time, they are perfect for test batches.  I cannot remember the website though.  I let my bastille cure for around 3-4 months because when I first used it, there was absolutely no lather.  Now, it is super bubbly and the lather is excellent.  Maybe try some other ingredients and did you superfat any?


I'm not trying to be contrary, but please think about the potential dangers of flying lye/caustic soap when considering using a blender to make soap. Then if you decide to go forward make sure no one else is in the room and that you are wearing all the safety gear including goggles and full face mask. Or better yet, please don't use the blender. Use an immersion blender in a pot or bowl instead.


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## FloridaSoaper (Feb 12, 2011)

ToniD said:
			
		

> I use Rooto lye and it is fine.  I do strain it after I mix with distilled water and before I use it.



What do you strain your lye through, a fine mesh strainer, or like a cheesecloth or something? I can't see a fine mesh strainer (metal), catching anything in the lye? Is there a problem with contaminants in Rooto lye? Just curious because I've never heard of this...


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## ToniD (Feb 12, 2011)

I use a small stainless steel mesh strainer.    I  have a small amount of white something that floats on top of my 50%  lye solution, and I read about people saying they strain it, so I started doing it.    There is always a small amount of whatever it is that is in my strainer.


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## soapbuddy (Feb 12, 2011)

carebear said:
			
		

> tespring said:
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I agree. Please don't use a blender. Too many things can go wrong. Get a stick blender. If they are expensive in your area, try your local thrift store.


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## carebear (Feb 12, 2011)

But still wear your eye protection even with the stick blender.    :?


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## FloridaSoaper (Feb 13, 2011)

ToniD said:
			
		

> I use a small stainless steel mesh strainer.    I  have a small amount of white something that floats on top of my 50%  lye solution, and I read about people saying they strain it, so I started doing it.    There is always a small amount of whatever it is that is in my strainer.



Weird, ok thanks for filling me in. I will pay closer attention next time I mix my lye and see if there is anything floating on mine.


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## Bubbles Galore (Feb 13, 2011)

You sometimes get weird (harmless) floaters if the container hasn't been scrupulously cleaned, rinsed and dried.  :wink:


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## carebear (Feb 13, 2011)

I never bother with the floaters. I used to strain them out but I've found that just ignoring thm works just as well!


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## PrairieCraft (Feb 13, 2011)

It seems to me like the sugar added to the water, even if mixed in before the lye is added, causes some of the floaters.  Is this right?  I used my lye solution too cool once and ended up with funky little chunks in my soap and I'm sure it was from the sugar re crystalizing.  Usually I don't let me lye get that cool so it's not a big deal but even at room temp I get a skin of floaters on top.  I've been thinking of trying simple syrup instead of straight sugar but wonder if that would even make a difference and be worth fiddling with your water number to adjust for the water in the syrup.


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## carebear (Feb 13, 2011)

I think that floaters are mostly bits of soap forms by the reaction of the lye and some residual lye either on your mixing spoon or in the container you make the solution in.


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## paillo (Feb 13, 2011)

soapbuddy said:
			
		

> carebear said:
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THIS, TOTALLY!!!!!


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## guavaman (Feb 14, 2011)

Wow, that's a lot of responses. Thanks everyone.



> My suggestion: Get a crockpot and do HP in that. HP is meant to be "messed with" - stirred often, and you can very easily see each of the stages it goes through that way. I like the information on this page, was extremely helpful in making my batches (done 3 HP so far, the other 19 have been CP) successful (and usable the next day). http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/FA ... aking.aspx



After watching more videos on hot process, I do believe the original video I followed oversimplified it. I never saw anything like separation, etc described in that linked page. I did HP because I was kinda impatient and wanted to try it as soon as I could, but I think for simplicity's sake, I'm going to try CP. Lazy is good... Looks like crock pot HP can take about 4 hours. Since I was only making a tiny batch, I don't think I'd want to spend that much time on it.

Come to think of it, after pouring the HP into my mold, I wrapped it in towels to cure for 24 hours. I noticed it was still warm probably 10 hours after pouring, so I guess the chemical reaction must have been continuing. (I doubt 12 oz of OO soap starting @ 150 degrees would take 10 hours to cool down on its own.) I assume HP soaps are supposed to be mostly soaponified by the end of cooking. So if this was still generating heat after the fact, I guess I didn't take it far enough.



> Yes, you would get very thin trace using 100% OO and the default setting for water on soapcalc. As long as it did not separate, you are fine.



No, no separation. It looked homogenous throughout the process.



> a couple of possibilities could be: did you use all materials for your pots and utensils safe for making soap? Did you use a scent? Was it skin safe? (Or, even if it was skin safe, are you possibly sensitive to scents? Some give me a burning sensation on my skin) Did you use any other additives? Just stuff to think about....



Everything I used was stainless steel (pots, stirring spoon, beaters, etc), so I don't think that's a problem. No scent at all. Pure EVOO, filtered water, and Rooto lye. (I'm not really going for fancy soaps, just trying to reproduce the OO soap I'm used to.)



> I get itchy when I use fresh olive oil soap but can you post the amount of oil and lye you used so that we can check.



Well that's good to know. Hopefully it'll mellow out as it ages a bit more. I first tried using it after about 5 days, so maybe I'll give it another try a week from then.

I threw away the envelope I wrote down the figures on but it was something on the order of 350g OO, 133g water, 45g lye. (I just plugged 350g into soapcalc and used the same settings as before to get the water and lye, but that's close to what I remember.)



> I'm not trying to be contrary, but please think about the potential dangers of flying lye/caustic soap when considering using a blender to make soap.



I hear ya. I knew it wasn't the brightest thing to do when I did it (kept having visions of it exploding haha.) The hand beater is not the greatest either as it tends to flick whatever you're mixing out of the bowl. I would have used my kitchen aid, but the mixing head's aluminum. I'll probably get a stick blender before my next batch, I was just excited to get something going as quickly as possible and see if it worked before investing in the process.

Thanks again everyone!
[/quote]


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## Bubbles Galore (Feb 14, 2011)

You throwing your notes away Guavaman? I suggest keeping all of your notes from each batch in an exercise book so that you can refer back if needed. Sometimes you want to go back a long way in time to remind yourself of something. It's invaluable to keep notes.  :wink:


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## tespring (Feb 14, 2011)

carebear said:
			
		

> But still wear your eye protection even with the stick blender.    :?



I have gotten splashed in the face with my stick blender and it was the reason I went to a face cover instead of wearing just eye protection, the soap went up on my cheeks and in my mouth, thankfully, it only burned a little after rinsing.  I would recommend not only eye protection, but a whole face mask for people that use a stick blender and a regular blender, this also helps from breathing the fumes.  We really have to be safe in each of the different varieties of making soap, lye in the face is not fun.  This is especially true for people that are short like me with normal height cabinets.


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## SudsyKat (Feb 14, 2011)

Just a comment on the "floaters". They look like a little "skin" forming on top of the lye solution. I've been getting them lately and I also think they're just small amounts of soap forming from the small amount of oily or soapy residue that might have remained on the lye spoon or in the lye mixing container. I find that if I clean my container and utensils very meticulously, I don't get those floaters.


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## PrairieCraft (Feb 14, 2011)

Uh-oh, I might be a dirty soaper.    I usually just rinse the lye pitcher with really hot water and call it clean.


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## soapbuddy (Feb 14, 2011)

PrairieCraft said:
			
		

> Uh-oh, I might be a dirty soaper.    I usually just rinse the lye pitcher with really hot water and call it clean.


Just as long as you didn't clean it with soapy water, you should be fine. I only rinse my lye pitcher out with water, since it doesn't get used for anything else.


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## carebear (Feb 14, 2011)

soapbuddy said:
			
		

> PrairieCraft said:
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ditto


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## Bubbles Galore (Feb 14, 2011)

PrairieCraft said:
			
		

> Uh-oh, I might be a dirty soaper.    I usually just rinse the lye pitcher with really hot water and call it clean.



It's when you start chucking soaping spoons and other stuff into your jug that you have to wash scrupulously.   

Being a dirty soaper does sound a bit naughty though.


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## BakingNana (Feb 15, 2011)

Cool thread.  Prairie, you crack me up! 

Re: straining the lye...I strain when I am pouring from the container of 50% lye solution that has silk in it, so the blob of silk doesn't splat through.  I found these really neat paint strainers at the hardware store.  They are small disposable paper cones with a sort of cheesecloth-like bottom.  They cost about 3 cents apiece so I don't feel so bad tossing them after 1 use.


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## krissy (Feb 15, 2011)

BakingNana said:
			
		

> Cool thread.  Prairie, you crack me up!
> 
> Re: straining the lye...I strain when I am pouring from the container of 50% lye solution that has silk in it, so the blob of silk doesn't splat through.  I found these really neat paint strainers at the hardware store.  They are small disposable paper cones with a sort of cheesecloth-like bottom.  They cost about 3 cents apiece so I don't feel so bad tossing them after 1 use.



i thought the blob of silk was supposed to be in the soap, all dissolved though?

i add my silk to the water then i stick blend the heck out of it until it is a pulpy layer on top of my water, then i add the lye. by the time i am ready to soap, the lye has dissolved all of the silk except there is this film on top that i thought was some of the silk. am  i doing it wrong? :shock:


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## carebear (Feb 15, 2011)

When I used silk I would joyt it into the water then pour the lye right on top of it. Stir til the lye dissolved then leave the spoon in the container weighingnthe silk blob down. When it was time to use the lye I would stir and use.  Even if there was a silk blob in there still, it never showed up on the soap.


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## BakingNana (Feb 16, 2011)

carebear said:
			
		

> When I used silk I would joyt it into the water then pour the lye right on top of it. Stir til the lye dissolved then leave the spoon in the container weighingnthe silk blob down. When it was time to use the lye I would stir and use.  Even if there was a silk blob in there still, it never showed up on the soap.



Neat methods.  I'm lazy, tho.  I don't like to mix lye at the time of soaping if I don't have to.  I just have two jugs of 50% solution.  One has a BIG blob of silk in the jug that I just leave in there.  After sitting for a few days, the solution is thick and, ummmm, silky.  Lazy, huh?  If I want a batch with silk, I just use the solution with the silk in it.  If not (vegan soaps) I just grab the plain solution jug.  I can usually pour the silk one just fine into the pitcher I'm weighing, but when the jug gets low, I use the disposable strainer to get the last of the solution out without plopping out the blob.  Holy cow, does that make any sense?


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## guavaman (Feb 27, 2011)

*15 days later...*

So it's now about 20 days since I made the soap and time for an update... I tried it again on a limited area and again was plagued by uncomfortable irritation hours after using it. I don't think the soap is going to get any better. Something must have been wrong with the proportions. I'm thinking soapcalc's numbers for olive oil aren't accurate for pure Extra Virgin olive oil? (It doesn't specify when you choose olive oil.) Otherwise, I have no idea.

I'm considering heating the soap up until it's malleable, throwing it in the blender, and adding some lemon juice or some other mild acid which could counter any residual lye base. Not sure what else to do. Add more oil and wait a few more weeks?

As a first try, this wasn't too encouraging. I'm going to try CP olive oil soap next, but I'd REALLLY hate to go all in and cure something for 3 months only to have irritating soap after all that wait. Maybe I should up superfat to 10% on soapcalc just to be safe...


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## soapbuddy (Feb 27, 2011)

Instead of adding lemon juice at this point, which could make it more irritating, why don't you shred it, rebatch it and add more oil? How much did you superfat originally? Is it possible that your scale was off or you calculations? SAP value of olive is around 184 - 196, so it won't matter whether you used pomace or extra virgin olive oil.


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## guavaman (Mar 4, 2011)

soapbuddy said:
			
		

> How much did you superfat originally? Is it possible that your scale was off or you calculations? SAP value of olive is around 184 - 196, so it won't matter whether you used pomace or extra virgin olive oil.



Superfat was 5% (the default settings on SoapCalc.net). Not sure about the scale. It's brand new, digital, and pretty good quality so I doubt it's off (quite sensitive too).

Well, instead of lemon juice I crushed up a bunch of vitamin C tablets, heated the soap up, and added some water to dissolve. I tried it yesterday and it seems like its less irritating (didn't wake up in the night with an itchy or burning sensation), but still not perfect. I can still feel minor itchiness and or sharp pointy sensation at times on the areas washed in the soap. I'm gonna try melting it down and adding yet more C. Hey, vitamin C is supposed to be good for the complexion, right? Hehe.


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