An Attempt - Hot Process Soap

[VeggieOPeach]

...Aaaaannnnnd I failed. Terribly.

See, I was trying to create a soap for guys that would cure within a span of one to two weeks, hence I found the hot process method. I had made plans to create a batch of hot process soap and then allow it to cure for a week before giving them away. However, it would be my first time creating hot process soap and I'd figured I can ace it since I am accustomed to CP then the transition to HP wouldn't be hard. And I did everything right... until I added sodium lactate in it, and then my HP soap because very hard and dry and crumbly, so I thought maybe I could salvage it (because I used double the number of oils to create two batches and I did not want to waste my hard earned oils into the garbage) and I try to create a rebatch. Then the design that I had planned for it came out horrible, so I thought to fix it by just adding more charcoal powder to it.

Long story short, I think I failed miserably. What is so pathetically sad is that I made double the batch and did not bother to even test the recipe with one. So, now it looks like gravel/concrete. It looks like a rock.

 

[AliOop]

So sorry, that always hurts.

Just FYI, you have to cure HP soap just as long as CP soap. It's just that it is fully saponified when you put it in the mold (due to cooking it), whereas CP takes a couple of days to saponify in the mold. Either one is SAFE to use after saponification - but not ideal. They both should be left to cure for 4 weeks after saponification has completed. During the cure, the excess water will evaporate, and soap crystals will form to create a longer-lasting, gentler soap.

So sure, you can give away your HP soap two weeks after making it, but it will be harsher on their skin and will melt away super fast when used.

 

[shunt2011]

Sorry it didn't go as planned. It should still be soap. As AliOop stated HP still requires a good cure. I personally gift it after two weeks unless you give them a heads up to let it sit a bit longer.

 

[Dawni]

I personally wouldn't gift it after two weeks unless you give them a heads up to let it sit a bit longer.

But they'll be too excited to use it or forget lol The earliest I've gifted soap was maybe a few days shy of 4wks.

I found some HP recipes need more time to cure than the CP counterpart even.

Looks like you had several lessons learned in one go. I can imagine how frustrating. But you have several options for stone looking soap - first is to cut off parts to look like rocks and display them in your bathroom, second is to shred or cut up everything and use as confetti in another soap. As long as you ended up with soap, it's never a waste.

I'm curious why sodium lactate hardened up like that... Could you post your full recipe including additives, and cooking time?

 

[VeggieOPeach]

But they'll be too excited to use it or forget lol The earliest I've gifted soap was maybe a few days shy of 4wks.

I found some HP recipes need more time to cure than the CP counterpart even.

Looks like you had several lessons learned in one go. I can imagine how frustrating. But you have several options for stone looking soap - first is to cut off parts to look like rocks and display them in your bathroom, second is to shred or cut up everything and use as confetti in another soap. As long as you ended up with soap, it's never a waste.

I'm curious why sodium lactate hardened up like that... Could you post your full recipe including additives, and cooking time?

I'm not sure. I just know when I finished cooking my soap I then added my fragrance oils, colorant, and then added sodium lactate to it. Then it began to seize up terribly and then became crumbly, dry pieces :\

 

[Dawni]

Hmmm.. Could then be any or all of those together. How much sodium lactate was it? The crumbly also depends on how long you cooked it....

 

[Norine Holland]

I always put my na lactate in my cooled lye in hp. Then use yogurt and my superfat after the cook for fluidity. You MUST keep your batter hot to keep it fluid after the cook. You can spray w hot water also to help w fluidity. Have you studied hp on you tube? You might want to look at Sharon Johnsons fluid stick blender you tube channel. Good luck.