Can I save this batch that's missing a small amount of castor oil?

[sarasvati]

I was going to make a batch based on this recipe below but I forgot to add castor oil. Because the amount of castor oil that was intended to be addid is small, can I still use this soap as is without any harm, or do I need to rebatch? Thank you very much in advance for your advice!

 

[Kari Howie]

I would say no, it would not be safe to use. Your super fat is only 4% and you are missing 5% of your oils. That means your soap has 1% more lye than oils.

 

[lsg]

Try the zap test on your soap. IMO, if it doesn't zap, then it is OK for home use, especially if you used a superfat in your soap. You can always grate the soap up and hot process it with the missing amount Castor Oil and a little water.

 

[AliOop]

Since your lye is probably not as pure as the soap calc assumes, you are probably close to having a lye-neutral soap.

I agree with @lsg’s recommendation to zap-test. If it does zap, let it cure for a 4-6 weeks and try again. Keep trying until it is zap-free. Such a small lye excess (if you actually have one) will cure out eventually. It is so much easier to let it sit and to let time do the work, than to rebatch!

 

[dibbles]

If you put your recipe (as is - without the castor oil) into the soap calculator with a 0% superfat, you will see that it is pretty much what your soap is. I agree it will likely be fine. Zap test to be sure.

 

[DeeAnna]

...Your super fat is only 4% and you are missing 5% of your oils. That means your soap has 1% more lye than oils....

Your method is okay as a very rough check, but the saponification values of the fats and the purity of the NaOH should also to be taken into account to get a better picture of the situation.

For example, a batch that is missing 5% coconut oil (fat that has a high sap value) might possibly be lye heavy, but a batch missing 5% castor (much lower sap value) very likely will be fine. Also it's good to remember most recipe calcs usually assume NaOH is 100% pure and we all know it's not, so there's some "hidden" superfat in most soap recipes.

It's best to re-calculate the recipe minus the missing fat to get a more accurate picture.

I agree with the advice given by the other posters -- I'd follow their advice if I was the OP.

 

[Catscankim]

Plus, did you use oil to mix micas or clays? That will add to your superfat too.

 

[sarasvati]

Thank you so much for all your advice, everyone!

I didn't use any micas or clays but used eucalyptus essential oil.
I don't like that feeling of being zapped so I think I will wait for several weeks before I try zap-testing and if I do get zapped, I will try rebaching. I have done rebatching before to correct a batch that was missing a rather large amount of olive oil and foud it very labor and time consuming. I vowed never to forget to add any ingredients again but here I am I hope I can avoid it this time!

Thank you all again for your kind advice!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I have done rebatching before to correct a batch that was missing a rather large amount of olive oil and foud it very labor and time consuming.

I would rebatch it to add the castor oil. Even at 5% it's a key ingredient that I think you will be a lot happier with in the long run.

Rebatching shouldn't be all that "labor and time consuming". It's just another tool in the soapmaker's toolbox and a handy tool at that once you get used to using it.

It's no more difficult or labor intensive than shredding cheese. Once the soap is shredded, just put it in a Stainless Steel Pot, stick it in the oven, cover it and set the timer for an hour. You can do other things while the soap is melting.

OVEN REBATCH - CP

 

[sarasvati]

@Zany_in_CO, Thank you very much for this tip! Maybe I will try rebatching after all then..., in which case I need to find an easy way to shread the soap because that was the laborious and time-consuming part of this process when I tried it before. Maybe I can cut the bars into smaller pieces and run it in the food processor Or maybe I need to get my muscles shredded before I shread the soap bars!

 

[penelopejane]

I wouldn’t rebatch this soap. It will be fine for home use.
Rebatching is time consuming and messy and makes a soap that is nowhere near as nice as the original soap. Rebatching isn’t necessary for this soap.

 

[DeeAnna]

I agree with @penelopejane. If there was a serious problem with this soap, rebatching might be the only reasonable way to rehabilitate it.

But the missing castor isn't that bad of a problem, as we've already discussed. Unless you're wanting to rebatch just to learn how to do it, I'm doubtful it will offer much benefit in this instance.

And I have yet to meet a rebatched soap that looked better than the original soap, so there's that to consider as well.

The few times I've actually rebatched some soap, I grated the soap in my food processor set up with the grating disk. That worked well. Also it's easiest to rebatch when the soap has a high water content; the soap melts easier. I would rather make confetti soap, which also requires grating or cutting the soap into small pieces, but doesn't require melting the soap.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

@Zany_in_CO, Thank you very much for this tip!

You're welcome!

I need to find an easy way to shread the soap because that was the laborious and time-consuming part of this process when I tried it before.

I use a Presto Salad Shooter gifted to me by a kind and generous soaping buddy who bought a new one. It surely makes quick work of the shredding. You might be able to find one at a Thrift Store. Works great!

Maybe I can cut the bars into smaller pieces and run it in the food processor

That's what I used before I got the Salad Shooter. Just be sure the soap is hard enough to process without gumming up the blade..

The few times I've actually rebatched some soap, I grated the soap in my food processor set up with the grating disk. That worked well.

it's easiest to rebatch when the soap has a high water content; the soap melts easier.

True. This is the area where you have to rely on your best judgment. Since your recipe is high in animal fats, use distilled water. Because it's a fresh batch, sprinkle only enough water to wet all the pieces then toss lightly with a gloved hand to distribute it evenly through the batch. Wait the full hour before deciding whether more water is needed.

Once the batch is molten, add the castor oil, mix well and stick it back in the oven for 20 minutes. This will make it easier to unmold.

HTH and enjoy the experience!

 

[sarasvati]

Hello and thank you so much for additional advice!

So, to tell you the conclusion first, I did end up rebatching this soap.

I was very torn between rebatching and not rebatching after reading all the tips and comments from experienced soap makers here, but I thought that if I was going to rebatch, I should do it sooner than later when the soap was still fresh and easier to grate, and if so, I should brave the dreaded zap test (I am afraid of being zapped…) without waiting for several weeks. I thought that if it didn’t zap me, I wouldn’t rebatch.

So I first used a pH strip to check the pH. I was going to rebatch without zap-testing if it was pH 10 or above. It turned out to be about pH 8 (photo attached). So I lathered up the soap some more and put it on my tongue. It didn’t zapped me, and I thought, yay, no rebatching! However, after a few moments, I felt a slight pain on the tip of my tongue, so I checked my tongue in a mirror and saw that the tip of the tongue was a little injured (photo attached, although it's kind of hard to see the little injury). Has anybody had this experience before? Any way, this really spooked me, and I decided that it was best to err on the side of caution to ensure that this soap was safe to use.

I used my food processor to grate the soap (thank you so much for mentioning the grating disc, @DeeAnna! I had completely forgotten that I had this attachment and it made grating the soap much easier). I used the oven method to melt the grated soap (thank you very much, @Zany_in_CO for showing me this method!). It took about 2 hours to molten the soap this way. It still was a messy and time-consuming process but hopefully I will remember this experience and never forget to add any ingredients again!!

While the rebatched soap is not as visually appealing as the original soap (as @DeeAnna mentioned) – rough, earthy, crumbly and kind of ugly, it gives me peace of mind to know that it will be safe to use it.

Thank you so much, everyone! I'm always very grateful to this soap making community for helpful advice, knowledge and shared experiences.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I felt a slight pain on the tip of my tongue, so I checked my tongue in a mirror and saw that the tip of the tongue was a little injured

YIKES! I'm so sorry that happened to you. I don't ZAP test for that very reason and I rarely recommend it to others. All it takes is a little patience to let the soap do its thing until there's no chance of the soap being lye heavy -- maybe after few weeks. The tip of the tongue is the most sensitive of all the taste buds. Not good. Simply lathering up with your hands will tell you all you need to know. I always make a small sample of each batch to keep at my kitchen sink to start testing after the 2-week mark.

TIP for Lye burns: If you have some Lavender essential oil around, put a dot on your finger and touch it to the sore on your tongue. It should soothe the sore and help the burn to heal quickly. I keep a 2 oz dropper bottle of 5% lavender in jojoba oil in my kitchen cabinet for burns, the itchies and to gently massage on the temples to soothe headaches.

 

[DeeAnna]

@Zany_in_CO -- Your advice is irresponsible. We discussed this back in 2018, and I'm going to repeat here what I said back then --

Please don't recommend the use of lavender EO neat (full strength) on the skin (or any other EO for that matter).

I know people do it, especially lavender, but people do become sensitized to lavender EO, and there's no point in asking for trouble if there are safer and just as effective ways of using EOs. One of the factors that contributes toward a full blown allergy is repeated exposure to high doses.

"...Skin reactions are totally dilution-dependent, and safety guidelines exist to minimize risk. This does not mean of course that every time a person uses an undiluted oil there will be an adverse reaction. Many times there won’t. But more is not always better, and minimizing risk is generally a good idea...." Why is Essential Oil Dilution Important? - Robert Tisserand

"...some people never experience any skin redness, even with repeated use of undiluted essential oils. Still, the potential for adverse skin reaction exists with all essential oils—and with all users...." Essential Oils and the “Detox” Theory - Tisserand Institute

The entire 2018 thread:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...e-that-have-been-burned-by-soap-batter.69262/
Other resources:
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-dangerous-to-put-lavender-oil-directly-on-your-skin/answer/Marge-Clarkhttps://www.themiracleofessentialoils.com/negative-reactions-essential-oils/

 

[Zany_in_CO]

One of the factors that contributes toward a full blown allergy is repeated exposure to high doses.

You are correct. You will get no argument from me about "repeated exposure to high doses". I have witnessed that first hand. Not to myself but to someone I know. It is good that you caution against it. Thank you for speaking up.

 

[onehealthylemon]

You are correct. You will get no argument from me about "repeated exposure to high doses". I have witnessed that first hand. Not to myself but to someone I know. It is good that you caution against it. Thank you for speaking up.

3%-5% dilution in Jojoba oil is spot on, if using on the face keep it to 1% to 1.5%. Such a great idea to keep this dilution close when soaping thank you.

 

[sarasvati]

I had a little tube of ointment for canker sore, and that's what I used right away. It seemed to have worked! Thank you all for the further advice!

 

[Servant4Christ]

Looking at that recipe, I would've likely cut it into laundry stain sticks or turned it into laundry powder just to experiment with. I'm glad you were able to rebatch using a less cumbersome method than manning the stove with a double boiler. I did that exactly ONCE just to try it. Nuh uh, never again. Lol