Castile Soap Isnt Going Translucent..

[jjacques]

This the first batch of 100% OO liquid soap I have done and cant figure out what I did wrong (attached photo). Here is my recipe:

- 8oz EVOO
- 1.65oz KOH
- 5oz water/glycerin (2.5oz water and 2.5oz glycerin)
- 3:1 water:lye ratio

I dissolved my KOH in the 2.5oz water first and added the glycerin to that mix afterwards and stirred it up. Started stickblending at 8:35pm and it took longer then I was expecting to get to trace. Around 9:30-9:45pm I hit this stage of "fluffy mashed potatoes" and seems stuck. Now 10:30pm and still at this stage.
Normally I do a blend of OO, CO, etc and it gets to trace and to translucent stage rather quick with the glycerin in there. Any tips?

 

[Susie]

Not every soap goes through every stage shown in the videos. Check for zap, I bet you're done.

And welcome to the forum, jjacques!

 

[IrishLass]

No worries- it looks like it has reached paste stage to me.

The paste from the last batch of glycerin liquid soap that I made a few months ago using my usual 65% OO/25% CO/10% castor looked much like your picture. In that particular batch, I deviated from my normal procedure of dissolving the KOH in boiling glycerin, and instead dissolved my KOH in an equal amount of water before mixing with the glycerin and oils. I could be wrong, but I strongly suspect the opacity probably has much to do with dissolving the KOH in water first before adding the glycerin. In comparison, when I dissolve my KOH in hot glycerin instead of water, my paste is beautifully translucent.

Based on how beautifully clear mine turned out when my opaque paste was diluted, though, I wouldn't be at all concerned with how your opaque paste looks. For what its worth, my small bit of leftover paste from that batch is still as opaque as what yours looks like in your picture and it's months old now, so I wouldn't expect yours to go translucent either. It should stay opaque until you dilute it.

I would go ahead and check for zap. If it zaps, let it sit longer and check again. If it doesn't zap, consider it 'done' and ready to be diluted.


IrishLass

Edited to add- ditto what Susie said!

 

[Susie]

Now that I am a bit more awake, I am going to add that I never make a batch of liquid soap without something to help speed trace. On some soaps, I use half water/half glycerin like IrishLass said, and on some I use a bit of grated NaOH soap(0.5 oz). I just don't see any reason to stick blend for an hour to get to trace.

 

[jjacques]

Thanks for the feedback! Ill zap test and play with some dilutions and see how it goes.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...I strongly suspect the opacity probably has much to do with dissolving the KOH in water first before adding the glycerin. In comparison, when I dissolve my KOH in hot glycerin instead of water, my paste is beautifully translucent...."

I suspect it's not necessarily the use of water to make the KOH solution vs all glycerin. One of the water-glycerin batches I have done is a beautiful translucent paste (left hand soap in photo). The more opaque batches I've made -- one with less glycerin and another with no glycerin -- are not translucent. (middle and right soaps in photo).

What I think the difference is the temperature the soap batter reaches during saponification and possibly the length of time it stays at that temp -- I believe it needs to get hot enough to shift into the gel phase, just like gelling CP soap.

The translucent batch reached 185 deg F and stayed there for perhaps 5-10 minutes and I watched it turn more translucent during that time. The others reached 150 and 178 degrees, but stayed there only briefly and did not visibly change from opaque to translucent at that time.

 

[DeeAnna]

I should add that the temperature at which a soap will go into gel phase depends on the water content. All other things being equal, More water => Lower gel temperature. The gel temperature is also affected by the blend of fatty acids in the recipe, so one recipe might gel at a lower temp than another.

I'd guess most crockpots should get hot enough to cause most soap recipes to go into gel if the water content is high enough. Some low-water NaOH soap recipes might not want to gel in a crock pot, but most LS recipes probably have enough water, at least theoretically, to reach their gel temperature.

Theory is good, but practical technique comes into play too. If you leave the pot uncovered a lot and/or stir the paste a lot and/or cook the paste for a long enough time, enough water might evaporate during the cook to prevent a LS paste from gelling. I'm not sure this is the case with the OP's soap, but it's a thought to consider.

 

[IrishLass]

Very interesting! So many variables to consider! I love the way you explain things, DeeAnna. I might have to go back a time or two more to read them again until my brain catches up, but I always learn something new from your detailed posts.

I'm going to keep an eye on the temps of my batter/paste next time I make my liquid soap. My wonderful hubby bought me a Thermapen for Christmas, which should make tracking temps fun (and fast) to do.

IrishLass

 

[DeeAnna]

Thermapen -- Love mine! My DH gave it to me as a gift -- great husbandly minds must think alike!