Chalky Soap????

[dkleinert1]

So I am frustrated....I know this has happened to me in the past, and I don't remember why it happened. I had to take about a 10 year break from making soap to care for my husband who was very ill. I made my first batches of soap (4) in 10 years in December, and they were perfect. However, I didn't make Tea Tree soap (made 2 batches) then. I did make it two days ago, and both batches are bad. I threw one away last night and am drying one, hoping it will be ok when it cures. Anyway, it is chalky and crumbly on the top and was oily in the bottom of the soapmold.

What in the heck did I do wrong? I made Lavender soap (2 batches) also, and it is ok, but again, not right - not is a little chalky on top, and all of the lavender buds floated to the top, and were not in suspension with the soap as they were in the December batches I made.

I made the lye solution bottles two days before I used them and was worried about that - maybe taking on too much moisture from the air and diluting the lye? I usually make the lye solution bottles the night before I make soap and then use it cooled down the next morning. However, I was not able to do that this time - a problem came up at work and I was not free to make the 4 batches of soap the next morning.

Is that it? ANY advice will be appreciated so much!!!

 

[amd]

I think the lye solution would probably evaporate liquid before it would absorb moisture. It would have to be a significant water loss/gain to affect the soap I think.

Did you zap test the chalky part?

I'm inclined to think that it didn't properly emulsify and some of the oil separated.

 

[DeeAnna]

It sounds like you may be getting some separation in the mold, what with the liquidy bottom and chalky top. It would be helpful if you would describe your recipe and how you proceed to make your soap.

 

[Susie]

I just tossed two batches for chalkiness/breaking up. (Ask how I feel about throwing soap away...grr!) My theory is that my NaOH was not good. It was not clumpy, but I had suspicions when it did not immediately superheat the water on mixing. But I was testing a new FO, so I blamed it on that. Tried a second batch using familiar FO, same result. Both traced at a normal rate, but they just did not work. Had to be the NaOH.

 

[dkleinert1]

I think the lye solution would probably evaporate liquid before it would absorb moisture. It would have to be a significant water loss/gain to affect the soap I think.

Did you zap test the chalky part?

I'm inclined to think that it didn't properly emulsify and some of the oil separated.

Thanks for your input. It heated up as normal when I diluted the lye. What is a "zap" test? Never heard of that. THANKS!

It sounds like you may be getting some separation in the mold, what with the liquidy bottom and chalky top. It would be helpful if you would describe your recipe and how you proceed to make your soap.

Here is my formula:

Lye Solution: 3 lbs. Distilled Water + 1lb 3 oz. Lye
Fixed Oils: Palm Oil - 1lb. 8 oz, Coconut Oil - 2lbs. 8 oz., Olive Oil - 4 lbs.
Essential Oils: 100mls
I made the Lye Solutions the day before, sealed the glass container with plastic wrap (twice with rubber band to tighten the seal). Then used it within 24 hours.

I pour the cooled lye solution into the warm blended Fixed Oils (about 90-100 degrees) and begin stirring. I saw a normal tracce pretty quickly, however, I stir for 30 minutes. It looked normal. Poured into the soap mold. Covered with hard plastic lid, covered with blanket. Left overnight for about 30 hours. Uncovered, and tried to remove from mold. It was chalky when I slid the knife in around the edges on the mold, and worse when I flipped it out to unmold it and remove the bottom. Just don't know what happened. I actually made 2 batches. The 2nd one was way too soft, and could not take it out of the mold in one slab. I threw it away.....so sad.....I hate wasting all of that. But worse - what did I do wrong???

I just tossed two batches for chalkiness/breaking up. (Ask how I feel about throwing soap away...grr!) My theory is that my NaOH was not good. It was not clumpy, but I had suspicions when it did not immediately superheat the water on mixing. But I was testing a new FO, so I blamed it on that. Tried a second batch using familiar FO, same result. Both traced at a normal rate, but they just did not work. Had to be the NaOH.

Are we getting diluted lye crystals from some where. I think I purchased this batch of lye from Bulk Apothecary. Used to use the Chemistry Store. Where do you buy your lye?

 

[earlene]

Thanks for your input. It heated up as normal when I diluted the lye. What is a "zap" test? Never heard of that. THANKS!

Instructions on how to do a ZAP test: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/

Purpose: To determine if the soap is lye heavy or not.


Regarding the quality of the lye: Lye draws water to itself, so everytime you open the container, it absorbs as much ambient water as it can from the environment. In high humidity, that can be a lot of water, particularly if you don't close the lid quickly. I have seen videos of people leaving the dry lye open to the air and forgetting to cover it, which compromises future measurements. So always cover the bottle of dry lye right away with an air-tight lid. How lye is stored will also impact if and how it will absorb water from the air.

I use this setup, mentioned in this thread for storing my lye: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/my-lye-storage-setup.59316/

Personally I have not experienced a bad bottle of lye as yet, thankfully. But I know it can happen and would always suggest small test batches with a new bottle/bag of lye to be sure the lye is good before doing very large batches. Just as a precaution. Also if you buy bad lye and get consistently bad results, I'd suggest contacting the vendor and asking for a refund or some other form of compensation. It can't hurt to ask, because they probably don't want to lose business.

 

[dkleinert1]

Instructions on how to do a ZAP test: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/
Thank you! I will buy that book also!!

 

[earlene]

dkleinert1, I edited my post above while you were responding, so you may not have seen the added info above.

 

[lsg]

Lye can go bad or you can get a bad batch from a distributor.

 

[shunt2011]

Thanks for your input. It heated up as normal when I diluted the lye. What is a "zap" test? Never heard of that. THANKS!



Here is my formula:

Lye Solution: 3 lbs. Distilled Water + 1lb 3 oz. Lye
Fixed Oils: Palm Oil - 1lb. 8 oz, Coconut Oil - 2lbs. 8 oz., Olive Oil - 4 lbs.
Essential Oils: 100mls
I made the Lye Solutions the day before, sealed the glass container with plastic wrap (twice with rubber band to tighten the seal). Then used it within 24 hours.

I pour the cooled lye solution into the warm blended Fixed Oils (about 90-100 degrees) and begin stirring. I saw a normal tracce pretty quickly, however, I stir for 30 minutes. It looked normal. Poured into the soap mold. Covered with hard plastic lid, covered with blanket. Left overnight for about 30 hours. Uncovered, and tried to remove from mold. It was chalky when I slid the knife in around the edges on the mold, and worse when I flipped it out to unmold it and remove the bottom. Just don't know what happened. I actually made 2 batches. The 2nd one was way too soft, and could not take it out of the mold in one slab. I threw it away.....so sad.....I hate wasting all of that. But worse - what did I do wrong???



Are we getting diluted lye crystals from some where. I think I purchased this batch of lye from Bulk Apothecary. Used to use the Chemistry Store. Where do you buy your lye?

First, I hope you are measuring by weight with an accurate scale. Grams is the best way to go about it. Second, you are making a really large batch of soap for a beginner. I would make 1 lb at a time until you get things worked out. Third, never mix lye in glass. You are asking for trouble.

I agree with others that it may be a bad batch of lye. There have been issues in the past. It sounds like separation which could be from the lye.

 

[Holly8991]

I had no idea about the lye & glass thing. I was using plastic measuring cups but they all started splitting and cracking. So I started using glass ones with no trouble. Now I am scratching my head as what to use.......

 

[earlene]

Holly, it depends on your plastic. If you use those very flimsy plastics, they break down very quickly with lye. BUT if you use the HDPE #2 or PP #5 plastics, they are both going to hold up very well for a long time.

Look for the Recycle symbol on the bottom. In the triangle you will see a number. #2 & #5 are the ones you want for soapmaking.

PP#5 will withstand the heat of lye solution, so it's best for a tall pitcher to mix your lye solution.
Once cooled, you can store lye solution safely in HDPE #2 (good for storing master-batch lye solution.)

HDPE #2 is also fine for mixing your soap batter in, as it generally does not heat up in the bowl enough to be concerned about.

 

[Misschief]

Or stainless steel. I use a small(er) SS bowl for mixing my lye and a larger one for my soap batter.

 

[penelopejane]

Are you using a stickblender to mix the oil and lye together or are you doing it by hand? It may take longer than 30 mins if by hand.

 

[Susie]

That bad lye was Roebic from Lowe's. I normally only use them if I am out of NaOH from a proper soap place so that I know it is fresh. I ordered more from ED.