cloudly problems

[Laurab155]

Hello!
Quarantine made me interested in a new hobby, natural and handmade soaps
So without much thought, I did a little research and buy materials
I already made a pretty good bar soap for the first few times, however now I'm trying liquid soap
Here in Colombia we have abundant amount of sustainable palm so for ease and to support local trade I have based my formulations on palm oil and palm kernel oil, however I don't know what I am failing because just after cooking, in the dilutionprocess with distilled water, my soap looks cloudy, and has an almost immediate precipitate

I would like to hear advice from you that I suppose have passed and solved these beginner problems

Regards

 

[AliOop]

Can you post your exact recipe and process so folks can provide the best help to you? Without that, it is too hard to know what to adjust.

 

[Susie]

And if you could post that recipe in weights, it would be phenomenally helpful!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I have based my formulations on palm oil and palm kernel oil, however I don't know what I am failing because just after cooking, in the dilution process with distilled water, my soap looks cloudy, and has an almost immediate precipitate

Hiya Laurab and Welcome to the Forum. Congratulations on making your first soaps and liquid soap! That's quite an achievement all on your own! Brava!

You're not failing. Palm & PKO tend to make opaque soap, as does lard and tallow. Not to worry. Even though it's not clear, I'm guessing it feels wonderful on the skin. Right?

This thread tells you What to Expect from Various Oils in Liquid Soap

One of my most popular liquid soaps is 50% PKO and 50% lard. It's a family & friends favorite, scented with either Peppermint or Lavender essential oil. A combo of 50/50 Palm & PKO would be every bit as nice... maybe even nicer. I find PKO has a more elegant feel than Coconut Oil.

What is interesting is that mine does clear in about 6 months, if you haven't used it up by then. LOL

HAPPY SOAPING!

 

[Laurab155]

Hi Zany,
Thanks for your recommendations.
Indeed the 50/50 ratio is very good, however I wanted to tell you that yesterday I found a failure in my procedure that could be involved in the stability of my product.
And it is that to conserve water during the reaction, I used aluminum foil to cover the containers but this degraded with the heat and steam of the lye, so that part of the precipitate is aluminum hydroxide or oxide.
Tomorrow I will try again to make my recipes, but this time without aluminum hehehe and I will know how much this influences the precipitate I was obtaining

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Hi Zany, Thanks for your recommendations.

You're welcome.

to conserve water during the reaction, I used aluminum foil to cover the containers but this degraded with the heat and steam of the lye, so that part of the precipitate is aluminum hydroxide or oxide.

Oh my. When you mentioned "precipitate" I wondered about that. Not good. Now we're back to Ali Oop's and Susie's suggestion to share your recipe and technique so we can have a good squint at it. I'm concerned about where you learned that it was okay to cover the containers with aluminum foil.

NOTE: There are as many ways to make LS as there are those that make it! LOL To learn more about the technique I've been using (sans glycerin) since 2004 go to Alaiyn B's Blogspot. Faith, the blogger, was on the Liquid Soap Makers Yahoo Group (now defunct) at the same time I was.

FYI: As soapers, we avoid all other metals other than Stainless Steel. Glass, some plastics, enamel, wood, silicone containers & utensils are okay to use too.

Saran Wrap, a dinner plate, paper towel, etc. would have been a better choice than aluminum foil, although I am wondering why you felt the need to cover the batch? Also, at what phase of the process did this occur?

PS: I wouldn't throw the batch out... who knows, it may be good for carpet stains, cleaning sinks, tubs & toilets, washing the deck or patio furniture, etc. I'm not enough of a chemist to know if aluminum oxide gives off toxic fumes. I just hate waste.