Coconut mess up

[Sonhonauta]

Hello lovely soap makers, Its m second time making liquid soap and my second mess.
I used this recipe:
-718gr coconut oil (I am not sure whether its virgin or not, its organic german brand, and it does smell like coconut)
-181gr KOH (again I couldnt find out the purity, the company says it is 100% which it is highly unlikely).
-790gr distilled water.

I cooked it for 4 hours in a bain mari. At some point it was impossible to stir. It didnt turn transparent at all, even where the heat was, and it makes almost no bubbles when I try it.

What might be the problem? Any solutions?

Thank you so much

 

[jcandleattic]

Sometimes you wont see all stages of the paste or it goes so fast you could miss it. Liquid soap is always going to be a paste like substance until you dilute it into liquid soap.

Can you post a pic of what you mean, we might be able to help you more. It sounds like it's just a paste (which is what it's supposed to be) and you just haven't diluted it yet.

 

[DeeAnna]

Assuming 90% KOH purity and 3% superfat, you should be using something closer to 198 grams of KOH, give or take a bit. You're using 181 grams. The extra free fat may explain why your soap isn't very lathery. I'd also use less water -- about 25% lye concentration will make it easier to get your soap batter to a stable emulsion.

As far as the paste not turning transparent, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Not all batches do -- it's not a requirement for a good liquid soap. The ones I make with water only are usually more opaque looking. The ones I make with glycerin are typically more translucent.

You don't need to cook for hours. Even with a water only recipe, your soap was probably fine in under an hour of cooking. And many of us make liquid soap paste with no cooking at all. I'm away from my notes right now, but there's a good tutorial here by Irish Lass and another by Susie about the no-cook method.

 

[Sonhonauta]

Thank you for your replies!
I can try adding the 17 extra KOH grams after diluting the paste, and then wait maybe a week to let it react stirring occasionally?
About the super high amount of water, I am not sure of what you are saying. Is it that it takes longer to saponify? Or that it wont be ever as good as a lower water one?

 

[DeeAnna]

Thank you for your replies!
I can try adding the 17 extra KOH grams after diluting the paste, and then wait maybe a week to let it react stirring occasionally?
About the super high amount of water, I am not sure of what you are saying. Is it that it takes longer to saponify? Or that it wont be ever as good as a lower water one?

Yes, you can add the extra KOH after dilution and let it sit a day or three at room temperature to saponify. Do you know how to do a zap test? If not, here's a link that explains how to do it safely: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=63199

As far as the extra water in the paste -- it doesn't mean the soap is bad. Not at all. After all, you're going to add even more water later on!

It's more about soaping efficiently. I recommend designing the usual liquid soap recipe so the lye concentration is about 25% (3 parts water to 1 part KOH).

The lye concentration in your recipe is about 18-19%. I have learned when the lye concentration drops to around 15%, it can be really tough for the soap batter to stay emulsified. And you want the batter to stay emulsified in order to saponify properly without a lot of extra work. If you can't get it to emulsify, then you have to substitute stirring frequently to keep the lye solution and the fat mixed sufficiently well for the mixture to saponify.