Correcting lye-heavy LS

soapinmama41 · Nov 9, 2014

So I made my first batch of ls and it actually turned out exactly the consistency I had hoped for hand-washing..whoo hoo! I am happy with the scents from the eo's, clearness etc! I am soooo thankful for others who have gone before and taken the time to write up good tutorials!!!

Here's my problem though....even though I neutralized with borax, it feels a bit lye-heavy to my hands.

To correct the lye-heaviness can I just heat the ls and add in more oils, in essence just super-fatting it further?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Tori

coffeetime · Nov 9, 2014

What recipe and procedure did you use?

seven · Nov 9, 2014

hi Tori, and welcome to the forum..

what did you mean by "it feels a bit lye-heavy to my hands"? did you actually zap test it as well as a ph test?

Susie · Nov 9, 2014

You need to post your recipe, process, amount of borax, EOs, other additives, etc for us to help you the best. I am also curious what, "it feels a bit lye-heavy to my hands" means.

deadspace · Nov 9, 2014

What is zap test????

shunt2011 · Nov 9, 2014

deadspace said:
What is zap test????

It's when you touch a bit of the soap to your tongue. If you get a small zap then you have extra lye. It's like touching your tongue to a 9v battery. Doesn't hurt just a zap.

DeeAnna · Nov 9, 2014

Yeah, I'm with the others. A harsh/dry/itchy skin feel does not automatically mean a lye excess -- it could be the recipe. If you want to be able to tell what's going on, you need to learn about and use the zap test. Some advocate pH testing in place of zap testing. Some do both.