CP too much water added, what now?

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STLBluesNut

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Apr 5, 2023
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St. Louis
I made my first batch last night and checked it today at lunch. It was still pretty soft when i took the mold out of the wood box. Not squishy but definitely soft. I did CPOP it after making. I am doing some calculations today and I realize I added too much water to the lye solution. It should have been 4.13 Oz lye, 9.24 Oz water for 13.37 Oz total. I added 13.37 Oz water. Roughly 4 Oz too much.

Am I correct in thinking this will still eventually be soap but will take longer to harden and cure? Or is it game over for this batch? Also, being my first batch I don't exactly know what to expect, could this have accelerated the batter? It seems like it accelerated pretty fast compared to videos I have watched or is that likely the FO? I believe I only blended to emulsion but it got thick quick.
 
Congratulations on your first soap baby! : )

In terms of water - it will be fine, but yes - it will be softer for longer and take a while to cure out - possibly warping a bit during the cure. It will still be usable as soap.
If it's your first batch it will always appear to accelerate compared to what you've seen. Most likely causes are:
1) You've made a smaller batch than they do on YT
2) You've stick blended far too much ( rookie mistake that we all make)
3) a floral or spicy FO
4) Your choice of oils and/or the temperature you soaped at.
 
Thank you. I used the swirl mix from BB. The FO is from a company that makes beard products mostly. Beard oil, balms, beard wash, etc. They have their own blends. They have almost 100 scents that they use in all of their products so I am guessing that is what made it kick off so fast. Yes, I did get the IFRA usage from them as well =).
 
Thank you. I used the swirl mix from BB. The FO is from a company that makes beard products mostly. Beard oil, balms, beard wash, etc. They have their own blends. They have almost 100 scents that they use in all of their products so I am guessing that is what made it kick off so fast. Yes, I did get the IFRA usage from them as well =).
FOs that work in products without NaOH (beard balms,etc.) often behave very differently when added to products with NaOH (soap batter). If the scent doesn't have user reviews specifically for making soap, you are taking your chances. ;)
 

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