I have a very general question about dual lye soap, actually just want to know if something is possible in anyone's opinion. Asking for a friend and don't have the specific recipe. She was sent the wrong lye, didn't realize it, and used potassium instead of sodium hydroxide in her CP soap. Since this was supposed to be bar soap, using a bar soap recipe, of course it was a fail. My question is: Is there a way to take the failed soft soap and reformulate it to add sodium hydroxide to it and make a shaving soap from it? I realize it would involve calculating amounts of different lye, both already in the soap and what needed to be added. Is this even possible or should she just trash it?
Dual lye soap question
- Thread starter mcdougal7
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Whatever you do- don't trash it!!! 
There are two things your friend can do without adding any NaOH to it: 1) Try it using it as a shave soap without adding any NaOH. There are several folks here who prefer to make shaving soap with 100% KOH, or 2) Dilute it with water to make liquid soap.
If the #2 option is chosen, let us know- several us here make liquid soap and we can walk you through it.
IrishLass
There are two things your friend can do without adding any NaOH to it: 1) Try it using it as a shave soap without adding any NaOH. There are several folks here who prefer to make shaving soap with 100% KOH, or 2) Dilute it with water to make liquid soap. If the #2 option is chosen, let us know- several us here make liquid soap and we can walk you through it.
IrishLass
You need 1.403 times more KOH to get the same results as 1 part NaOH. If your friend did what I'm thinking she did -- used a soap recipe formulated for NaOH but actually made the soap with KOH instead -- then the superfat is going to be over 40%. That's too, too much fat.
You could add the missing KOH and make a liquid soap. Or add a suitable amount of NaOH to make a cream-type or shave-type soap. But as it is now with not enough alkali, I think it's going to be a greasy mess.
You could add the missing KOH and make a liquid soap. Or add a suitable amount of NaOH to make a cream-type or shave-type soap. But as it is now with not enough alkali, I think it's going to be a greasy mess.
All of the above, but it is very salvageable! Don't toss that paste!
Have her re-run the recipe using KOH and an appropriate superfat (3% is about right), then add that amount of KOH with three times its weight in water to the paste she has over heat. She needs to use a stainless steel pot or a crock pot. She needs to break the paste up with her spoon or spatula, and just keep at it until all the paste is melted. She may need to add more water.
Have her re-run the recipe using KOH and an appropriate superfat (3% is about right), then add that amount of KOH with three times its weight in water to the paste she has over heat. She needs to use a stainless steel pot or a crock pot. She needs to break the paste up with her spoon or spatula, and just keep at it until all the paste is melted. She may need to add more water.
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