Glycerin turning into what looks like instant mashed potatoes

[bcw28]

To finish it!!

The same thing happened to me while making Glycerin based liquid soap. I think it traced during the lye glycerin mix but I added it to my oils anyway. It was white on top and clear on the bottom, I decided to just give up on this batch so I added a whole pot of water, (unmeasured...) GUESS WHAT?? My liquid soap came out after all. It was a shimmery golden yellow(until I colored it) and now it is a green foaming hand soap. Better batch than the first batch i made without glycerin. Now if I can just get this stuff thick enough for body wash.I've tried xanthan gum but can't get it mixed well enough that it doesn't clump up. Any suggestions??

 

[100%Natural]

Interesting question for sure. I haven't tried this personally so do your due diligence, but thickening with salt works from what I've read. Worth looking into. And of course, adding less water for dilution.

Did you follow the recipe in Soaping101's video?

 

[Zelda Rose]

Can I save my glycerine liquid soap

I also made a batch using the soaping 101 video 2 days ago. Very simple to do but my soap NEVER tested clear. I finally took it out of the crock pot after cooking it for 4 hours on low. It looked just like the finished soap in the video. I tested the PH and today it's still at 9 (prob above) Can I lower the ph with Citric Acid and still use it as shampoo? Or use it as laundry detergent? The only thing I can think of that went wrong was the lye and glycerin stage. I heated to 200degrees and made sure all was dissolved. The consistency of it is perfect but the color is like fresh squeezed apple juice , even kind of pearly colored. Very strange..roblem:

 

[100%Natural]

I wonder if it needed cooking longer? I've left batches cooking for as long as 6 hours before. Not sure how anyone can get it done in 1.5...lol. I haven't personally neutralized soap but I do know that you can use Citric Acid in a solution to do it.

When I retried the glycerin method I doubled the glycerin and was able to get all of the lye dissolved but had to cook it for many hours to get it to neutralize. I didn't end up with complete vaseline either. It was clear on the bottom and whitish on the top but tested well and when diluted it was as clear as a bell.

Needless to say I have better luck with using water but I'll be giving the glycerin another shot likely today.

 

[Zelda Rose]

I will be very interested to see how you do. I'm wondering if I didn't stir it well enough after I added the lye solution to the oils. I used my stick blender till it was super thick then stirred by hand till it was really thick and then many times while it was in the crock pot. About every 1/2 hour. I'm using good quality products I order in so I know I'm good there. Just can't figure out how the video showed it done in 1.5 hours? Maybe I will see if she will respond to my email and see what she says. Good luck on your batch today! I'm going to pick up some citric acid this morning and use it to lower the ph. I actually don't care if the soap is clear, I just want it to be safe to use on my dog and me..

 

[juliet]

Just check before you use it on your dog. I'm not an expert here but I've heard that you shouldn't use soap on dogs. Their skin is very sensitive.

 

[FGOriold]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but make sure you are using a stainless steel pot/pan to create your glycerin/KOH solution.

When I use the glycerin method, I only stick blend until the little bubbles start flying out of the crock pot, then cook it on low for about 90 minutes and then turn it off and let it just sit until the next day. I do stir it occasionally during this time as you can get a foamy layer on top and a clear layer on the bottom but the paste is still good and will create a clear soap even if it does not look completely clear before you dilute it.

I also find that soap made via the glycerin method comes out a bit darker amber color than using the water method.

 

[Zelda Rose]

I will turn it off and let it sit a day like you did on my next batch. I did use all stainless steel even to heat the glycerin. Do you think my liquid soap I cooked for 4 hours that never turned clear is safe to use? I have washed my hands with it and it works great. I want to use it as a shampoo base. I am going to research a little more to see if I can use is as a base for dishwashing liquid. I have almost a gallon of it.

 

[woolly]

Omygoodness, I'm so glad I've found this forum. I've literally been pulling my hair out to get the glycerin method to work for me. I had the milky white disaster too. I used a stainless steel pan and vegetable glycerin. I tried the 101 soaping recipe, and have had two failed batches. The dilution of one looks like the picture. I also ran it through the calculator and said it needed more glycerin. What I don't understand, as when I pointed this out on the fb 101 page, no one came back to me or amended the video. Weird, huh? I'm not sure if the picture has worked as it took about a year to upload but no doubt we'll see.

 

[100%Natural]

Omygoodness, I'm so glad I've found this forum. I've literally been pulling my hair out to get the glycerin method to work for me. I had the milky white disaster too. I used a stainless steel pan and vegetable glycerin. I tried the 101 soaping recipe, and have had two failed batches. The dilution of one looks like the picture. I also ran it through the calculator and said it needed more glycerin. What I don't understand, as when I pointed this out on the fb 101 page, no one came back to me or amended the video. Weird, huh? I'm not sure if the picture has worked as it took about a year to upload but no doubt we'll see.

I just started test batches again with this method and so far I have found that mixing the glycerin with some water is working very well. Can't remember off the top of my head how much water+glycerin I used, but it turned out and tested clear. My only issue now is that it's a bit drying to the hands (likely too much Peppermint EO) but will fix that as well.

I'm determined to conquer this method..lol.

 

[kazmi]

I'm really interested in giving this a try soon and reading this thread to learn. Natural, is your LS thick enough to use as body wash? is the thickness dependant on how much you dilute it? or is a thickener a must? I want to make sure I have all of the needed supplies before I start.

 

[100%Natural]

I'm really interested in giving this a try soon and reading this thread to learn. Natural, is your LS thick enough to use as body wash? is the thickness dependant on how much you dilute it? or is a thickener a must? I want to make sure I have all of the needed supplies before I start.

I diluted mine specifically for LS which with my recipe means that I did 2 parts water to 1 part paste. You can definitely change the dilution rate for a thicker soap or use salt as a thickener. Dilution is a learning curve all on its own.

If you're using the 101 video, I would double your glycerin. Be patient though because the lye doesn't always dissolve and clear up as quick as the video shows.

 

[kazmi]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[kazmi]

I plugged in a recipe in BB calculator and it came up with 3 times the amount of liquid (glycerine) as lye. Does that sound about right? From reading here some say 2:1 ratio and others say 3:1. I plan on using mostly OO (pomace) with a little CO (3.7%) and caster 1.6%). Also, for those of you that let yours sit over night was that after you've diluted it after the cook or before? I want to make some this next weekend and have been reading up before I give it a try. I'm not so concerned about the clarity as much as making a body wash that's not drying to my skin.

 

[100%Natural]

I have always had much better luck with 3:1 ratios. For whatever reason my lye whether it's NaOH or KOH doesn't completely dissolve in a 2:1 mixture.

 

[Jaccart789]

This was my very first attempt at soap making (before anything else). I love her videos!

My shower gel was a success because I followed the video to the "T". I had to thicken it with salt water because I didn't have any thickening agent. I knew I could do this after I researched the web. I haven't made it sense because I found that it wasnt bubbly enough for me...watch the video closely and if you can do what she does step by step...it will turn out. You are talking to a new soap maker and I was able to do it. I will include a pic of the finished product. I was so proud! Good luck!

 

[Jaccart789]

some more photos of the process...

 

[kazmi]

Thanks Natural and Jaccart thanks for the pictures! I'm not too concerns about bubbles. I'm more interested in it being creamy and not drying out my skin. Gonna start out with a small batch to experiment with.

 

[Jaccart789]

You can totally do it... like I said follow the video, if I remember correctly there is a part in the video that she missed a step or didn't do something.. I can't remember exactly, but I was able to figure it out. It is something common sense so I don't think detrimental. I just remember thinking why she forgot that. I can't remember what it was sorry. However, being a new soap maker I did not question anything and just did like she did... so yours will turn out. Please add a photo when you make it!

 

[ahutchins9]

I always use 3 parts glycerin 1 part water to dissolve my KOH. Never had a problem with it not dissolving clear.