gritty soap

[BettyF]

4 weeks ago I made 2 batches of soap, one with essential oils and the other unscented. Now they are being used in the shower and they feel gritty. What would cause this? It feels like sand in them.
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!!!

 

[adoptapitbull]

Please post your recipe.

The oils wouldn't do that to the soap. Are you sure it's not lye crystals? Does it burn to use the soap??

 

[BettyF]

I think you are correct but rather than actual lye crystals, I believe there are impurities in the lye we bought. We just ordered from a new supplier and I have noticed that the lye clumps in the container. Maybe the grit we are feeling is contaminant. It does not burn our skin. Unfortunately we make quite a few batches!!!!

Does anyone have a good lye supplier that has good quality?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Fragola]

You mean there is a little piece of gritty something that you can extract from your soap bar.

If lye is that impure, you could strain the solution through a stainless sieve.

 

[dieSpinne]

Are you using distilled water?
If you are using tap water, depending on how hard your water is, it could be calcium carbonate crystals.

 

[BettyF]

I am using distilled water. We did not see anything in the lye water suspension but i am going to make the recipe again tonight and will put the lye and water through a sieve.
The lye came from AAA Chemicals. The only thing I noticed about it is that this particular bottle the lye is clumpy and we had to shake it briskly to loosen. It is the same lye I have been using for 3 months.
Only other difference is new Castor Oil. But I cannot imagine castor would do this.
The soap has grit uniformly in it that looks and feels like small grain salt. Soap does not burn or irritate so i do not think it is lye.
Strange!!!

 

[busymakinsoap!]

Do you use butters in your recipe? I have had this once with a high superfatted, high percentage Shea facial bar. It def had nothing to do with the Lye.

My guess is I soaped to cool, not sure, but I have since changed Shea suppliers and it no longer happens.

 

[BettyF]

This recipe is SF at 10% but no butters. Going to try again. Hope no grit. I have ordered different lye just in case.
My temps are around 110 degrees. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[beckyb7799]

This exact thing is is happening to me too. It feels like an exfoliant. I made 2 batches of the same recipe just different additives and essential oils. The recipe has 10% butter and another 30% hard oils.
The grainy one was SF at 5% lye C 27% and I took out 50% of the water and used cream but I added that directly to the oils and then I added essential oil.
The perfectly smooth one was SF at 5% lye C at 33% only this time I calculated the cream as part of the oils and used the full water amount calculated and then I added essential oils.
I made another batch without cream and I added fragrance oil which turned out super smooth.
However I made another batch without any butters, and I added fragrance oil. But it’s super grainy.
Coconut -20%
Olive- 45%
Palm - 25%
Castor- 5%
Almond- 5%
SF-5% LC-33% no soda ash.
I used the same lye and same butter in all recipes.

didn’t include the other recipes because they’re too complicated but help I can’t figure this out. I’ve used distilled water in all recipes. I can’t remember at the temp I soaps at but it was quite low around 90-100F