HELLPPP

[kearsten99]

Hi, this is my 4th time making liquid soap and none of them have been a success I really don’t understand soap calc right now I’m still learning so yeah. This is the recipe I used:
70g Coconut oil
244g olive oil
140g castor oil
141g avocado oil
105 g apricot kernel oil
Total 700g oil
1% super fat

149g KOH (90%)
597g Distilled water

It was doing great at first now it’s stuck ,the paste is thick but not hardening. I did a zap test and it zapped me. It’s currently not on any heat. I don’t know what to do and I don’t want to scrap it. Can someone please help.

the ph

Hi, this is my 4th time making liquid soap and none of them have been a success I really don’t understand soap calc right now I’m still learning so yeah. This is the recipe I used:
70g Coconut oil
244g olive oil
140g castor oil
141g avocado oil
105 g apricot kernel oil
Total 700g oil
1% super fat

149g KOH (90%)
597g Distilled water

It was doing great at first now it’s stuck ,the paste is thick but not hardening. I did a zap test and it zapped me. It’s currently not on any heat. I don’t know what to do and I don’t want to scrap it. Can someone please help.

The ph is 10-11
The soap is pretty clear.
Is there anything I can do to make it work. If not can anybody suggest a recipe so I can start over

 

[cmzaha]

Considering the oils you have used your paste will most likely not get hard. Not all oils make a hard past.

 

[DeeAnna]

An accurate pH test is done using a 1% to 10% solution of soap in room temperature distilled water with a calibrated pH meter or high quality pH strips, such as Machery Nagel brand. Are you doing that? If you're not, then the pH is probably 1-3 units higher than what you think it is and, yeah, it's probably lye heavy.

Do you know your KOH is 90% pure? If it's 96% purity like mine is, you'll end up with lye heavy soap by choosing the 90% purity option. If you're using Soapcalc, you might want to try the Soapmakingfriend or Soapee soap calculator becaue these calcs let you enter a more accurate lye purity rather than be limited to 100% pure or 90% pure as Soapcalc does.

I'm curious why you're using a 20% lye concentration to make the soap. Can you explain why? Have you tried the more typical 25% lye concentration? The lower lye concentration is probably part of the reason why your paste is softer than expected.

Carolyn pointed out another big reason why your paste might be softer than you think it should be.

 

[lenarenee]

Is the paste staying paste or separating? Since your not using heat, it can take several hours to not zap.

 

[kearsten99]

Is the paste staying paste or separating? Since your not using heat, it can take several hours to not zap.

yes it’s staying paste

An accurate pH test is done using a 1% to 10% solution of soap in room temperature distilled water with a calibrated pH meter or high quality pH strips, such as Machery Nagel brand. Are you doing that? If you're not, then the pH is probably 1-3 units higher than what you think it is and, yeah, it's probably lye heavy.

Do you know your KOH is 90% pure? If it's 96% purity like mine is, you'll end up with lye heavy soap by choosing the 90% purity option. If you're using Soapcalc, you might want to try the Soapmakingfriend or Soapee soap calculator becaue these calcs let you enter a more accurate lye purity rather than be limited to 100% pure or 90% pure as Soapcalc does.

I'm curious why you're using a 20% lye concentration to make the soap. Can you explain why? Have you tried the more typical 25% lye concentration? The lower lye concentration is probably part of the reason why your paste is softer than expected.

Carolyn pointed out another big reason why your paste might be softer than you think it should be.

I did the ph test the water is a little cloudy now than before. The ph is high 10’s going to 11 I’m not sure about the 20% concentration I just followed a recipe I found. I’m a beginner at soap making. I’m fine with the soap being soft due to the oils I just want to try to fix the excess lye in my soap. Any other advice on what I can do to fix it? Thank you for your help

 

[shunt2011]

yes it’s staying paste


I did the ph test the water is a little cloudy now than before. The ph is high 10’s going to 11 I’m not sure about the 20% concentration I just followed a recipe I found. I’m a beginner at soap making. I’m fine with the soap being soft due to the oils I just want to try to fix the excess lye in my soap. Any other advice on what I can do to fix it? Thank you for your help

How do you know there's excess lye? have you done a zap test? PH means nothing. 8.5-11 PH is normal for soap.

 

[kearsten99]

How do you know there's excess lye? have you done a zap test? PH means nothing. 8.5-11 PH is normal for soap.

I did a zap test this morning and the zap is not as strong as it was last night

 

[Kiti Williams]

I made soap paste by accident via CP. My daughter loves it and has a pump bottle in the shower. I made it with Potash (brain fart, I can't remember which code is for which lye right now) lye so it didn't set up as CP soap. I came up here with my troubles and was told I used liquid soap lye!