Hi all, I’m so new to soap making but really keen to learn. I’ve only made one batch so far, still curing, but it wasn’t anything like I was expecting. The lye didn’t get hot or fumy and it took so long to trace my blender burnt out. I’m planning to stick with cold process soap and practice like mad. I’m using coconut oil, olive oil and maybe lard. My question is how do I heat up the mixture to speed up trace once I’ve added the lye water to the oils? My water was stone cold- cool day, done outside but I’ve no where else to mix it. Can anyone advise? Thank you!
Help with speeding up cold process trace please
- Thread starter DMack
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It sounds like maybe your lye was bad. When I mix my lye into my water, it gets up over 100 degrees Celsius.
Welcome, DMack! 
I agree with Megan....if things did not heat up when adding the lye to your water, it sounds like you may have some bad or weakened lye. How old is the lye, or more importantly, how was it stored? Properly stored/packaged lye will last an extremely very long time, but if it was stored in such a way that air and moisture were allowed to get in consistently, all bets are off.
IrishLass
I agree with Megan....if things did not heat up when adding the lye to your water, it sounds like you may have some bad or weakened lye. How old is the lye, or more importantly, how was it stored? Properly stored/packaged lye will last an extremely very long time, but if it was stored in such a way that air and moisture were allowed to get in consistently, all bets are off.
IrishLass
In bought the lye in July this year though of course I’ve no way of knowing how long the vendor has had the stock. It was sealed in 2 bags and a cardboard box as I hadn’t opened it until I was about to use it. The whole thing was kept inside a storage box in a dry cupboard. When opened there was no moisture that I saw on any of the packaging. Does this mean the soap won’t be successful? Do I need to ditch this batch of lye?
Does it have what kind of lye it is anywhere on the label? You need sodium hydroxide
Ok, next question is how much lye and water did you use?
That was a little more water then was neccessary, next time try 2 parts water to 1 part lye. For your recipe that would have been 160 grams.
You have soap, congratulations. How does it feel? Really soft or oily?
Not sure why your lye didn't heat up, it should have.
When you stick blend, you want to do it in bursts so the motor doesn't burn out. Blend for 20-30 seconds, stir by hand for 20-30, then blend again. Keep doing that until you get trace.
You have soap, congratulations. How does it feel? Really soft or oily?
Not sure why your lye didn't heat up, it should have.
When you stick blend, you want to do it in bursts so the motor doesn't burn out. Blend for 20-30 seconds, stir by hand for 20-30, then blend again. Keep doing that until you get trace.
Ok thank you. I’ll try that. I’m planning a second batch next week using a loaf mould this time. I found the individuals too fiddly personally. i have t actually felt the soap with bare hands yet but will check later. I didn’t think it would solidify but it was firm enough to unmould easily after 2 days. And I’ll keep in mind the blender advice too.
thanks everyone for replying, I really appreciate it
thanks everyone for replying, I really appreciate it
great tips thank you. I dropped the water content and took care timing the blender, also I worked faster this time - the lye water did heat up so maybe I left it too long??? I don’t know. But they all conspired to work and I have to loaf tin batches of soap on its way!
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Please don't use those containers as soap molds! Even with the plastic wrap on them, it is too risky to expose your soap to metal, as well as the potential of chemical reactions between the lye and metal. Do some research to find the correct materials to use for soap making. Many common household items can be used as molds.
