i superfatted but still a lye heavy batch :(

[owl]

hi everyone,
i've been a lurker for a long, long while. but now i come seeking advice.
i made a small batch yesterday, superfatted at 5% according to soapcalc, but today it's covered in lye crystals and zaps like crazy.

what is wrong with this recipe?

11 oz palm oil
9 oz extra virgin olive oil
3 oz shea butter
2 oz castor oil

6 oz milk
3.5 oz water

1.3 oz all-natural fragrance oil from WSP
1.5 tsp kaolin clay
2 tsp honey mixed with 2 tsp water

---------
notes: i let the lye water&milk mixture cool, then added the honey-water mixture, which was also room temp.
at thin trace i poured it into a mold lined with bubble wrap, for that honeycomb look.

i'm (almost) positive i measured everything correctly. however, my digital scale was only $10 on ebay from china, so who knows.

any insight is most appreciated!

 

[danny p]

The crystals are soda ash that's ok.you may just need to wait for the zap to go away during curing.what was the weight of the lye you added.

 

[carebear]

The crystals are soda ash that's ok.you may just need to wait for the zap to go away during curing.what was the weight of the lye you added.

ash doesn't zap.

without checking your formula (I'm lazy tonight), I'd say that your soap overheated, "sweated" lye solution which then evaporated leaving behind crystals of lye.

it's entirely possible that rinsing the bars off would render them ok to use - check the cut surfaces for zap though, and keep your eyes open for lye pockets.

 

[danny p]

3.25 for 5%.sorry I thought you meant there were crystals on Top but the Soap zapped

 

[owl]

what was the weight of the lye you added.

oh! haha i totally forgot to post it.
i used 3.24 oz.

without checking your formula (I'm lazy tonight), I'd say that your soap overheated, "sweated" lye solution which then evaporated leaving behind crystals of lye.

i was actually wary of overheating, so i stuck the mold in the fridge right after i poured, and it stayed there overnight.

 

[newbie]

If you didn't gel, it will take longer for the soap to fully saponify and it will zap for longer than gelled soap, up to a week. I would watch and wait, check it again for zap in 5-7 days. If it still zaps it's probably lye heavy, which would mean most likely your scale is off.

 

[ToniD]

Milk and honey soap is a real bear for overheating. Especially If you had the bubble wrap on top as well as around the mold, I would think it could still overheat, even in the fridge. Bubble wrap would be insulating.