I think every batch of soap I've made is lye heavy...

[luebella]

I don't understand how this could be. I follow exact measurements on lye calculators. 5 percent superfat. All of my bars are 4 to 12 weeks cured that I tested when I do the zap test they all kind of sting and burn. How the heck could every batch be lye heavy?
I just had my husband do it and held the bars to his tongue. He said he feels a tingle but not a zap or burn. To me it stings. What is normal?

 

[coffeetime]

It would be a distinctive shock feeling. I suspect you are reacting to an additive. What was in the recipe?

 

[luebella]

To me it stings and tingles. Def a burny feeling on every single loaf. I'll post my recipe
A*solid*soap, measured in*ounces*superfatted by*5%

Oil(s) Selected
Amount
%
Castor Oil
4.00oz
12.50%

Coconut Oil (76 Degrees)
6.00oz
18.75%

Olive Oil
15.00oz
46.88%

Rice Bran Oil
4.00oz
12.50%

Shea Butter (Unrefined)
3.00oz
9.38%

5% Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Amount
4.292oz

Ounces of liquid recommended
9.00oz

Yields
46.85oz

FOR ONE LOAF 1.5 to two ounce fragrance oil . 1 ounce essential oil

Different fragrance or EO in each loaf. It is always blended to trace. The tops sting more than the bottoms. The bottoms taste soapy salty. I have been using a loaf that is cured 6 weeks now for the past few days and havnt been dry or irritated at all.
Not sure how accurate it is but I put some on a pH strip and it shows up around a 9.

I feel like a mad woman lol.

I just put a bit of pre Bought soap base to my tongue and it gives me the same tingle. This is a whipped soap base with added fragrance and Mica. I also zap tested my used bar and nothing.

 

[Arimara]

What what was the liquid in the recipe based on? Was it water as x percentage of oils, a ratio or a lye concentration? I ran your recipe through SoapCalc and at roughly 31-32% lye concentration, your recipe actually has a slight water discount and a slightly higher lye discount. In other words, your recipe is fine. Maybe you're one of those with a super sensitive tongue.

 

[Steve85569]

To me it stings and tingles. Def a burny feeling on every single loaf. I'll post my recipe

Find a 9 volt battery. Touch both poles to your tongue at the same time ( here try this hee hee). Now that right there is a zap!:shock:
If you have been showering in the soap for two or three days and don't have dry skin or other problems you are not coming in contact with lye. Lye will sap your hide - trust me on this one - and make your skin paper thin and dry. There is a sticky I think on the top of this forum or else it's in the beginner's forum about zap that explains it very well.
Found it! http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30690

Sounds like DH is trusting enough to be your zap tester too. Good catch!

 

[luebella]

Arimara I am not sure. I used 3 calculators before using this recipe. Some loans I used max water some I used minimum recommended so I could unmold faster. Each Calc gave me that much lye to use with the oil amounts chose. The least amounts of water used has been 8.5 ounces.

Steve - I read the zap thread and it said a burning or tingle can be lye. Do you feel a tingle or burn when you zap test the tops of your soap? Lol

 

[Obsidian]

I've felt tingling from the FO before, lye is much more noticeable. People say a zap doesn't hurt but too me it does, it a sharp immediate pain on contact, no need to hold the soap to your tongue for more then a second or two.
Do you have any unscented batches?

 

[Seawolfe]

A zap is not a taste, it is a feeling. It causes an almost involuntary movement away from the soap. If you aren't sure, you weren't zapped.
And remember, all soap tastes bad...

 

[luebella]

So it can be normal to feel a burning tingle? My tongue still feels burned a bit. I don't have any unscented but I have some with just essential oil and it feels the same. One or two seconds is a slight tingle.. Longer and it burns/stings

 

[coffeetime]

Are you tasting the powdery ash that forms on the top?

 

[luebella]

Yes coffee a bit of ash on top burns alot. I brought up the one that burns the most to me and my husband held the bar to the tip of his tongue for 6 seconds and said it burned a little. To me my tongue is red and irritated lol. OMG I feel so weird doing this lol

 

[Arimara]

Considering zap hurts (especially with KOH based soap), I'm leaning on sensitive tongue and maybe a fragrance oil.

 

[galaxyMLP]

Since you said the bottom "zaps" less, I'm leaning towards you being sensitive to soda ash which is also quite basic. You likely have a very sensitive tongue. Some of my soaps give me that "zap/tingle" feeling you describe. Especially true on the soda ash.

 

[Steve85569]

"Steve - I read the zap thread and it said a burning or tingle can be lye. Do you feel a tingle or burn when you zap test the tops of your soap? Lol"
I do not zap test the tops. I zap test the face of the soap or a sliver that has been trimmed off the face.

"Yes coffee a bit of ash on top burns alot."
Soda ash?
That is why I do not zap test the top of a bar or loaf. If it looks like there is ash on the soap I rinse it off.
I wet my finger, rub same on face of bar and touch my finger to my tongue. If it zaps I don't have to think about it. If there is a delayed zap or tingle I have not waited long enough on a CP soap. I have not yet had a delayed zap on a CPOP or HP soap so can't address that.

 

[luebella]

Makes sense! The bottoms don't bother me at all. What is the ash?

 

[Arimara]

The ash is the white stuff that forms on the top of your soap sometimes. It's usually harmless but often unsightly.

 

[luebella]

I know but I meant more what is it comprised of that would make it hurt lol!

 

[galaxyMLP]

Sodium carbonate

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I really haven't been doing this very long - just about 4 months, although I've made more than a dozen batches - so I keep discovering new things. Zap is one of them. Like you, I was tasting all the soaps and wondering (though I trusted the calculations). Then I tasted that batch that was delayed in curing by my freezer mistake (if you happen to remember) and ALL doubts as to what might be zap vanished. When you actually encounter a zap, you'll know it. For sure. I wouldn't call it exactly like the 9V battery because the involuntary tongue twitching the electricity causes is missing, but it's the closest I can come to describing it.

 

[kchaystack]

Makes sense! The bottoms don't bother me at all. What is the ash?

Soda ash is sodium carbonate. It is formed when lye reacts with the CO2 in the air.