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

[luebella]

Lol brewer that sounds scary!!

 

[dixiedragon]

It sounds like your soap isn't lye heavy. But if you are still nervous, check your scale. Get a new penny (a 2015 penny) and weigh it. It should weigh 2.5 grams.

 

[penelopejane]

I get tingles from soap with EO and some FO. I only use 1oz of FO per 2.5 pounds of oil. If the face of your soap tingles on your tongue it may be the fragrances.

If it's only the tops have you got ash on every single batch?

 

[luebella]

Yah it's just the tops. Or bottoms of molded soaps. Has to be fragrance or ash. I tested my first ever batch that is months old and a different recipe and the top burned me. I also tested a full coconut oil soap. Same thing.
And I tested a soap base I bought from brambleberry that i added fragrance to. Same thing. I am guessing I have a bit of ash on each.. Just harder to see on some

 

[jules92207]

All suggestions before this seem reasonable explanations. I'm just gonna throw one more out there:
Do all your soaps have the same ingredients? I'm wondering if it could be a sensitivity to a particular oil. Maybe coconut? I have found soaps with higher percentages of coconut oil can leave a burning sensation on my skin.

 

[Susie]

All suggestions before this seem reasonable explanations. I'm just gonna throw one more out there:
Do all your soaps have the same ingredients? I'm wondering if it could be a sensitivity to a particular oil. Maybe coconut? I have found soaps with higher percentages of coconut oil can leave a burning sensation on my skin.

^This. Some people are just more sensitive to CO than others.

 

[luebella]

Yah all of my soaps have Co, but my skin feels great

 

[Tizzy]

Are you sure you are using the correct lye?

This sounds similar to what I went through when making shaving soap. Each time I tested my recipe I felt the zap (and what a zap it was - it was a hold-your-tongue-under-running-water-till-the-burn-went-away kind of zap!) when testing out the soap and even did the phenolphthalein test and my soap still came out super lye heavy every time. All of my calculations were correct, the method was the same each time, and the ingredients were all the same - or so I thought. Turns out the KOH I was using was actually NaOH! The supplier I ordered my KOH from had packaged the NaOH in a "KOH" labelled bottle.

 

[luebella]

Ouch! Yah I use this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084UUG16/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Tizzy]

Hmm...try making a batch with no EO/FO and no colourants then zap test once cured. To see if the zap is caused by coconut oil make a castile soap and test that. If there is any soda ash after curing remove it and then test. If the bars still "zap" then it could be you have a sensitive tongue (as I do). When I zap test my soaps, sometimes it tastes "metallic" or "salty" to me (I can't really describe it) and when I first started soaping (making plain bars with no colourant or fragrance) I mistook those tastes/sensations for a zap even though all calculations were correct. But a zap from a lye heavy soap is very distinctive. I learned very quickly to tell the difference between a lye heavy soap and a sensitive tongue.

 

[coffeetime]

Ouch! Yah I use this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084UUG16/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Are you in Canada? Because the price you paid on Amazon is at least 4 times what you should be paying. I can let you know some better sources if you'd like.

 

[luebella]

Thanks! I actually just ordered a ton from lye guy. Def better price! I washed off soda ash from my soap and no harsh sting. Must be that! My hubs tested all them and no zap. I think they are safe to give out to family for. Xmas. I've been using for a while and love them

 

[coffeetime]

Yay! Glad you got it all figured out.

 

[luebella]

Me too Thanks so much for the help!