Just Poured and Still Zapping

[northernsoap]

Is this normal and will it go away or is it a bad batch?

 

[SoapingChick]

??? Are you doing CP? It need’s to complete saponification to no longer zap.

 

[northernsoap]

OK am giving it 2 days max to stop zapping. I did 3 batches and they're all iffy. I don't know what's going on - recipes or what. Or maybe it's just one of those days.

 

[penelopejane]

Are you making CP soap?

 

[northernsoap]

Are these your first batches?
Sorry, your history has gone.

They're not. I did a few before. Just really wanted to get back into it so started on Friday with a recipe from MMS calculator. Had a lot of oil I want to use up - all sorts. First batch - very lye heavy - but figured I'd use it as laundry soap. Then today I made another 2 recipes. Both lye-heavy and can't figure it out. The first looks not so bad, the second one - omg. I added Chlorella and Fuller's clay with Lemongrass at the end - the whole thing looks like an alien.

Argh.

 

[earlene]

northernsoap, I see you've not posted here for quite a long time, that is if the results of my Google search for your user name as it appears at SMF is giving all results. The last post you made that Google found before today was in 2014. Did you take some time away from soaping, or just time away from SMF and continued soaping?

Anyway, since we don't know your recipe and process, it's hard to try to know what's going on. Can you share a bit more information, including the recipe including the amounts of water and lye and your process/method.

Regarding method, I assumed CP since you said 'just poured', because if it's HP the process is to gel before putting it into the mold. But CP can takes days to finish saponifying depending on the recipe and heat/coolness, so I am not sure why you expect it to be zap free right after you pour it? Am I misunderstanding?

edit: your previous answer didn't show before I posted this, so I missed it. I see you did take a bit of a break.

I'd check the scale if you haven't used it in so long. Maybe it's as simple as that. I can't think of why you would have lye heavy soap if you are following a lye calculated recipe, other than faulty scale or user error.

Also have you calibrated your scale lately? Could there be a scale inaccuracy issue? Or a user error in measuring or leaving out an ingredient?

 

[northernsoap]

CP.
Some background to fill in the blanks and absence:

I've been dealing with Lyme so I think my brain is a bit foggy. Wait, I know it is, lol. I am looking again to soapmaking to help my healing. I need to focus on something positive. I didn't save any of the recipes have them all printed out. What I will do, is before I do another one tomorrow (I am not giving up!) will post here with the recipe and post the process and the outcome with pictures.

My feeling is that the lye might be the issue where it's stronger than other ones out there - if that's possible. We're overseas and this is the generic kind that's available in hardware stores - no name brand it just says *caustic soda*.

As far as measuring - I am very careful - have a good Sauter scale - I tare, do what's needed - blending stick - water is bottled.

As for the zapping, there is some zapping and then there is major zapping. I'm getting major zapping - where I have to run and wash off my hand it's that strong. Another thing, the lye smell seems to be overwhelming the EO.

 

[shunt2011]

How old is the sap you are testing. Soap can be sappy for 24 hours or so. If you post your recipe and process we can help you better.

 

[earlene]

Do you do the tongue test. That is really the only reliable zap test. I ask because you mentioned your hands. Read here for instructions: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/

 

[DeeAnna]

"...the lye smell seems to be overwhelming the EO...."

NaOH or KOH do not have any smell. Something else is contributing the odor. Are your fats rancid, perhaps?

"...My feeling is that the lye might be the issue where it's stronger than other ones out there..."

Also, all of the soap calcs I've looked at, including MMS, assume NaOH is 100% pure, so if the purity of the NaOH you used is higher than before, that's a non-issue as far as the calcs are concerned. Your NaOH could be 100% pure (and I guarantee it's not) and you should still get a safe recipe from any of the commonly used calcs out there.

There is something else going on here. I agree with the others that you need to give more information about your recipe and method -- weights of ALL ingredients, please. And if you could post a pic of the label on the NaOH container, that might also offer some clues.

 

[Obsidian]

Then today I made another 2 recipes. Both lye-heavy and can't figure it out. The first looks not so bad, the second one - omg. I added Chlorella and Fuller's clay with Lemongrass at the end - the whole thing looks like an alien.

How can you know they are lye heavy if you just made them? I've had soap stay zappy for 3 days before. Give them time to complete the chemical reaction and actually become soap

 

[northernsoap]

How old is the sap you are testing. Soap can be sappy for 24 hours or so. If you post your recipe and process we can help you better.

It's just fresh poured. I will post tomorrow a new recipe and see how that goes - these are just going to be for laundry looks like.

 

[northernsoap]

How can you know they are lye heavy if you just made them? I've had soap stay zappy for 3 days before. Give them time to complete the chemical reaction and actually become soap

Just by feeling it out. Maybe you're right, will give it a day or 2.

 

[northernsoap]

"...the lye smell seems to be overwhelming the EO...."

There is something else going on here. I agree with the others that you need to give more information about your recipe and method -- weights of ALL ingredients, please. And if you could post a pic of the label on the NaOH container, that might also offer some clues.

The MMS and BB calcs I used respectively didn't give me much leeway in terms of method - I just weighed, combined ingredients and blended - then poured. The label isn't in English, but it's large granules. Was having a bit of a hard time getting it to dissolve in the water. Will attempt again and post.

 

[northernsoap]

Do you do the tongue test. That is really the only reliable zap test. I ask because you mentioned your hands. Read here for instructions: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/

In a day or so will try

 

[northernsoap]

How old is the sap you are testing. Soap can be sappy for 24 hours or so. If you post your recipe and process we can help you better.

What is *sap*?

 

[cmzaha]

Fresh poured soap can very easily stay zappy for 72 hrs especially if it has not gelled. Give it time, even a week before deeming it lye heavy

 

[DeeAnna]

It should dissolve fairly easily. The mixture should also heat up quickly. If it takes more than 5 minutes to completely dissolve and it does not heat up to uncomfortably hot temperatures (180 F or more), then it's not sodium hydroxide regardless of what the label says.

 

[earlene]

Are you sure it is sodium hydroxide?

Method is how you made the soap, the process you used. Cold Process? Hot Process?

See this post for some methods: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/soap-making-basics.23/#post-174

and here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20161117221946/http://www.soapmakingforum.com/soap-making-methods.html