Kaolin &Caraway seed soap test

[Kaolin washer]

I have 500g of oils I used 400g olive, 100g lard, 1table spoon of caraway seed, 50 grams of New zealand haloysite clay, wich works out to 9% of the mix i did a 3.5% lye reduction and a 2.5 to one lyethat is water to lye, I took all the oils & clayand seed and mixed themn into the oil, then poored the lye water into that and began mixing with the stick mixer, untill light trace. i put it in my crock pot and simmered it for 30 minutes and got the apple sauce. well and as it heated it did swomething strange. it started to seperate into what looked like peanuts and clear fluid and i kept mixing it with my spatula, and it would not come together, I got scared, i was going to throw it out , but i figured lests get the stick mixer and try to get it mixed , and that worked it came back and i was able to get it into the mold and in the morning it cut nice into bars , looks and smells good . but i dont know why it seperated like that , maybe somthing in the caraway seed

 

[Tara_H]

What you're describing, and your picture seems a lot like a video I was watching recently about a very 'old-school' way of making soap. I can't seem to find the exact video again but this thread is talking about essentially the same process: My procedure for salting out | SoapMakingForum, I wonder if somehow you've triggered this same kind of reaction?

 

[artemis]

Sounds more like ricing to me. Did you use a fragrance oil? An essential oil?

 

[Kaolin washer]

I did not use any fragrance or essential oil , but the seed would have essential in it that may have come out when i heated it

 

[DeeAnna]

"...it started to seperate into what looked like peanuts and clear fluid ..."

That happens sometimes. You did the right thing to mix it back together. It's fine.

"...i did a 3.5% lye reduction..."

I have no idea what you mean here. Do you mean a 3.5% lye discount (aka 3.5% superfat)? Or are you trying to describe the amount of water in the batch? I've been making soap for 8 years and done a lot of studying along the way, but I confess "lye reduction" is a new term for me.

"...a 2.5 to one lyethat is water to lye ..."

This fully defines the water content. You could put it like this -- "a water:lye ratio of 2.5". That would be the way most people say it.

With a high oleic soap like yours, I would suggest a water:lye ratio of 2 (probably what I'd use) or even as low as 1.5. High oleic soap often does better if you use less water. It's possible the soap might not have separated like it did if you went with less water. Try it next time.

 

[Kaolin washer]

what i meant was 3.5% super fat, and i heard you need at least a 1to 1 lye water so because i used so much clay i did a 2.5 water to one lye, but maybe that was to much water

 

[DeeAnna]

1 part water to 1 part NaOH is a 50% NaOH solution. This is the most concentrated you should go.

2.5 parts water to 1 of NaOH is a 28% NaOH solution. This is the most dilute you should go for cold process soap.

There's a wide range of water:lye ratios between 1:1 and 2.5:1, and there are good reasons for using various ratios for different types of soap and different soap making styles. You might want to explore the nuances once you gain some experience with soap making. Lye conc vs water:lye ratio | Soapy Stuff

 

[AliOop]

Since you were doing hot process, and also using a high percentage of clay, the 2.5:1 water:lye ratio should have been just fine. My guess is that you didn't really get to light trace, or perhaps as you said, there was something in the seeds that caused separation.

In any event, it is not unusual for a hot processed soap to separate during the cook. A whisk is more effective than a spatula for bringing it back together, but a stick blender is even better. You did the correct thing to fix the problem, and I'll be your soap will be just fine.

 

[Kaolin washer]

This is the Caraway soap,and its doing very well and it smells wonderful . the brownish specks are the ground up caraway. i took a small piece of the soap and washed with it , did not burn my hands at all very soapy. seems to put my bar of Dove soap to shame, not to mention dove smells like burnt plastic, wich i cant stand