Liquid Soap Recipe Oops! Help!

melissa826 · Jan 25, 2014

Ok- thought I'd branch out of the cold processing soap world and try some liquid soap with some KOH I've had lying around for a few months. I read a recipe online (perhaps my first problem) and thought it sounded simple enough.... But I think something went wrong. I'm not sure if the recipe was wrong, or if my crockpot was too small...or not heating right....or house too cold....or WHAT!? But here's the recipe I used...

11 oz. potassium hydroxide flakes
9oz water for lye solution
33 oz. distilled water for paste dilution
24 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. olive oil
10 oz. castor oil
3 oz. almond oil

I let it cook for 6 hours on low, it never really seemed to go through any phase other than thick taffy like goop.

Then after 6-8 hours (I turned it up on high for an hour or so thinking maybe my crock pot just wasn't working well enough)...I added the 33oz boiling water, turned the crockpot off...and went to bed (like the recipe said)... Woke up this morning to a still thick taffy like goop in the middle of the crockpot with a layer of what appeared to be liquid soap on top (was slippery like liquid soap when I touched it).

Is there any way to save the goop? Can I add more water and slowly heat it? Was there something seriously wrong with the recipe I used? Did I do something wrong? Any advice is appreciated. I HATE throwing ingredients away...but I'm not sure what else to do to fix it...or if it's even fixable at this point!

Maybe I should just stick to CP soap!

FGOriold · Jan 25, 2014

Sounds like you definitely need to add more dilution water. With that recipe, I would add another 33 ounces to start with then smaller amounts after that until full dilution.

Also, did you run that forumula through a calculator for liquid soap? 11 ounces Potassium Hydroxide in 9 ounces distilled water does not sound right. You would need more water than that to dissolve your potassium hydroxide.

100%Natural · Jan 25, 2014

Exactly what FGOriold said. That dilution rate of H2O to KOH is way off. You also want to test for PH before and after diluting as well.

Dilution of the paste isn't an exact science when you're first starting out. Start by diluting a small amount of your paste in hot distilled water. I always start a new recipe with a 1:1 ratio and go from there until I get my desired thickness.

LS gave me failure after failure, but as long as you learn from your mistakes, you'll be making excellent LS in no time flat! Perseverance is definitely a must with this stuff....lol.

melissa826 · Jan 26, 2014

bah! I meant 19 oz water for the KOH! I did use a calculator...but the only thing I was not sure if they had accurate was the superfatting? It was the same as most CP soap recipes...5% is that correct? I did add 33oz more water and got more dilution...then added another 16...about to go see how it did over night!

FGOriold · Jan 26, 2014

Superfatting liquid soap is not quite the same as superfatting CP as the extra unsaponified fats in liquid soap can cloud it or they can settle out to the bottom of your container. When making liquid soap, you need to be aware of the unsaponifiables in each oil/butter. Some oils will result in a clear soap, some will cause it to cloud (Avocado for instance). Your oils used should result in a clear soap if your superfat is kept low. I personally never superfat my liquid soaps.

Lindy · Jan 26, 2014

The oil you can superfat with is red castor oil.

When I dilute I heat everything in my crockpot and stir occasionally to get it to dilute smoothly.

cmzaha · Jan 26, 2014

When I make ls I use a method by Sally Trew in her The Complete Idiots Guide "Making Natural Soaps. It is a great oven method and I can make a huge batch or small batch without worrying about a crock pot going over. I have tried other methods but always return to Sally's method. The book is available in E book and soft cover print books.