Lye Humidity Issues

[photoshadows]

I recently bought 10 Pounds of Lye from Essential Depot because I kept finding my locally purchased lye a little clumpy and all my batches were turning out very oily. Shortly after I received to Essential Depot lye, I made another batch to see if my thinking that the lye was the issue was correct and it seemed to fix the problem. Now, a few weeks later, I find my batches are oily again - one to the point of having a massive oil crater in the center! Thinking perhaps moisture had gotten into the opened container, I decided to try a new container (you get 5 2lb containers). I opened a second container and it looked better, but still a little bloated I tried it and it was an improvement, but the soap was still a little oily. After opening this container, I also put the lye in a ziploc bag and have been sealing all the air out each time I use it. This seems to have stopped the problem from getting worse, but I guess my question is what can I do about this? My lye is not stored in a terribly humid place and it hasn't been terribly humid around here in general. The Essential Depot containers slaim that they keep out moisture as well which is clearly not true and I am planning to contact them about this.

Also, I was wondering if anyone has ever put one of those silica gel packets that come in medicine bottles and various other things in their lye and if it is likely to react in any way? I was thinking this might help with the moisture problem as well.

And finally, where would everyone suggest I look for lye that's unlikely to have so many issues with humidity? I'm thinking maybe BrambleBerry since they have lye flakes and I haven't had any trouble with it before, but then I didn't have this problem at all until about a month or 2 ago. Grrrr!

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

-Christine

 

[LauraHoosier]

Living in KY where we deal with high humidity many months per year I started keeping mine downstairs in our finished basement since it stayed cooler and drier there. I've had a lot of issues with it this Summer. My CPHP doesn't seem to have the same problems as my CP maybe because its cooked and removes moisture? Dunno.

I did have my hubby set up the portable AC in our computer room which doubles as a dehumidifier and I cure soaps there now too. I moved my lye in and it has helped but still sometimes clumps but smaller. I also have stuck with only buying 2lbs at a time from my local hardware store unless I'm going on a soaping spree and will use up more, this way I don't have a lot of lye sitting around clumping.

Not sure what else to do really.

 

[soapbuddy]

Is it possible that your batches are overheating instead?

 

[Guest]

Yes, lye flakes or pellets are better.

Since lye is hygroscopic as hell, the silica gel packets may not help a lot.

To fight humidity, you can:

1. Add water. Not the obvious, but many soapers store their lye as a 40% or 50% solution and find it more convenient to use this way.

You could make your lye solution immediately after purchase. Or at least make this with 1 lye container, and the others you purchased, make sure they are airtight.

2. Store it inside airtight jars. If a jar isn't 100% airtight, I add a double/triple saran wrap under the lid.

3. Reduce the lye discount. This solution works theoretically, but the calculations involved are not practical.

 

[jsanders]

Also, if it is taking on moisture it will make the weight different. You would be weighing water with your lye hence less lye.

 

[photoshadows]

I'm pretty sure it's not overheating. I've put some batches in the fridge to prevent gel and they don't appear to have gelled, but were still a little oily when fresh.

It never occured to me that the lye would weigh more if it was taking on water, so thanks for that, though there's not really anything I can do about it

My lye is also in a finished basement that is temperature controlled and not typically humid and hasn't seemed any different than the rest of the house since I bought the lye. I was originally using lye bought at the local hardware store, but that's when this oily batch and bloated looking lye problem started. I figured trying lye that hadn't been out on a store shelf for who knows how long might help the problem, and though the lye seems less clumpy, it's still looking bloated :x I guess I'll try putting a dehumidifier near where it's stored from now on and maybe consider making a master lye batch ahead of time. After all it WOULD be nice to not have to wait for it to cool every time I soap :wink:

Thanks everyone!

 

[LauraHoosier]

1. Add water. Not the obvious, but many soapers store their lye as a 40% or 50% solution and find it more convenient to use this way.

Since I only buy the 2lb lye containers this would be a great idea since I can store them in the laundry room in the basement away from kids and pets. Let me see if I just figured this out...If its at 50% concentration I just pour out what would be half the liquid I'd need then add the other half in water?

*le sigh* Most days my brain is math challenged, they call it Fibro Fog. I used to be in accounting but the Fibro Fog has knocked me out of that job market, probably forever. I've had days where I've completely forgotten how to do something so simple it makes me cry. I forgot how to make a double crochet, a stitch I've used for over 30 years, and I had to go look up how to make one and relearn it.

 

[judymoody]

If I understand masterbatching lye solution correctly you do the following:

Make a solution of 50% water and 50% lye by weight.

Calculate the amount of lye you need for your recipe.

Measure out twice that amount of your premixed 50/50 lye solution.

Then add additional liquid as your recipe requires.

In short, use the weight of lye as your starting point.

I don't use this procedure personally as I have kids in the house. But it sounds like a real time saver.

 

[busymakinsoap!]

It was my understanding that lye was still O.K to use when it clumped. It's when it goes hard and won't dissolve that its an issue? afterall the water held in the lye bead, is still active, just as water in a master batch of lye is (if you know what I mean?)
But Jsanders point re water content and weight is a good point, I had never thought of that.

I brought a 20kg bag about 3 months ago (granules). I transferred it to a big plastic bucket with a lid (kinda like a paint bucket) and I store it in the cupboard in the laundry. It's winter here and the clothes dryer is often going, so it gets super humid, and I have no issues with moisture. So maybe storing it in something else would help?

and it might be a silly question - but have you checked your scales?

Making up a master batch of lye solution is also a good idea

 

[melinda48]

I recently bought 10 Pounds of Lye from Essential Depot because I kept finding my locally purchased lye a little clumpy and all my batches were turning out very oily. Shortly after I received to Essential Depot lye, I made another batch to see if my thinking that the lye was the issue was correct and it seemed to fix the problem. Now, a few weeks later, I find my batches are oily again - one to the point of having a massive oil crater in the center! Thinking perhaps moisture had gotten into the opened container, I decided to try a new container (you get 5 2lb containers). I opened a second container and it looked better, but still a little bloated I tried it and it was an improvement, but the soap was still a little oily. After opening this container, I also put the lye in a ziploc bag and have been sealing all the air out each time I use it. This seems to have stopped the problem from getting worse, but I guess my question is what can I do about this? My lye is not stored in a terribly humid place and it hasn't been terribly humid around here in general. The Essential Depot containers slaim that they keep out moisture as well which is clearly not true and I am planning to contact them about this.

Also, I was wondering if anyone has ever put one of those silica gel packets that come in medicine bottles and various other things in their lye and if it is likely to react in any way? I was thinking this might help with the moisture problem as well.

And finally, where would everyone suggest I look for lye that's unlikely to have so many issues with humidity? I'm thinking maybe BrambleBerry since they have lye flakes and I haven't had any trouble with it before, but then I didn't have this problem at all until about a month or 2 ago. Grrrr!

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

-Christine

I just bought 80# of lye from them. I transfer the 2# bottles into 1# bottles (theirs) because the 1# bottles are easier for me to handle - have been doing this for a few years now. I have never experienced any oiliness (live in mid-Missouri and, man, it does get humid here!). I think your soap may be overheating unless you somehow got a bad batch (which would be unusual)

 

[Relle]

I just bought 80# of lye from them. I transfer the 2# bottles into 1# bottles (theirs) because the 1# bottles are easier for me to handle - have been doing this for a few years now. I have never experienced any oiliness (live in mid-Missouri and, man, it does get humid here!). I think your soap may be overheating unless you somehow got a bad batch (which would be unusual)

This person hasn't been here in 8 years.This thread is from 2011.