Masterbatching lye with aloe juice

[Mobjack Bay]

Do I have to toss this?

I used the aloe vera that comes in a gallon jug from Walmart (99.8% aloe vera) to masterbatch a previously unopened container of lye that looked just fine. The aloe was from the same jug I’ve been using in my soap. The mixed solution is tan and somewhat cloudy and there are some small (<1/4 inch) flat white chunks in the bottom of the container. The batch I made in a second jug using DI water and a second previously unopened container of lye is still a bit cloudy, but i know that cloudiness typically clears up after sitting for a bit. There are no white chunks in the batch made with water. There’s one other variable - the batch made with DI water is in a jug that I’ve been using for a couple of months. The batch made with aloe is in a jug I just started using. It previously held mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent. I rinsed it well multiple times and added some DI water and a little lye water from the other jug, swirled that around, and then rinsed it with DI water again just before I added the weighed aloe and lye. Photo below. I don’t have enough hands available to take a photo of the chunks in the bottom of the jug with aloe.

 

[cmzaha]

I know why you have it labeled Poison, but technically lye is not poison, it is caustic. Just being a tad nit-picky.

Now to the topic, I would just strain the aloe 50/50. It could be a mixing issue or still some detergent clinging to the bottle or some lye that fell out of solution due to some evaporation of your liquid. I always make sure my cap is tight and give my bottle a slight shake then strain my solution through a stainless fine steel strainer.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I know why you have it labeled Poison, but technically lye is not poison, it is caustic. Just being a tad nit-picky.

Now to the topic, I would just strain the aloe 50/50. It could be a mixing issue or still some detergent clinging to the bottle or some lye that fell out of solution due to some evaporation of your liquid. I always make sure my cap is tight and give my bottle a slight shake then strain my solution through a stainless fine steel strainer.

Sounds good! I will strain it tomorrow. My soap lab is in a garage apartment that’s attached to our main living space. I can’t always keep everyone out so I labeled it poison to keep any curious wayward visiting from getting themselves in trouble.

 

[Kari Howie]

You used a different lye for each batch? If so I wonder if the batch with the flat white flakes was from bad lye. I had a problem exactly like that once, but I was using beer for 100% of my liquid. I have a strong feeling it was the lye, not the beer because other beer batches without that particular lye were fine.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

You used a different lye for each batch? If so I wonder if the batch with the flat white flakes was from bad lye. I had a problem exactly like that once, but I was using beer for 100% of my liquid. I have a strong feeling it was the lye, not the beer because other beer batches without that particular lye were fine.

The lye was sealed and looked just fine when I opened it. I buy the same lye from the same place regularly and have never had a problem before. I wondered if there is something in the aloe that could affect the solubility of the lye. I definitely think solubility could be a problem with beer if you were close to a 50:50 ratio. ETA: just noticed that you said you used beer for a full water replacement. I guess solubility wouldn’t have been a problem. I will be able to get a better look at the chunks I have when I strain the lye. Maybe that will give me a clue.

 

[cmzaha]

I highly doubt it was bad lye. I have that happen quite often. Strain it and use it. BTW I always labeled my bottles with big red X's so my grandkids grew up knowing not to touch bottles with red X's even before they could read.

 

[Noodge]

I'm not an expert by any means, but I recently tried a new brand of lye that wanted to stick to itself way more than dissolve when a liquid was introduced, and required violent attacking with a fork to keep it from clumping. It was still absolutely fine after straining though!

Purely conjecture, but maybe because aloe is a wee bit thicker than water, it made it a little harder for the lye to dissolve, exacerbating the clumping? Maybe strain and try it in a little batch, you never know how it'll turn out until you try

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I strained the lye water, which removed some little crunchy bits. I used it in a soap I made yesterday, which seems to be fine.