My first failure - rebatch advice

[Momstop]

Well I guess it was bound to happen... screwed up my first batch the other night after making my first 4 without a catastrophe. Not only did I forget to put the essential oils in but I also failed to melt the stearic acid, learned the hard way to do a bit more research as the article I read said to melt it in the lye water... it did not.

Now in hindsight, this is where I should have abandoned that plan, stained it out and all would have been well but my sleepiness and determination to make the recipe I came up with overpowered my common sense... threw tight in anyway thinking, maybe that’s normal what do I know I’m still new! Lol
From there I ran out of purple which I planned to use, so I mixed blue and red of course... just made a Blueish green.
Recipe was high in butter and moved REALLY QUICK so of course my swirl didn’t work out (wanted an in the pot swirl).
Then to add to my comedy of errors I realized... I forgot to add the scents.
Anyway, any tips for how to rebatch this? I get the basic concept but have never tried hot process. Does my recipe matter, can it be modified, will the stearic acid melt when I reheat the batch after I grate it and how long do I wait to grate it?
Thanks everyone, love this board so much, you’ve all been amazingly helpful and welcoming, makes the soap hobby all the better!

 

[Obsidian]

The recipe moving fast was due to the stearic. When using it, it really needs be in HP.
Go ahead and grate your soap now. The fresher the soap is, the easier it melts down.

I add 1/2 -1 oz liquid per pound of soap, cook on low until the soap is melted together like mashed potatoes.
I do have doubts about the stearic melting. It had a high melting point and you might well burn the soap before it melts.

I might be tempted to use the soap as is if it passes the zap test and the stearic isn't too scratchy.

 

[cmzaha]

All I can say is try, but if you have a non-reactive pot I would melt it down in the oven, where you can usually get a much more molten meltdown.

You can do as Obsidian suggested and just try using it, but I really believe the only chance you have of melting down the stearic is in the oven. I would add in some liquid and kick up the oven to 220ºF keeping an eye on it. Stearic Acid has a melting point of approx 157ºF. This may be why suggested melting it in your lye solution since it can kick up to 220ºF, the problem is I find it cools down quite quickly then your stearic is going to reharden and as you found out it is not a good way to go.

 

[Momstop]

All I can say is try, but if you have a non-reactive pot I would melt it down in the oven, where you can usually get a much more molten meltdown.

You can do as Obsidian suggested and just try using it, but I really believe the only chance you have of melting down the stearic is in the oven. I would add in some liquid and kick up the oven to 220ºF keeping an eye on it. Stearic Acid has a melting point of approx 157ºF. This may be why suggested melting it in your lye solution since it can kick up to 220ºF, the problem is I find it cools down quite quickly then your stearic is going to reharden and as you found out it is not a good way to go.

Gave this a shot about a week ago, thought it turned out pretty well actually but it was SO spongy the next day. Left it for another day and same thing so I figured whatever and tried cutting it. Not problem at all to my surprise. But again still very soft.

Here we are a week later and it’s still basically just as soft as it was when I unmolded it. Will it ever harden up? Did I use too much water maybe?

by the way the stearic acid melted down really well and I added my lavender essential oil that was forgotten.

 

[cmzaha]

I would just put them on a rack and forget about them for a few months to cure. You just might be surprised with some hard soap. Your water amount could certainly be a factor in the softness of your soap.

 

[dixiedragon]

I would not rebatch this. It is very cool looking and the swirl is gorgeous.

 

[Momstop]

I would not rebatch this. It is very cool looking and the swirl is gorgeous.

Thanks you! Sadly I felt like I had to with the lack of scent and unmelted stearic acid but it did look cool as hell! Gonna try and recreate the design with my next batch.

 

[penelopejane]

Using stearic acid in CP soap is like using beeswax. Heat your oils to 110*F. Mix SA with some oil from the recipe, melt it in the microwave until it is clear. Mix the SA with some more oil from the recipe until it is still clear but cooler. Add more oil and eventually you can add it to the main oil jug without it resolidifying.

 

[Momstop]

Using stearic acid in CP soap is like using beeswax. Heat your oils to 110*F. Mix SA with some oil from the recipe, melt it in the microwave until it is clear. Mix the SA with some more oil from the recipe until it is still clear but cooler. Add more oil and eventually you can add it to the main oil jug without it resolidifying.

Thanks for the advice I will give this a try! Any advice for when to use SA? Do you formulate a recipe with using it in mind or add it when you just want to make a recipes hardness rating higher?

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks for the advice I will give this a try! Any advice for when to use SA? Do you formulate a recipe with using it in mind or add it when you just want to make a recipes hardness rating higher?

I just tried it a few times. You should be able to formulate a hard bar without it even without palm and lard etc. I use a lot of OO that makes a hard bar but needs a longer cure. Coconut oil makes a hard bar but it just dissolves in water so it is really useless except for bubbles. I don't use Sodium lactate or EDTA but I do use sea salt to harden a bar.