Need help with this recipe

[Peppermint Lady]

I followed this lavender/tea tree soap recipe:

http://www.mommamuse.com/2006/10/05/lav ... ap-recipe/

with this soap calculator:

http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/soapcalculator.htm

With 20 oz. of olive oil and 6.6 oz of palm oil it told me to use 3.4 oz. of lye naoh. I mixed the fluids when they were both around 120 degrees F. I didn't use palm kernal oil, I used regular palm oil in its' place because that's all I had. I also used lavender tea instead of water and yes the tea water was distilled. My problem is that it didn't come to trace like all the other soaps I have made. After an hour and a half of stirring I decided to go ahead and add the EO's. ground oatmeal and lavendar and see if it sets up anyways but I doubt it will because it was so fluid when I poured. Why didn't this stuff go to trace? What should I have changed?

 

[Best Natural Soap]

just a thought--

Palm and Palm Kernal are very different, and not interchangeable.

Try plugging them into soapcalc one at a time. You'll see how different the numbers are.

Bummer. I hate it when one of my batches doesn't work the way I expected....

 

[Peppermint Lady]

I checked out the soap this morning and it did solidify a good bit. It might turn out after all.

 

[Sugarbush Hill]

Check your pH before using!

You may want to consider using a stick blender with vegetable oils. I have a recipe for Palm and Palm Kernel oils, that I can share with you:

2200g PKO
600g Palm
419g Lye (with a 2% superfat, 428g without superfatting)
1218g water

Get water/lye mix and Oil mixture to between 38 degrees C and 40 degrees C. Add Lye to oils, sit. SIMPLE! And it works!