newbie help

[j_roberts]

I made a batch of soap about a week ago. I've never made soap before, and I don't know anyone around here to help me. I used a vegetarian soap recipe, and it says it take longer to finish than most, but I have no idea how long soap normally takes. It's olive oil and coconut oil based, w/ a few other oils. I used sodium hydroxide lye. When i uncovered it after 48 hours, there was a layer of oil on top. It's been sitting uncovered for about 5 days, and the consistency hasn't changed at all. Should i remelt it and try again? Does it need more lye? Should I just be patient and let it sit?

Also, the recipe said it was supposed to be white or off-white, but it's bright yellow.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[IrishLass]

Hi j_roberts, ands welcome!

There are so many variables that can cause certain soaping problems that it would be truly of great help if you could post the exact recipe and how you went about soaping it. Without us knowing those things, it's very hard for us to troubleshoot accurately enough to be able to give you proper advice. We'd only be shooting in the dark.


IrishLass

 

[j_roberts]

• Ingredients:
  42 oz olive oil
  30 oz coconut oil
  28 oz vegetable shortening
  6 oz cocoa butter
  3 oz castor oil
  14 oz lye
  41 oz cold water

I melted all the oils/fats together, and did the water and lye separately, then manipulated the temperatures until they were both 100 F. Then I mixed them together and poured them into the mold. I didn't buy a mold, I just poured it into a big plastic dish I have. Then i covered the mold and wrapped it in towels to sit for 48 hours.

I hope that helps. I'm so lost as to what I was really supposed to do. Thanks for the help and the welcome!

 

[Jezzy]

Did you stir it to a trace?

 

[j_roberts]

i think so, but the book i was using didn't really tell me what that meant. i stirred awhile until it was all looked milkier than at first, and was thicker.

 

[krissy]

i think maybe you didn't get to trace.

 

[j_roberts]

what does that mean, exactly? is there a video i can watch? and if i didn't, can i get remelt and try again?

thanks so much, you guys.

 

[krissy]

http://video.about.com/candleandsoap/Ac ... Making.htm

try this maybe

 

[j_roberts]

so when i was removing the soap to re-melt it, i found what appears to be actual soap under a layer of oil. do you think i can just use that (and let it sit and continue drying) and discard the oil? i have to admit, i was very excited to find some potentially real soap under the oil. if i remelt it, can i add fragrance at that point?

that tracing video was really helpful. i did a light to medium trace the first time, but i will do a better job from now on. i should probably be better at measuring ingredients.

sorry if all these questions are a pain.

 

[xyxoxy]

Honest questions asking for help are never a pain. We were all once where you are now.

I found this video series helpful when I started.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORlegT0hGy0&feature=channel[/ame]

There is LOTS of information here on this forum and many of the questions you have were probably asked many times. So a search of previous threads will help you a lot. That's not to meant discourage you from asking... just to speed things up for you.

A couple of hints based on your original post.
- Your recipe is over 6 pounds. That's a big batch for a beginner. Try to scale down to around 2 pounds until you get the hang of things. You will waste a lot less of your supplies. I began with a recipe from a book that made 8 pounds. The first batch came out WONDERFUL. The next two batches however had problems. That's when I learned to do small batches until I was sure of my recipe.

- Even though you found a recipe in a book, that is no guarantee it is a good recipe. Learn to use Soapcalc.com or another online soap calculator and your life will be MUCH easier. Run EVERY recipe through a soap calculator even if it is printed in a book.

- If a significant amount of oil seperated from your soap, there is a good chance your soap is lye heavy (not a good thing). There may be ways to save it (look up rebatching) but if your goal is to learn to make soap you may be best to just ditch this one and call it a learning experience.

- You mentioned remelting your soap a couple of times. Just be aware that melting home made CP soap is a far different experience from working with melt and pour (MP) soap that you buy already made. It's not a bad thing necessarily but it's probably not what you are thinking. Again... reading up on rebatching threads will explain this better.

Good luck and don't be afraid to try again and ask questions as you need to.

 

[donniej]

so when i was removing the soap to re-melt it, i found what appears to be actual soap under a layer of oil. do you think i can just use that (and let it sit and continue drying) and discard the oil? i have to admit, i was very excited to find some potentially real soap under the oil. if i remelt it, can i add fragrance at that point?

I wouldn't expect this batch to work out, but you might as well give it a shot...

DO NOT drain off the oil and throw it away! If you do this then you'll have excess, unreacted lye! Reheat the whole thing and mix it to trace. When you get a good thick trace, then mold it and check it the next day. If it separated on you again then throw it out.