Newbie soap

[elmtree]

I made soap for the first time a couple days ago (yay!!). I had what I think was lye left (white stuff) on the bottom of my soap. I did the zap test after 72 hours and got zapped... badly... However, if I try a bar without the 'white' stuff it seems fine and no zap. It also looks a bit clumpy. I did the process where you put it in the oven for 2 hours on 170 then leave it there over night. The second time (hot process), no lye on the bottom but still a bit clumpy looking and some seems a bit separated. There was a bit of oil on the bottom and a bit pooled on the top. What am I doing wrong? I really want to start doing this as a hobby, but it is expensive, so I would like to do it somewhat well lol

 

[heartsong]

hi there! my honest opinion would be for you to soap the regular way where you add warm lye solution to warm oils, stir to medium trace, pour in mold and insulate...have you tried this method yet? it's the simplest and easiest way learn soaping.

why don't you post your recipe so we can double-check to make sure you're okay there.

it sounds like the lye wasn't fully incorporated (mixed in) into the oils and the lye must have settled...can you post pics?

 

[kazmi]

I've never done cpop but don't you warm up the oven to 170 then turn it off before you put your molded soap in the oven for 2 hours? Maybe it overheated.

 

[elmtree]

Yes, I did the HP method yesterday. It was better than when I did the oven process.
As you can see, they aren't pretty but mostly functional. What is the key to getting a really smooth looking soap? I used soap calc for my recipe and I got the recipe from my book "making natural soaps". I plugged the recipe into soap calc. I fiddled with a couple things but everything was still within range.


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making

 

[savonierre]

It looks like your HP might be tad overcooked. I stir my HP the whole cook on medium heat, I do other things in the kitchen and stir it every 3 or 4 minutes, I don't let it do the volcano thing, after 15 minutes I test for zap, and then every 2 or 3 minutes after that if it zapped. I can pour it out of the crock into a mold when I do it this way, it makes for a smoother soap..

 

[bwendo]

Wow - it really has an earthy, authentic feel to it.

Great work, awesome images too.

 

[elmtree]

Thanks Bwendo! That's really sweet of you to say. And thanks everyone for your clues as to what I might have done wrong. So it's possible to overcook? What does it look like when the soap is ready for the mold?


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making

 

[tryanything]

If you want a smoother looking soap then try what Heartsong suggested and just make a normal CP soap without the oven. If you want to ensure gel, just wrap them in towels and place on the counter.

As far as what does it look like when you HP it and it's ready for the mold, the common association is Vaseline-like. You can always test it for zap. Once it's stopped zapping you can mold it (usually at least a few hours of cooking though).

 

[Stakie]

I have fallen in love with HP. I tend to watch a lot of videos during it to make sure I have somewhat the same consistancey. But Vaseline-like seems like a good explanation as well! Haha.