Newbie with questions on crumbling soap

[BankerJohn]

Hi all,
I'm a Dad and trying to figue this soap making thing out to then carry out a homeschool experiment (and hopefully a family hobby) with my 2 daughters ages 10 & 13.
Last night, I made my first test batch. Not sure hw well I did . I removed the batch from the mold after about 19 hours, the soap is VERY brittle and crumbling. Please comment and provide constructive critique on what I did right/wrong...

Recipe:
6oz Beef Tallow
6oz Coconut Oil
6oz Olive Oil

6.8oz Water
2.6 oz Lye

Oils were at 116 and Lye/H20 @ 111 when mixed. I used a Stick Blender to bring to trace. I added 1oz of Vitamin E oil and 1oz Honey at trace. Then poured into a tupperware(r) mold. I forgot to add the essential oil intended to be added... OH WELL, it is a test batch., Right? I also forgot to cover the soap for about 2 hours, then covered and wrapped in towels & placed in a styrofoam cooler.

I unmolded the soap this afternoon after about 20 hour and parts were VERY brittle. It was a sticky brittle. When I cut the bars, pieces would stick to the knife and some would crumble. This is a test batch, Right?

Please help so the experiment with my daughters will enjoy this craft and learn a new hobb that can last their lifetime.

BankerJohn
"Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!"

 

[lsg]

The one thing I spotted was 2/3 of your oils are hard oils. That could have contributed to the crumbling. I would probably unmold it as soon as it was solid enough. Your soap may seem sticky for a couple of days, but as it cures it should be OK. I ran your recipe through SoapCalc and the liquid and lye are right where they should be. Did you weigh each ingredient on a digital scale?

 

[BankerJohn]

I do not have a digital scale. However, I do have a good quality scale that i use to measure grai when making homemade beer

each of the ingredients were measured by weight.

I was wondering if the Vitamin E oil should have been calculated in the Lye Calculator ???

 

[lsg]

I only put a few drops of Vit. E in with my oils. I don't include it in the calculations. I do recommend buying a good digital scale for soapmaking. Many people use gram weight measurements because of the accuracy. Next time try adding just a tablespoon of honey instead of an ounce.