bathgeek
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- Sep 7, 2017
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It’s only my fourth batch of liquid soap (glycerin method). I currently have a 50% success rate. The successful batches are gorgeously transparent and clear. The previous unsuccessful batch was cloudy though it seemed like it was cooking fine, and I think I mis-measured the KOH, so I eventually tossed the batch. This batch is completely strange. Maybe someone can help me understand what I’m doing wrong? Let me describe:
Recipe:
32oz olive oil
6.52oz KOH
8oz glycerin
12oz water (I tend to add more during cook to soften the paste, but that doesn’t seem to be a factor in success vs failure).
Method:
First I pour the oil into the crock pot and set it on warm. I have a 50% masterbatched KOH solution that I use, so I pour enough to get 6.52oz of KOH into the oil. I then pour 8oz glycerin in. I stir it with my stick blender and then blend away.
On the successful batches, I get mashed potatoes and then the thick custard, I keep cooking it on low and stir occasionally, I add liquid when I want a smoother paste, and then I dilute everything up in the end. It’s gorgeous and clear and works beautifully.
This last batch, batch #4, did the strangest thing. I had blended for a while but barely got cloudy oil, so I left the crock pot on warm and made a batch of CP soap and then a batch of bath bombs. After that, I used the stick blender on the liquid soap because it seemed like it was warmer and maybe I’d get mashed potatoes at last.
I did not get mashed potatoes. I got instant seize. In liquid soap. It is an opaque milky-cream color now. After unsuccessfully trying to beat that into submission, I scraped everything off, added water, and kept cooking it.
1. I’m thinking that chemically this is still going to turn out okay, because even though the color is completely out of whack, the consistency of what’s in the pot is what I’d expect. It looks like I’m going to get the same soap, except opaque. Am I right or am I completely off base? Do I need to pH test it beyond zap testing before trying it out?
2. What happened? The only thing I can think of is that I didn’t wash my blender attachment (bad me!) and so some NaOH and possibly even fragrance got mixed into the mix? Would that be enough to cause this?
Recipe:
32oz olive oil
6.52oz KOH
8oz glycerin
12oz water (I tend to add more during cook to soften the paste, but that doesn’t seem to be a factor in success vs failure).
Method:
First I pour the oil into the crock pot and set it on warm. I have a 50% masterbatched KOH solution that I use, so I pour enough to get 6.52oz of KOH into the oil. I then pour 8oz glycerin in. I stir it with my stick blender and then blend away.
On the successful batches, I get mashed potatoes and then the thick custard, I keep cooking it on low and stir occasionally, I add liquid when I want a smoother paste, and then I dilute everything up in the end. It’s gorgeous and clear and works beautifully.
This last batch, batch #4, did the strangest thing. I had blended for a while but barely got cloudy oil, so I left the crock pot on warm and made a batch of CP soap and then a batch of bath bombs. After that, I used the stick blender on the liquid soap because it seemed like it was warmer and maybe I’d get mashed potatoes at last.
I did not get mashed potatoes. I got instant seize. In liquid soap. It is an opaque milky-cream color now. After unsuccessfully trying to beat that into submission, I scraped everything off, added water, and kept cooking it.
1. I’m thinking that chemically this is still going to turn out okay, because even though the color is completely out of whack, the consistency of what’s in the pot is what I’d expect. It looks like I’m going to get the same soap, except opaque. Am I right or am I completely off base? Do I need to pH test it beyond zap testing before trying it out?
2. What happened? The only thing I can think of is that I didn’t wash my blender attachment (bad me!) and so some NaOH and possibly even fragrance got mixed into the mix? Would that be enough to cause this?
