Planning a rebatch. Should I add anything?

[Teapot]

Hello everyone, I'm new here but have been reading these boards for a couple of months now and have already learned a lot from you folks

My first batch of CP soap was made 16th Jan, so about six weeks ago. It was the following recipe:

6oz canola oil (42.86%)
4oz coconut oil (28.57%)
4oz olive oil (28.57%)

10ml sweet orange EO

So, it was v-e-r-y slow to trace - I now know that's because of the canola oil, and it's not very hard - also the canola oil. And it doesn't smell at all orangey - I have read on here that it's hard to get citrus fragrances to stick, so with hindsight, maybe not a great choice, but hey ho, it's all learning.

Once used, the soap goes a bit slimy. It does dry out again after a while, but it's a bit yukky for a while. But, it does lather nicely, and gets my hands clean, so not a complete loss

Anyway, I waited too long to cut the soap, so it's in funny shaped lumps, and the lack of fragrance is a bit disappointing, so I thought I'd use it as a learning experience, and rebatch it. Just wondering if there is anything I could add to reduce the slime factor? I might also add some more (different) frangrance, is it ok to do this once it's melted?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. I am learning so much from everyone here!

 

[Seawolfe]

I've never rebatched because it looks like a pain to do, and I'm not so keen on the rustic look of the bars at the end. I save soap like yours for embeds or confetti soap. Basic rule is 2/3 new soap batter to 1/3 confetti or embeds, and I find that slightly dampening the embeds or confetti helps a bit and reduces air bubbles. To reduce the slime factor Id make a more balanced soap

 

[dixiedragon]

The orange eo was probably a big factor in your slow tracing.

I also agree - confetti soap is easier than rebatching! Really, I think rebatching is best only if you don't like the scent and want it to cook off during the rebatch and save you other ingredients (oils, etc).

If you are dead-set on rebatching - for a quantity that small, I think I would use the oven bag method or the boil-in-a-bag method.

https://www.brambleberry.com/Rebatching-Techniques.aspx

 

[kchaystack]

I think the biggest issue is that you have all liquid oils, and those soaps need a longer cure. 6 months to a year.

Some people making Castile soap say the slime gets less after several months. So maybe letting cure longer is a better answer.

 

[Obsidian]

There is nothing you can add to reduce the slime, its just the par for a recipe like that. I too would consider making confetti soap, that way you could add it to a more balanced, non slimy recipe.

If you do go ahead and rebatch, you can re-scent it after its all melted down and ready to be molded. You will want to scoop the soap into a large pre-warmed bowl before adding and scent, the hot crock can and will burn off all your scent.

 

[shunt2011]

I third or fourth just shredding it and adding to a more balanced batch. As others have stated with that much liquid oils it's going to be kind of slimy no matter what.

I don't rebatch.....ever.

 

[TeresaT]

I wouldn't rebatch it at all. It's your first soap and it has a lot of soft oils in it. Like kchaystack said, let it cure for a long time (at least three months) and try it again. If it's still slimy, wait another three months and try it. Consider it an "unscented" or "lightly scented" soap since the orange didn't stick. Whatever you decide to do, keep a bar or a sample of it back and label it. After you've made several batches of soap, you can go back to that and see how far you've come in your craft.

 

[Teapot]

Thanks everyone. Ah well, never mind about the slime. It was worth doing for the learning experience.

So, does coconut oil count as a liquid, even though it's solid at room temperature? That's something I didn't know.

I'm not dead set on rebatching, the confetti idea is a good one, thank you.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...So, does coconut oil count as a liquid [fat], even though it's solid at room temperature?..."

Like so many things ... the answer is "yes and no".

The answer is no if you're talking about how does coconut oil (CO) behave when turned into a soap. In this case, CO is more like the other solid fats -- lard, tallow, palm, palm kernel, cocoa butter, shea butter, etc. The "solid" fats in soaping are the fats that contain mostly saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have a longer shelf life, meaning they don't go rancid (get DOS) as easily. The soap made from these fatty acids tends to be physically harder.

The liquid fats used in soap making such as olive, avocado, canola, corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, hemp, grapeseed, etc. contain more unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids become rancid more easily. Soap made from these fatty acids tends to be softer.

If you're talking about how CO behaves when used in something like a lotion where it is not saponified, then yes, CO is more of a liquid oils than a solid oil, because it is a liquid at temperatures below or at body temperature. The melting point temperauture is a quality you would want to know when designing a recipe for lotion, lip balm, etc.

 

[penelopejane]

Teapot. After 6 months it will be a much better soap than it is now.