So made my first batch of Liquid Soap. . .

[kitterz]

I used a recipe of 65% OO, 30% CO, and 5% Castor Oil with a 3% superfat.

Once it got cold it was cloudy and I really did not like the look of it. I researched a bit and read that adding a neutralizer can help to clear the soap. . . .added some borax and nothing. . . .still cloudy. . . .did some more research after pH testing and noticing that it was quite low, around 7 and that adding extra lye would/should solve the issue, so I did just that. Only to do a pH test and find that I had added too much lye, the pH test was at 10 - 12. Sooooo I added more borax.

The soap is in the process of cooling now and the pH test is around 8.5 - 9. Once it is cold will see what it looks like. If still cloudy, just gonna go with it.

Will it still be safe to use, since I added a bit too much lye and then neutralized again?

Thanks for any input

 

[IrishLass]

More info would be very helpful.


Which method did you use- the glycerin method or the Failor method?

Also- how did you test the pH level, i.e., strips or a meter? I ask because it's impossible for a lye-based soap to have a pH of 7 and still remain as soap. If you used strips and got a pH of 7, your strips are not accurate; and if you used a meter and got a reading of 7, your meter will need to be recalibrated. Lye-based soap will always test out on the alkaline side of the pH scale (8 or above), otherwise, it's just not soap.

IrishLass

 

[FGOriold]

I am curious what you mean by cold - room temperature or below 65 degrees F. It is normal for liquid soap to get cloudy in colder temperatures (cloud point). Too much borax will also cause your soap to cloud. If you pH is already below 9.2, borax is not going to lower it any further. Using those oils and a 3% superfat should not need to be neutralized at all and should still result in a clear soap. Let us know how much KOH and water or glycerin you used.

 

[kitterz]

Cold = room temp

I am using pH test strips for pH testing (for my bars I use these strips and do the zap test), when I say around 7, that is anywhere around the 8 or so mark as relying on the color of the strip. So somewhere between 7 - 8. Before I added more lye it did look as if it was separating a bit.

I made a 20oz batch of paste, recipe as follows:

13 oz OO
6 oz CO
1 oz Castor oil
7.6 oz Water
4.518 oz Lye

3% superfat.

Looked in on it this morning and it is still somewhat cloudy but not as bad as it was, tested a little as soaps up beautifully. Happy to use it for myself. Am sure my hubby will not go near it probably

 

[FGOriold]

With that amount of oil and using the Summerbee Meadow calculator with a 3% superfat, you should have used 4.32 ounces KOH and 4.45 for a 0% superfat. It looks to me like your formulated with a lye excess which would be why your initial pH tested so high. Once you add the borax, if you add too much, you will get have a mess on your hands (cloudy separating soap).

But again, if your soap got cloudy due to the temperature in the room in which it was store, that is normal.

 

[kitterz]

I used http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

I can certainly try some other calculators but this one seems to work for me and have not had any issues yet.

It is winter here at the moment and the houses do not have any heating so gets pretty darn cold at night. I have been working on this in the cold. . .perhaps that is the issue?
http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

 

[FGOriold]

I am going to assume that the cold is the issue. Each soap will have a cloud point - the temperature at which the insolubles will precipitate out and create cloudiness in your soap. Depending on the viscosity of your soap, it can look like little tiny pellets, white streaks or a complete opaque look. Once the soap is brought back to room temperature or hotter, it clears back up. I have had some soaps reach this cloud point at 65 degrees F, others at a much lower temperature. If your soap clouds due to the temperature, there is nothing wrong with it and it will still perform just fine. My understanding is the more alkaline your soap, the lower the cloud point temperature will be, the more saline, the higher the cloud point temperature will be.

 

[kitterz]

I am going to go with that then!! I followed the instructions very carefully as cannot really afford mistakes. It does clear up when it is heated (looks wonderful) and then goes cloudy when cooled.

I will attempt another batch soon, maybe also with a different selection of oils and see what happens. Thanks for the input

 

[FGOriold]

Your selection of oils is fine and should create a nice clear soap. Everyone has their own preference in calculators and you should use what works for you. Just be careful with the borax too. But based on your descriptions of how the soap changes based on the temperature, it does look to me like that is your issue.