Soap still too soft even after rebatching :(

[icay]

Hello!

I am new to soap making and tried my second batch with my own recipe. I've used oatmilk mixture with distilled water 50/50 and %33 lye solution. Calculated everything in soapcalc and gelled the soap. After 2-3 days it was still too soft to cut, it was tearing apart when I tried to cut so I left (forgot) it unmolded for 1,5 month. But because it was still too soft to cut I rebatched it as I read in the forum.

Now it has been 5 days but still when I touch on it, it leaves finger prints So I don't even try to cut it..

And i dont know if its relevant but after I add the honey at a light trace it seemed liquified a little bit and I might didnt mix it enough- I'm not sure :/

Because raw materials are just so expensive in where I live it is really hard for me to experiment, to try new formulas every month and/or throw something away so I did a lot research before starting it but it seems it was for nothing

Can please someone help me to understand where did I wrong and maybe if I can make this batch hard or usable?

The formula is;

%25 coconut oil
%15 shea btter
%10 cacao butter
%30 olive oil
%15 avocado oil
%5 flaxseed oil
some essential oils (bergamot, clementine and lavender)
and 4 tablespoon of honey (1 tablespoon per pound)
some vitamin E
%33 lye solution with 50/50 oatmilk mixture

Thank youu!!

 

[earlene]

I would suspect the honey and flaxseed oil in combination.

But we need your exact measurements of all ingredients to be more precise. The only precise measurement you provided was 4 T. of honey. Also how is your vitamin E delivered? Is it from a vitamin capsule or is in mixed in a carrier oil in a bottle? (Often vitamin E in a bottle of oil is not pure, but mixed with soybean or other carrier oil, so this matters in your calculations as well.)

Oh, and are you sure you are using NaOH and not KOH?

What I read suggests to use no more than 5% flaxseed oil in soap.

I once had soft extremely pliable soap that never changed when I added too much maple syrup, which lead me to suspect the honey as well as the flaxseed oil.

 

[shunt2011]

Your recipe if done right shouldn't be that soft after that amount of time.

Either you used KOH and not NAOH or didn't measure something correctly.

Even rebatching won't help if you don't know what's wrong with it. Did you zap test it? You could just set it aside and leave it be for some time and see if it gets any better with more time.

You don't state what SF you used or size of batch.

 

[icay]

Total oil was 2000 gr.

So;

500 gr coconut oil
300 gr shea butter
600 gr olive oil
300 gr avocado oil
100 gr flaxseed oil

It was liquidified vit e in a bottle. It just says vit e on it :/

I am sure that it is NaOH..

I think it was soapqueens web site- I also read the same thing thats why I’ve used it as 5%.

Oh yes! I forgot to mention that it had 5% superfat. I also did the zap test before the rebatch but it was fine..

I am also suspecting the honey and maybe not mixing it enough… I really dont understand what could’ve gone wrong

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm gonna point my finger accusingly (lol) at the clementine EO. Orange EO slows down hardening a lot when I've used it.

 

[earlene]

I would have to agree with dixiedragon, then. How much EO did you use?

That or an accidental measuring error.

I don't think 4T of honey is excessive in a 2000g batch.

But since you are new to soap making, I would suggest making much smaller batches for awhile. In fact if you use only 350 grams of oils your total batch size would be about 500 grams, which is a good size for a test recipe. If you stick to that while you are new, you won't be faced with wasting 2000 grams of oils if something goes wrong.

 

[icay]

Before I choose my EO's I did some research but no web site was warning about it..

So it could be it! Now I see impatience has no room in soaping So it make sense to try batches first little by little and experiment with oils..

I think maybe also using sodium lactate with every batch could be a life saver.. Thank you!

btw: they are getting harder and I cut them now waiting -although they seem ugly! yeey! )

 

[dixiedragon]

To speed up hardening (NOT cure) I've really come to love replacing vinegar with water. I know, scary!

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/replacing-water-with-vinegar.62546/

Downside to this - it does speed trace somewhat. If you are using a well-behaved FO, it's not a problem but if you are using a finicky FO or if you want to do an elaborate design, this may not be for you.

 

[cmzaha]

I now use Vinegar in all my soaps using 50-100% vinegar

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I am new to soap making and tried my second batch with my own recipe.

Probably not the best idea until after you've experienced a few successful batches. If you go to the "Beginner's" Forum there are links to tried and true recipes to help you understand what various oils/fats/butters and a variety of additives bring to each and every batch.
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/beginners-learn-to-soap-online.64426/

Because raw materials are just so expensive in where I live it is really hard for me to experiment, to try new formulas every month and/or throw something away so I did a lot research before starting it but it seems it was for nothing

Aw, I'm so sorry to hear that, but I totally can empathize with how that feels. Sadly "a lot of research" can sometimes do more harm than good. It's not about the quantity of research you did, but the quality of the information you acquired. I'm guessing you ran into conflicting information as well.

So. I strongly recommend that you find one source that offers all the basic information you need for success and how to save $$$ on equipment and raw materials as well as the nitty gritty details of soap making. Again, a good source for that is in the Beginner's Forum:

LOVIN' SOAP - COLD PROCESS SOAP MAKING GUIDE

I have one more personal thought... the laurel berry oil I use to make Aleppo (type) Soap comes from Turkey. If I lived there, and could easily access both olive oil and laurel oil, I don't think I'd bother making any other kind of soap! LOL I love the stuff!

 

[74rabia]

I tend to agree with Zany_in_CO. I would start with something really simple - no additives and only use one EO or FO. Nothing fancy, so no oatmeal, no flaxseed, no honey. I started with a very simple olive, sunflower and coconut oil soap and put it into a cleaned out milk carton. If you've already re-batched,maybe just leave it for an indefinite period and chalk it up to experience. SoapCalc.net is the calculator I've been using.

 

[icay]

@cmzaha oh interesting! does 100% change anything like texture or maybe decreasing lather? or is it just fine to full swap?

@Zany_in_CO @74rabia Thank you!
I got caught up into the excitement of creating something but you are probably right first experimenting how oils effect would prevent wasting.

I really dont know what Aleppo Soap is but I will look into it! The problem is our geography is an aromatic plants heaven but with our sh*tty agriculture policies and bad ruling government and with economic crises it is hard to find quality raw materials. Anyways I will keep my experiments small..

 

[cmzaha]

@cmzaha oh interesting! does 100% change anything like texture or maybe decreasing lather? or is it just fine to full swap?

@Zany_in_CO @74rabia Thank you!
I got caught up into the excitement of creating something but you are probably right first experimenting how oils effect would prevent wasting.

Here is a link to using Vinegar, read carefully there are some lye adjustments that have to be made so not necessarily good for beginners. It makes for a nice hard bar that lathers well.
https://classicbells.com/soap/aceticAcid.asp

 

[newlee]

Hello!

I am new to soap making and tried my second batch with my own recipe. I've used oatmilk mixture with distilled water 50/50 and %33 lye solution. Calculated everything in soapcalc and gelled the soap. After 2-3 days it was still too soft to cut, it was tearing apart when I tried to cut so I left (forgot) it unmolded for 1,5 month. But because it was still too soft to cut I rebatched it as I read in the forum.

Now it has been 5 days but still when I touch on it, it leaves finger prints So I don't even try to cut it..

And i dont know if its relevant but after I add the honey at a light trace it seemed liquified a little bit and I might didnt mix it enough- I'm not sure :/

Because raw materials are just so expensive in where I live it is really hard for me to experiment, to try new formulas every month and/or throw something away so I did a lot research before starting it but it seems it was for nothing

Can please someone help me to understand where did I wrong and maybe if I can make this batch hard or usable?

The formula is;

%25 coconut oil
%15 shea btter
%10 cacao butter
%30 olive oil
%15 avocado oil
%5 flaxseed oil
some essential oils (bergamot, clementine and lavender)
and 4 tablespoon of honey (1 tablespoon per pound)
some vitamin E
%33 lye solution with 50/50 oatmilk mixture

Thank youu!!

Sorry to hear that @icay. I keep my batches to 8 oz to experiment. I totally screwed up the first two batches so I definitely learned my lesson. I hope you figure it out so you don't repeat.