Tried and tested recipe STINKS!

[PinkUnicorn]

This was my first time trying HP soap, and it's horrible. I'm not sure what I did wrong. My only thought is I used EVOO. All oils were new, honey was a strong local variety. It doesn't smell burnt or rancid, just like EVOO. My husband says it smells fishy to him. Any thoughts? Is it possible to remelt and add eo or fo?

Kaleb's HP Oat-N-Honey Castile (great for crock pot HP)

32 oz. olive oil (not pomace)
3 oz. castor oil
4.50 oz. lye (about 5% superfatting)
12 oz. water
3 Tbls honey
3 Tbls oat flour

The soap itself is delightful, but these are meant to be baby shower favors, and the lack of nice scent means no go.

Thanks for any help!

 

[melstan775]

I ran the recipe through soapcalc and it came back with 4.48 oz lye, which is right where you're at with 4.5 It said 13 oz water. I'm not sure this would be lye heavy; you're pretty much on it. Maybe it's the honey. Did you use any fragerence oil? Give it a few days, sometimes you get a funky smell while making soap but it may mellow out.

 

[cliff]

I made an unscented soap with ground oats and honey and it didn't smell good to me. I think it was mainly due to the oats. The soap smelled like burnt cardboard or something. It's faded now and just smells like dry oats, but I do wish I would have scented it. It's a nice soap otherwise.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Did you weigh all your ingredients on a digital scale? I'm only asking because you said "about 5% superfat" (it is 4%). Make sure you always use weight measurements and run your recipe through a lye calculator.
If the soap is fresh out of the mold and it has a funky smell...sometimes that will dissipate as it cures. Some things that cause soap to smell weird at first are milks (sometimes you can get an ammonia type smell), lard, overheating, and some additives like Spirulina (talk about fishy!).
Even with hot process, you should still allow your soap to cure. HP forces saponification, so as long as you aren't lye heavy (your recipe is not, but it is low superfat), the lye has been reacted...but all soap benefits from a 4 week (I like 6 better) cure - soap becomes harder, milder, lather improves...and funky smells dissipate
The smell may be from the EVOO (doubt it), but it may be your honey or oats...but I suspect you may have cooked it too hot...that will certainly morph the scent of soap.
You can rebatch (if you do it ASAP, it will be easier) and add fragrance. I would add an ounce or so of a superfatting oil (like Avocado, or even Castor) to the rebatch if I were you to make it a little more conditioning.

 

[PinkUnicorn]

Thanks for the responses guys!

I didn't use any FO because the recipe didn't call for any. Other people raved about how good it smelled so I didn't think I needed to.

Cliff, dry oats would be better than this! Lol

A&A, I did weigh all with a digital scale. I just copied the recipe from the other source. I had planned on letting it set until the shower (mid may), but not if this is what it will smell like. You mentioned overheating it - the recipe called for it to be on high during the fold over mashed potatoes stage, should I have left it low? Would you attempt the recipe again or move on to something new? I need like 60 bars of soap.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

A&A, I did weigh all with a digital scale. I just copied the recipe from the other source. I had planned on letting it set until the shower (mid may), but not if this is what it will smell like. You mentioned overheating it - the recipe called for it to be on high during the fold over mashed potatoes stage, should I have left it low? Would you attempt the recipe again or move on to something new? I need like 60 bars of soap.

I never cook any soap, HP or rebatch, on high...if you overheat and/or burn your oils, you could definitely wind up with a funky scent.
If that's the problem (and I can't promise it is), a rebatch probably won't help the smell, per se...adding FOs or EOs may mask the scent though. Try it, and of you don't like the outcome, just use it at the kitchen sink or some other utility purpose.
If its for gifts, I would start over, and I personally would add a little Coconut or PKO. A 95% Olive Oil soap will not be at its best by mid-May...it will need a much longer cure, as in months. Cutting your Olive Oil to 60%, adding 30% Coconut Oil and 10% Castor with a 8% Superfat would work out pretty good and be ready by May. You can get LouAna brand Coconut Oil at Walmart and most grocery stores.

 

[PinkUnicorn]

Okay, I think I'll try and rebatch, if just to use around the house. I'll find a different recipe for the gifts. I meant to get on this in January, but life got in the way. Thank you for all your help! You are wonderful.