Uh oh! Oily applesauce texture

[LBell123]

So, I had my first mishap. I am trying to make this:
https://soapdelinews.com/2020/05/dish-soap-bar-recipe-solid-zero-waste-eco-friendly.html
I saw it recommended here.

I followed the recipe exactly. When I added the lye water to the oil, it bubbled over. I wasn't sure what to do then, but I decided that it wasn't too much out of the pot and to try to go ahead and finish it. I stick blended it and stirred it to light trace. Then I added the lemon essential oil/lime juice/like zest mix. It bubbled again and I stirred it so it didn't boil over, but it changed to orange color and then the consistency changed to an applesauce like consistency. I stirred and blended and tried to get it back to pudding like consistency but it stayed like oily applesauce.

Currently, it is just sitting in the stainless steel pot on the stove. Help! What should I do? Can it be saved? Was it the right decision to keep going when it boiled over? I know it throws the amounts off because some left the pot.

 

[DeeAnna]

Disclaimer -- I have only skimmed the loooonnng article and I have not checked the math on this person's recipe.

You don't say you checked the author's recipe with a soap recipe c@lculator. If you didn't, you need to start doing this with your next batch. Never trust anyone's recipe -- it's your responsibility to ensure a soap recipe will produce safe soap. So verify the numbers are correct, don't assume the numbers are right.

You say you "followed the recipe exactly" but since the author says nothing about volcanoes, you rapidly went into uncharted territory when you kept going after the first volcano. I might have kept going too, but only after checking the temp of the soap batter and letting it cool down if need be.

First thing is this is a recipe very high in coconut oil which normally reacts quickly with lye. If the soap batter is overly warm to begin with (you don't say anything about your temps), the quick reaction between the coconut oil and lye solution can cause a volcano. Soap on the cooler side. Add the lye solution to the fats SLOWLY and stir constantly. Another suggestion is to increase the water content in the recipe -- soap high in coconut oil can benefit from more water than most typical recipes.

I get the impression the author of the article thinks citric acid and lime juice stay intact in soap. They don't. They react with lye too. Your soap batter was already toasty hot from the volcano, and you added citric acid to the batter. Always add citric acid SLOWLY to anything with active lye. Adding the citric acid and juice would have triggered another burst of heat especially if added quickly.

I honestly don't have a clue whether you should discard this batch or keep it. The applesauce texture suggests the batter is happily saponifying in your soap pot. That means you're basically making a hot process soap rather than cold process, which isn't a deal killer -- just a different technique for making soap. That said, I don't know anything about the losses involved with the volcanoes, so it's hard to give good advice whether the soap is salvageable with some extra work, fine as it is, or should be discarded.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I might be concerned about how much lime juice and/or zest you added. Did you follow the recipe strictly? Too much of these ingredients can stop the soap from hardening.

 

[LBell123]

Disclaimer -- I have only skimmed the loooonnng article and I have not checked the math on this person's recipe.

You don't say you checked the author's recipe with a soap recipe c@lculator. If you didn't, you need to start doing this with your next batch. Never trust anyone's recipe -- it's your responsibility to ensure a soap recipe will produce safe soap. So verify the numbers are correct, don't assume the numbers are right.

You say you "followed the recipe exactly" but since the author says nothing about volcanoes, you rapidly went into uncharted territory when you kept going after the first volcano. I might have kept going too, but only after checking the temp of the soap batter and letting it cool down if need be.

First thing is this is a recipe very high in coconut oil which normally reacts quickly with lye. If the soap batter is overly warm to begin with (you don't say anything about your temps), the quick reaction between the coconut oil and lye solution can cause a volcano. Soap on the cooler side. Add the lye solution to the fats SLOWLY and stir constantly. Another suggestion is to increase the water content in the recipe -- soap high in coconut oil can benefit from more water than most typical recipes.

I get the impression the author of the article thinks citric acid and lime juice stay intact in soap. They don't. They react with lye too. Your soap batter was already toasty hot from the volcano, and you added citric acid to the batter. Always add citric acid SLOWLY to anything with active lye. Adding the citric acid and juice would have triggered another burst of heat especially if added quickly.

I honestly don't have a clue whether you should discard this batch or keep it. The applesauce texture suggests the batter is happily saponifying in your soap pot. That means you're basically making a hot process soap rather than cold process, which isn't a deal killer -- just a different technique for making soap. That said, I don't know anything about the losses involved with the volcanoes, so it's hard to give good advice whether the soap is salvageable with some extra work, fine as it is, or should be discarded.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I think you are right with everything, for all those reasons it was too hot and kept getting hotter. I ended up trying out Soap Queen's Hot Process Hero method. Hot Process Hero - Soap Queen It is in the molds now. I'll check it out tomorrow to see if it seems ok. When heating it in the pot and stirring it constantly, it seemed to all melt and come together, albeit in a kind of chunky way.

I think it might be the lime juice too, maybe a bit too much, especially with the losses. This was a good learning opportunity. From having this recipe go awry, I think I learned a lot of what not to do!