What did I do wrong this time???

[gizofmoe]

K..I made soap...my recipe: 44 oz olive oil, 17 oz coconut oil, 24 oz veg. Shortening, 10.7 oz lye, 16 oz frozen goat milk, 16 oz water and 2 oz cocoa butter...when I unmolded, they are very soft and oily...what did I do wrong, or is it just the recipe? Both oil and lye mixture were 100 degrees give or take a few. I also tried to swirl in a color which was a total failure. Any advice would be appreciated...

 

[jenneelk]

The pro's will weight in on this for you but from what I can see it looks a little on the soft side. Did you get to trace? How long did you have it in the mold? I'm wondering why it was un-molded if it was soft and oily?

You're lye amount is low.Did you run it through a calculator like Soapcal. and just gave use the basic %'s here, because they shouldn't be so perfect of a OZ. for each.. should be more precise. kwim?

 

[Obsidian]

I plugged all the numbers into soapcalc and it says you needed 12.022 oz of lye for 5% super fat. For the amount of lye you used, it will be closer to 20% super fat. If it was me, I would wait a few days and see how it turns out.

 

[sistrum]

From just looking it seems you used way to much liquid. When I make soap I never go over twice as much liquid as lye. So for 10.7 Lye that would be 21.4oz liquid and you have 32. Even if you did full water that's a lot.

 

[tryanything]

Plugging the numbers into soapcalc (took a guess and used Crisco for the shortening) I get that you have about a 15% superfat and 38% water. A bit high for my taste but I don't think it's that bad. But combined with full water and 50% olive oil it might account for the softness of the soap. How long did it sit before you unmolded? I'd just let it sit a bit longer and see if it firms up some more.

 

[gizofmoe]

Thank you all...I used a recipe from a book...the only thing I did that wasn't in the recipe was add the cocoa butter. I probably should have rounded up the lye which was 10 3/4 oz, which I figured at 10.75 and my scale isn't that accurate, so I went to 10.7. I unmolded after 24 hours, and I use a down spout as my mold so I really couldn't tell. The other molds seemed ok when I unmolded them... I did just check them and they seem to be showing some improvement. Thanks again...

 

[Candybee]

I get the same firgure of 12oz lye and 33oz water (for a full water). Thats one of the reasons your batch is soft. Its gonna take more time to harden up with full water. I usually do a water discount of 33%. Soapcalc's default is 38%. So it may be a week or two before it starts getting the hard feeling like normal soap. So just wait and let it cure a bit.

Be sure to run your recipes through a reliable soap calculator because the difference between 10.7 and 12.02 is enough to effect the finished soap. It makes your superfat high and you don't want to guess at that unless you are a more experienced soapmaker.

 

[gizofmoe]

I am definitely NOT experienced.. This is my 4th or 5th batch...my first batch was the best of all...again thanks for all the input... With all your help I should catch onto this yet...:crazy:

 

[savonierre]

Just give it some time and it will be great soap..

 

[newbie]

The superfat is higher than 15 % unless people accounted for the goat milk you used. If they did not, you have a very high SF, lots of soft oils and a lot of liquids. It will take time to dry and harden but who knows, with time it may be your favorite soap.

Also, with these being your first batches, make them smaller so if something goes awry, you have minimized your costs and not lost so much oil. Try making 2 pound batches while getting your feet wet. It saves a lot in costs while you experiment.