What did I do wrong?

[TygrAnn]

This is my first post on here and my first attempt at goat milk soap. After an hour of stirring (no stick blender) I couldn't get it to trace. I went ahead and poured it in the mold and put it in the freezer for a couple hours then into fridge overnight. Took it out this morning and it had sunk in the middle and is still very soft. What did I do wrong?

Recipe I used:
9.6 oz lard
8 oz co
14.4 oz oo
12.16 oz gm (fresh frozen goat milk)
4.53 oz lye

I would really like to make a nice goat milk soap. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[carebear]

Well, first off - if you pour before trace you aren't making soap with part of the materials. What I mean by this is that the oils and lye need to be in intimate contact - fully emulsified. If you pour before trace then it's quite possible you didn't have it fully emulsified which means that some of the lye isn't touching some of the oils and so won't turn into soap in those areas.

Second - refrigerating or freezing prevents gel. Gel speeds up the reaction of saponification (converting oils + lye into soap) whereas cold slows it. If you slow it down it takes longer to turn into soap. Chilled it could take many days.

Lesson: you need to reach trace, or at least ensure your oils & lye are fully emulsified before pouring. this means when you stop stirring for a few minutes you don't note any separation of the oils and water.

Lesson: if you are chilling your soap don't expect it to be ready overnight. Give it a few days (assuming you did the above) and anticipate possibly needing another few.

Final question: what did you use for a mold?

 

[TygrAnn]

It was the consistency of thin pudding or thick liquid LOL I didn't notice any obvious seperation of the oils. Think I am going to invest in a stick blender.

So basically I should have stirred longer and not put it in the freezer then? I was told it needed to go in the freezer/fridge to keep it from overheating.

I used a pringles can for the mold.

I would like to try again today... do the amounts in the recipe look accurate?

Should I just let this sit for a few days and see what happens or do you think it's a total loss?

 

[krissy]

i'd let it sit for a few days or even a week. it may harden up enough for you to take out of the mold and examine for separation/lye pockets or whatever.

 

[Absinthe]

I don't think it looks too bad. I agree that you should let it sit a while and see what happens.

I think tossing it in the freezer may have caused the material nearer to the sides to cool faster thus sticking, then the center, remaining hot/warm as it cooled shrunk causing the shape you see. It is kind of like when you do canning and the cooling causes the button on the cap to come down.

Give it a few days, let it setup good. Then take it out and see what you got. It may all be fine and you just have 1 single stupid looking bar on the end, and the rest look fine. (I'm in optimistic mood today

 

[TygrAnn]

k... I'll just leave that one sit for a while then and see what happens with it.

How long does it take to reach trace with goat milk soap? Is it normal to have to stir for that long? ... or longer?

Do I need to tweak the recipe before trying it again?

Next time I won't put it in the freezer/fridge.

 

[rubyslippers]

... I'll just leave that one sit for a while then and see what happens with it. . . .Do I need to tweak the recipe before trying it again?

TygrAnn, your amounts that were given are correct when run thru soapcalc. I noted that the soap was only 39 in hardness. If you increase your coconut oil to 10 oz and adjust the goat's milk and lye accordingly, it would give you a bar with a hardness of 41. It's just a matter of personal preference but I like to make my soaps with a minimum of 40 in hardness. Would also increase the bubble factor

Hats off to you for attempting without a stick blender....I've always used a stick blender & it really helps in speeding trace.

Your soap has a lovely color and looks very creamy. Maybe after is sets for a few days it will begin to harden. Good luck!

 

[carebear]

Ruby, keep in mind that the olive oil numbers in soapcalc are totally incorrect. that recipe will harden up like a ROCK I promise. Don't increase your CO unless you decide you want a more generous lather.

Ann - if you got it to a thickened pudding stage then you certainly DID reach trace.

Let it sit for a week and don't worry about it. In fact, forget it exists.
Next weekend pull it out and you will be delighted.

 

[TygrAnn]

Thanks everybody for your comments.

I tried another batch this evening. Not putting it in the freezer/fridge this time. Again, though, it never got to a thick pudding consistency... more like a thin pudding.

The batch I made last night is starting to harden and is a gorgeous creamy white color. Hopefully it turns out and stays that color.

I'm just going to set both batches off to the side and wait and see what happens.

I'll let ya know what the results are

 

[carebear]

thin pudding is fine. it's actually what many of us strive to achieve (but things get thick quickly sometimes)

Do let us know!