What do you think? Rebatch

[Brandica2013]

So as some of you know that have been helping this newbie out ,that I have been having issues making soap I made a really pretty mint green CP soap scented with BB cucumber melon. It was colored with High Ph labcolor in Green & to make it lighter with a sparkle I use a white mica all from BB. Oh it was so beautiful and smelled my whole bedroom of cucumber and it looked so smooth & everything went great...well went to un-mold 24-36 Hr. later & it was way too soft so the hubby & I gently un-molded the log,but did not cut & let it set un-cut for like 3-4 more days and still was soft as ever you could poke ur finger in it & it would put a hole in it.I was so sad and I'm @ this point feeling like a failure and asking if I'm EVER going to get this right??? So I posted on my favorite forum SMF & got many ,many reply's giving me the help I needed.Here is the Thread if you want to read about it here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f34/am-i-ever-going-get-right-34669/

Ended up being I did NOT use enough Lye(I SF without knowing 30% & I know that's way 2 much more like 5% is the correct way) and it was pretty obvious what I needed to do...re-batch!! Thanks to the lovely ladies & men on SMF I did just that!!!

So here is my re-batched soap that I want your opinion on & it still has good color but the smell is more light. Please tell me what you HONESTLY think. Thanks so much guys this site is the best!!!!! IS THIS WHAT RE-BATCH LOOKS LIKE?? I'v seen pictures but this was my 1st time re-batching.Thanks for any help

 

[lsg]

How did you go about rebatching your soap. How did you compensate for the difference in lye?

 

[soapguy]

It looks a bit crunchy, sort of like Rice Krispies. To me, it looks like you didn't fully melt the soaps. But, they are starting to look good.

 

[DeeAnna]

Brandica --

Yes, I'm the reason why your soap came out too soft. I originally thought the lye in the recipe you posted was too much.

But shortly after I posted, I realized my mistake and rushed back to the computer. I edited my original message to show the correct amount of lye, and I added a second post telling you that I'd made an error and asking you to re-read my corrected first post.

Something you said later gave me the impression that you had seen the corrected information, so I had no idea that you had used my original post when you made the soap until today.

I am very sorry, Brandica! Please accept my apologies.

 

[Brandica2013]

How did you go about rebatching your soap. How did you compensate for the difference in lye?

I cooked it in a crock pot and I melted my soap cubes and while doing that i mixed 1.9ozlye(the missing amount) of to 2oz of water let it cool to like 140 then added to soap & mixed in and continued to melt soap till it looked like mash potatoes..then molded

 

[Brandica2013]

Brandica --

Yes, I'm the reason why your soap came out too soft. I originally thought the lye in the recipe you posted was too much.

But shortly after I posted, I realized my mistake and rushed back to the computer. I edited my original message to show the correct amount of lye, and I added a second post telling you that I'd made an error and asking you to re-read my corrected first post.

Something you said later gave me the impression that you had seen the corrected information, so I had no idea that you had used my original post when you made the soap until today.

I am very sorry, Brandica! Please accept my apologies.

Awe I was never upset with you.I looked & re-read that post over and over and never found any other recipe but my original one from BB E-Book & ur revised one,but again I really should have used a lye calc NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRUST AN ADVANCED PERSON, CAUSE THEIRS ALWAYS TYPO'S OR MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN FORUMS...in the end I was thinking maybe a typo....but you have helped me greatly & im sure you will help me again in the future.Thanks for the apology & from what I can tell you are really talented and know what your doing so I knew after all this happened their was some kind of mistake on my part or a typo...Thanks

 

[lsg]

I would test my bars for zap. If they don't zap, then they should be OK to use. Next time you might want to run the soap through a shredder and let it set overnight in water to soften, it will melt a lot better. A trick I learned was to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup instant powdered milk to the soap after it is melted, that smooths the soap down and it is easier to pour. If you have the coarse brand of powdered milk, dissolve it in a little hot water before adding to the soap mix, otherwise you will get clumps.

 

[Brandica2013]

It looks a bit crunchy, sort of like Rice Krispies. To me, it looks like you didn't fully melt the soaps. But, they are starting to look good.

thanks for being honest after cleaning up its a smoother bar a little crumbly on edges. It does look as though their is rice in the soap. I honestly was thinking i could of melted longer tho. Can i put back in pot and re-melt(re-batch) if so should i add more water to melt down again or oils?Thanks

 

[soapguy]

Everybody has problems or has come across with the occasional bad batch. I have rebatched a rebatch with no problems. Be careful with adding too much water or you may end up with a waterlog.

 

[Brandica2013]

I would test my bars for zap. If they don't zap, then they should be OK to use. Next time you might want to run the soap through a shredder and let it set overnight in water to soften, it will melt a lot better. A trick I learned was to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup instant powdered milk to the soap after it is melted, that smooths the soap down and it is easier to pour. If you have the coarse brand of powdered milk, dissolve it in a little hot water before adding to the soap mix, otherwise you will get clumps.

-Its fine I tested it and I tested The lather & it lathers nicely but im thinking i did not melt all the way & thinking of re-batching it again....

thanks for the tip on the powdered milk and letting it (the shreds) get soft in water 1st.

I also herd i can use a bag to boil it in & it will be smoother??

When I re-batched this soap it was way soft so could not shred or else i would have,that's why i cubed it and used a crock pot after reading many articles. I just think i was worried id burn it & really wanted this to work out for me.Iv been having problems with it and i had spent a lot on these ingredients and can't afford to make more mistakes you know??I wanna do something right for once for my family since i can not work due to massive pain from Fibromyalgia & nerve damage I want to 1)save money in the long run 2)go more natural 3)for my family's skin,i have an autistic son and he is sensitive to so many things 4) I want to donate it 5)maybe sell it eventually.We don't have alot of money and i really found something im so passionate about and i have been researching about 2 years before i tried CP or HP I have done MP and done really great @ that & other B&B Things and my handmade laundry soap that's a hit with friends/family but im just having issues with the CP & HP & re-batching or hand-milled soap...i really hope i get it soon enough.I'm thinking of doing a CP soap next with no color just maybe put soap bits n pieces like confetti soap or something easy and see how it goes like a one lbs batch using cheaper oils???

 

[DeeAnna]

Thank you, Brandica. I'm glad you weren't upset, but I still feel badly that I gave you wrong advice. You can bet I'll be more careful next time. --DeeAnna

 

[Brandica2013]

Thank you, Brandica. I'm glad you weren't upset, but I still feel badly that I gave you wrong advice. You can bet I'll be more careful next time. --DeeAnna

Thanks sweetie i know you will!!

 

[CaraCara]

Hi Brandica, I think they look great. I did a rebatch of a very conditioning soap and it has a similar texture to yours (rice krispie'ish), and I actually don't mind it. It lathers beautifully and still retained the original smell so if you're happy with how they are currently then I wouldn't change it.

 

[Lindy]

This is a perfect example of why you need to run your recipes through a lye calculator no matter how much you trust the other person because we all make mistakes....

 

[judymoody]

Rebatch is almost never pretty. Yours looks fine. If it doesn't zap, I say use it and enjoy!

Reheating it probably burned off some of the scent which is why the smell is lighter.

 

[Ruthie]

Your rebatch reminds me of one of mine. It is a lovely smelling and feeling soap. But it will never win a beauty contest. Just enjoy it for what it is.

 

[Candybee]

Rebatches tend to look clumpy so yours looks pretty normal. When I first rebatched I thought I had done it all wrong my soap looked so lumpy and forlorn. Then I tried out a test bar and fell in love. I agree with others, if you like it just leave it. When you bath with it it will smooth out anyway. Just tell everyone you were going for the rustic look. LOL

 

[DeeAnna]

I actually like the speckled green-white color -- it's very clean and mint-candy-ish looking. My rebatched soap looks speckled too, only mine is not as pretty because the colors in my rebatch were more of a nothing-special tan and brown.

 

[soapguy]

Brandica2013;
I don't know how you rebatched, but for me what really makes a difference is grating the soap and later kneading it once you take it out of the crockpot. You also have to press the soap hard into the mold and keep a close eye on air bubbles. The rebatch will never look as good as CP but can come close. It is all up to what you feel comfortable with.

 

[VanessaP]

Brandica, that looks really good. For your first rebatch, you did a good job And I wouldn't bother rebatching it again. It will smooth out with use plus, the scent might pop out again once it gets wet. I have a few scents that seem like they've faded only they just explode once wet Rustic always has its place.