what went wrong?

[Poojagandhi]

hello ,

I tried the following recipe

10 oz Coconut Oil
40 oz Olive Oil
6.78 oz Lye
16.5 oz Water

Been a week now , the soap is still creamy in state n not set , what went wrong ?
Where did i mess up ?

 

[Hazel]

I don't know for sure but someone on this forum (sorry I don't remember who) said that batches with a high percentage of olive oil takes longer to firm up.

I don't know if this is the problem. Hopefully, whoever said it will stop by and let you know if this is the problem.

 

[carebear]

Olive oil soaps, especially those that don't gel, can take a long time to harden up - but I'd think a week was enough.

Do you see any liquid sitting on top? If so, your soap separated and you need to blend it up again (probably in a crockpot with heat). If not, then give it more time.

 

[Poojagandhi]

nope no liquid on top ,but its soft , if i press even a lil it will change its shape

 

[sygrid]

Hi

As Carebear said, 40 oz of Olive makes for a really soft batch. Coconut too can be quite soft depending on the temp in your soap room. I have had batches of 100% Olive that have needed about 10 days. So, it's not necessarily something you did wrong.

How was your lye? Any lumps in it? Lumps in your lye means moisture has gotten in and will throw off the weight of the lye by making it weigh heavy. Even small lumps will do this.

I'd wait, it seems long but given the high % of Olive you may just have to wait a bit longer.

Lorie Martin

 

[dubnica]

I make soap with 85% olive and 15% coconut and it is quite hard the next day. I do put it in the oven at 170 for 3 hours though. Maybe you can still stick it in the oven for few hours instead of taking it out and put it in crock pot?

 

[ChrissyB]

I've never had a soap with a high % of coconut remain soft, exactly the opposite, gotta run to cut it as soon as it sets up.

 

[Hazel]

Psst ChrissyB...her coconut was only 20% of the batch. :wink:

Did you mean to type olive?

 

[Healinya]

How did you handle it. You used stick blender to make it? Blended until you are sure you reached trace? What kind of mold - it matters - wooden log, a pvc pipe, shoebox... did you insulate or leave on counter? I've unmolded nongelled (water content on the high side) soap that reminded me of play-dough before. The soap was fantastic four months later when it was finally a rock, but it stayed pliable for awhile.

 

[Poojagandhi]

I did use a stick blender and it did trace well,used silicone mold ..