Tea Soap Fail!

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annalee2003

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I've never cried over soap before, but I almost started crying over this! [emoji30]

I made a soap last night with earl grey tea as the replacement for the water in my lye solution. IMG_4011.jpg

I think I know what the problem is though, thankfully.
The recipe was 80% lard and 20% coconut oil, with a 5% SF.
I think next time I either need to up the SF (10%? 20%?) or take it out of the mold a lot sooner (only been 19 hours).

Ugh! [emoji35]

Live and learn, I guess. Rebatch, here I come!
 
Hmm, didn't consider that it might be lye heavy. I haven't tested it. Would a zap test work?

Can you soften it enough to at least cut into chunks by putting it in the oven for a few minutes? Or is it just concrete at this point? And have you tested to see if it's lye heavy?



I've already cut it up into chunks and flakes. There's no saving this.
 
Hmm, didn't consider that it might be lye heavy. I haven't tested it. Would a zap test work?

Yup. But sometimes soap can remain lye-heavy for a few days while everything finishes saponifying. So you could zap-test today and get a zap, but if you wait a week, it may sort itself out.

So wait at least a week to do your final zap-test to see if it's safe to use or needs to be rebatched with more oil.

Remember to do your zap-test with a gloved, wetted finger and just gently press your soapy finger to the tip of your tongue. If you feel a zap like licking battery, the soap is lye heavy.
 
Yup. But sometimes soap can remain lye-heavy for a few days while everything finishes saponifying. So you could zap-test today and get a zap, but if you wait a week, it may sort itself out.



So wait at least a week to do your final zap-test to see if it's safe to use or needs to be rebatched with more oil.



Remember to do your zap-test with a gloved, wetted finger and just gently press your soapy finger to the tip of your tongue. If you feel a zap like licking battery, the soap is lye heavy.



If it was lye heavy after a week of curing,would I have to throw the whole thing out? Or could I save it somehow?
 
Maybe you can re-run the numbers through a calculator and see if any of them look off, like you remember adding 4oz of x instead of the 3oz that it suggests. Personally, I'd rebatch (Tea as a water replacement might dye clothes if it was used as laundry soap? Not sure), but since you aren't sure where things went askew it would be a guessing game on how much oil to add.
 
If it was lye heavy after a week of curing,would I have to throw the whole thing out? Or could I save it somehow?

You could rebatch at that point and add the additional oil needed. How much extra oil you'd need is a sort of guesswork affair, sneak up on it during the rebatch by adding oil, letting it cook for a bit and testing. Repeat until you stop getting zap.
 
You can still rebatch. I think CPOP "after the fact" will not help as I also suspect that this is lye heavy. Have you checked your scale lately? Do you have it plugged in, or fresh batteries?



I should definitely put some new batteries in it, it's been a while.
I should also just buy a plug in scale.
 
I use teas in my soapmaking alot & have not had any issues like this... except if it was lye-heavy.
I also use a lot of lard in my recipes too.

I have done this as well with a lye heavy batch- - -
Shred up some of the soap... Then I made a batch with a 10% SF...
I added the shredded soap, mixed well & CPOP in the oven...

It all gelled nicely, and the soap came out fine. I allowed it to cure for about 4 weeks.

LOL... I have problems when I try to rebatch... its something that I just cant seem to get right.
Either I add too much liquid, or I end up getting too crusty on the sides, losing about 1/2 of the batch.
So whenever I want or need to rebatch, I just shred it & add to a new batch.

Hope this gives you some insight.
Angel
 
I use teas in my soapmaking alot & have not had any issues like this... except if it was lye-heavy.
I also use a lot of lard in my recipes too.

I have done this as well with a lye heavy batch- - -
Shred up some of the soap... Then I made a batch with a 10% SF...
I added the shredded soap, mixed well & CPOP in the oven...

It all gelled nicely, and the soap came out fine. I allowed it to cure for about 4 weeks.
Angel

This is what some of us call confetti soap.
It works really well with either soft or hard soap or colours that you don't like the look of or the smell of.
 

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