Did some of the oil... evaporate?

[CrisMaz]

Hi everybody!
I've missed the soaping world! I've had the forum tab open in my browser for months but haven't been reading anything or soaping at all
Quite a few months back I had every intention of making 2 or 3 small test batches, so I measured, mixed up all my oils, covered and labeled the containers. I figured in the afternoon it would be less messy and faster to make my lye waters and do all three batches in a row.
However, as it goes, I got called in to work last minute and then a bunch of stuff happened including a small health scare and a "I must be crazy to think I can afford soaping" stage lol and my mixed oils got left behind.
So there they are, labeled, covered and extremely lonely.
My question is, is it safe to use those mixes now? They are well covered, so nothing foreign got into them but they are not air tight... I have a feeling this might be a real stupid question but... do oils evaporate? Are the amounts I measured still in the containers? Or do I run the risk of lye heavy batches if I use these mixes? (maybe not lye heavy but at least reduced SF)

I'm pretty sure I've learned my lesson lol and they are pretty small batches but still would like to know if I can salvage them or not...

I now have a new, much better job, in more ways than one, and my health is great, so I'm back with renewed spirit!

Thank you in advance everybody!

 

[Susie]

The oils should not have evaporated. They may, however, have gone rancid. Just smell them and see. Also, your NaOH could have absorbed moisture, so you may want to think about getting some new.

I don't know how careful you were about writing down exactly what went into those oil blends, but if you are not 100% sure, just toss them and start over. Also, please be sure to use at least 1 lb oil for your starter batches, as smaller amounts can become problematic if your scale is the least bit off.

Also, re-run your recipes through a good lye calculator if you don't have a print out, just in case.

And welcome back!

 

[Lindy]

Welcome back! I agree with everything Susie said but I would like to add something. Measure using grams rather than ounces as there is less chance of big mistakes when measuring since it is so much more accurate.

 

[CrisMaz]

The oils should not have evaporated. They may, however, have gone rancid. Just smell them and see. Also, your NaOH could have absorbed moisture, so you may want to think about getting some new.

I don't know how careful you were about writing down exactly what went into those oil blends, but if you are not 100% sure, just toss them and start over. Also, please be sure to use at least 1 lb oil for your starter batches, as smaller amounts can become problematic if your scale is the least bit off.

Also, re-run your recipes through a good lye calculator if you don't have a print out, just in case.

And welcome back!

Fortunately, I never got as far as mixing my lye waters, so I'm fine there! *whew*

I will thoroughly sniff the oils and see if I lucked out or not. I also have my recipes printed out and know exactly what is in each of the blends, I feel like I spend more time writing stuff down and documenting stuff than actually soaping lol

Thanks for the help!

 

[CrisMaz]

Welcome back! I agree with everything Susie said but I would like to add something. Measure using grams rather than ounces as there is less chance of big mistakes when measuring since it is so much more accurate.

Thank you!
I come from a metric background so always use grams for whatever I do, so I'm pretty glad it's the best way to do measurements for soaping, since it comes so naturally to me

 

[Lindy]

You're welcome