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mommycarlson

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Hi, I got this recipe and put it through soapcalc. I made it yesterday. It was fine when mixing, took about 20 minutes to trace, but it did not set up in the mold. The top is "crusted" but it's very soft and squishy. Here is the recipe:
Olive Oil - 28.52 oz
Castor oil- 2.48 oz
Distilled water - 11.78 oz
Lye - 3.85 oz
SF - 8%
Water % 38

I infused the OO with chamomile, ended up forgetting to measure the OO after I strained it and had already poured it in with the castor oil. I poured both oils into a container and weighed them out to equal 31 oz, adding OO to get to that weight since I did not have enough infused oil. At this point I added my lye water and everything seemed fine.
I have gone over my recipe, did internet searches and searched here on SMF but I honestly don't know what I did wrong. Does this soap just need longer to sit in the mold? I have it insulated and it still feels warm, not hot but not room temp. Do I keep it insulated? Is it a rebatch at this point or a throw away? Or a wait and see? I would appreciate any and all help. I have never made a soap with all liquid oils before. Thank you!
Beth
 
Not very hard oils there. Soapcalc recommends a range of 29 to 64 on the hardness scale and yours is a 16. It will never be a hard soap, but given time it should at least set up. Also, at 92% olive oil, it is likely to have that Castille "slime" feel to it, which will go away eventually, but may take up to a year.

If you are looking for a simple soap, and few ingredients, and if you have no squeams about using animal fats, I'd recommend a lard soap for baby. Very kind to the skin.
 
Your recipe looks okay when I ran it through soap calc. Your biggest issue is using full water which is making your soap really soft. Also, using 8% Castor and an 8% SF may be playing a part in it as well. It will likely just take some time to harden up. If you were to do this again I recommend a water discount. Using lye concentration instead and doing 33% or higher. It will take less time to hit trace and a harder bar to begin with. High olive soaps take a long time to cure. Once cure they are hard as heck.

Also, I'm of the belief you shouldn't use soap on a baby or small child. Though others may have different opinions.
 
Okay, thank you. I just looked at it again, it's very jelly like in consistency, but there is a crust of sorts. I'll leave it and see what happens in a couple days.
 
If it's still not hardening, I would then think about rebatching it. Be sure to zap test it too when you unmold it. But, wait a few days as it doesn't sound like it gelled. Keep us posted on your progress or lack there of on this batch.
 
What type of mold is it in? If it is in a mold that can stand some heat, you could pre-heat your oven to around 125 or so and put it back in to get it to gel and harden up. If you JUST CAN'T STAND IT. LOL. I think if you leave it for a few days or even a week, it will harden up.
 
If it gelled, leave it in the mold a few more days. If it is still soft, and you need the mold for another batch, pop it in the freezer for a few hours, then cut.

If it did not gel, do what dixiedragon said above.
 
I would do what dixiedragon suggests and re-heat it. If you can't put the mold into an oven, try the heating pad method. I agree that it should harden up sufficiently to cut within a week or less. Looking back on my notes, my first batch of castile soap took 3 days and a few hours in the freezer to harden up enough to unmold and cut.

Also, this is a bastille soap (high olive oil, but not pure). I have made 100% castor oil soap, as well as Castile soap (100% olive). After one year, the 100% castor oil soap is not as hard as the Castile, but it's hard enough and I notice with age it has become harder than a few months ago. So what I'm trying to point out is that with a good long cure, this soap should be plenty hard enough as well as mild like you want a high olive oil soap for babies to be. The thing is, if it's for a baby already born, he/she is bound to be a toddler before using this soap. Make sure to zap test as advised, too.

As shunt2011 says, using a higher lye concentration is the way to go with soft oil soaps. They harden up a lot faster and I have found that I can unmold and cut much sooner; within a few hours depending on how high a lye concentration I use.

Nota bene: Even though hard sooner, the cure time remains unchanged to get the qualities that a long cure gives soap.
 
I don't think it gelled. It's in a silicone mold, can those go in the oven? It's got a wooden box around it. I would love to try the oven method to see if that helps.
 
I just did the zap test. YUCK! it tastes like soap. What I did discover when I checked on it, is that it has started to set up! It's still squishy but it's much better than it was this morning. My question is, can I wait the weekend and if it still hasn't set up can I put it in the oven, OR, should I do the heating pad or oven method now?
 
I put mine in the oven AFTER it is heated to its lowest temperature and check the temp with my thermometer AND turn off the oven first. Cover with cardboard or such and leave it for a few hours.

PS. I'd do it now rather than waiting.
 
I put mine in the oven AFTER it is heated to its lowest temperature and check the temp with my thermometer AND turn off the oven first. Cover with cardboard or such and leave it for a few hours.

PS. I'd do it now rather than waiting.

Me too. Because I hate waiting. :)

Your silicone mold should be fine. I preheat my oven to about 125, turn it off, and put the soap in. But I will periodically turn the oven back on to get it toasty again. If you keep an eye on it, it should work fine.
 
What type of mold is it in? If it is in a mold that can stand some heat, you could pre-heat your oven to around 125 or so and put it back in to get it to gel and harden up. If you JUST CAN'T STAND IT. LOL. I think if you leave it for a few days or even a week, it will harden up.

So how long should I leave this in the oven? It's been in nearly 3 hours now and there really hasn't been any change at all, it's not gelling that I can tell, it's softer than when I put it in there.
 
You have to leave it and NOT open the oven door, as that lets the heat out. If it's not warm anymore, reheat to your lowest temp possible on the oven, then just leave it overnight. Try to resist the urge to open the oven door to check on it until you get up the next morning I know, it's hard. :)
 
I do an 80% OO soap with a bit cocoa butter and castor - but at 20% ... I can cut into quite hard bars 24hrs later. Maybe reduce your water.
 
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