Can this be saved? If so how?

[godschild]

Well, the beautiful soap I stuck in the oven to cpop is a total failure! I went to see if it was anywhere near ready to cut just to find out that it totally separated. Not just separated, but it looks like it was never even stick blended! I poured it into my crock to try and save it, stick blended it, and it turned into full on jello or really greasy pudding lol! It even wiggles! Never seen this happen before! I hope it will cook. Until I find someone willing to share their cp swirlies recipe with me that has good soapcalc numbers, I am not even attempting it again. I will stick to hp I guess too because this is the second time in a friggin row this has happened. The recipe seemed good. I have a feeling that I know what the culprit is. Let's just say that I won't ever order what has pissed me off again. I measured perfectly, stick blended forever, and finally got what I thought was emulsified, separated, colored, stick blended some more in each cup, swirled the prettiest swirl I've ever done probably, and stuck that **** in the oven. I did everything right so it wasn't me. Now, I just hope what turned out to be a greyish/purplish nightmare turns out to at least be friggin soap! Here's the recipe. I doubled it in soapcalc but didn't save it. This is just the 1lb one that I did save. I added 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, 3% sl, silk, and 2 oz Aztec Drakkar. I don't think it was the fo. That's not what I think is the culprit. It smelled so good and I don't have any more to add after this gets cooked. I ordered 16oz of it that will be shipped out to me in a day or 2. Does me no good now though and I know the scent won't be left when it's done cooking. Total oil weight 16 oz
Water as percent of oil weight 34 %
Super Fat/Discount 7 %
Lye Concentration 28.110 %
Water : Lye Ratio 2.557:1
Sat : Unsat Ratio 41 : 59
Iodine 70
INS 132
Fragrance Ratio 0.5
Fragrance Weight 0.5 oz
Pounds Ounces Grams
Water 0.340 5.440 154.221
Lye - NaOH 0.133 2.127 60.303
Oils 1.000 16.000 453.592
Fragrance 0.031 0.500 14.175
Soap weight before CP cure or HP cookMore info 1.504 24.067 682.291
# √ Oil/Fat % Pounds Ounces Grams
1 Palm Oil 30.000 0.300 4.800 136.078
2 Olive Oil 20.000 0.200 3.200 90.718
3 Rice Bran Oil 30.000 0.300 4.800 136.078
4 Castor Oil 3.000 0.030 0.480 13.608
5 Coconut Oil, 76 deg 17.000 0.170 2.720 77.111
Totals 100 1.000 16.000 453.592
Soap Bar Quality Range Your Recipe
Hardness 29 - 54 40
Cleansing 12 - 22 12
Conditioning 44 - 69 56
Bubbly 14 - 46 15
Creamy 16 - 48 30
Iodine 41 - 70 70
INS 136 - 165 132
Lauric 8
Myristic 4
Palmitic 24
Stearic 4
Ricinoleic 3
Oleic 40
Linoleic 14
Linolenic 0

UPDATE: It didn't work trying to hp to save it. It's still looking like greasy nasty pudding. Can I make another batch but make it lye heavy and mix it in with this batch and hp it? Help!

 

[Obsidian]

How long have you been cooking it? I had a similar batch recently, it took forever to get to the greasy pudding stage and at least another hour to resemble something like soap. It eventually stayed together so I glopped it in molds and it was fine.

What do you think caused the separation? Sometime it just happens, especially with CPOP. Mine used to always overheat and try to separate. Now I'm very careful if I CPOP and I never have the oven on while the soap is in it, not even for a few minutes. Always heat the oven then turn it off.

 

[lionprincess00]

Question. Your recipe is the size I made today in fact...being 16oz oils. I used .9 oz FO, but premeasured on soapcalc .85 oz ppo.
You wrote 2 oz were used with the drakkar but your recipe states .5 oz ppo from the copy off soapcalc.

Maybe too much fo?? I'd say the cpop heat could've done it too. I used 1 tbs sugar, no salt nor silk nor SL but your amounts seem within reason.

 

[jules92207]

I had a similar thing happen to me and I accounted it to overheating. Is it possible it got too hot? The other culprit I thought was maybe my lye was bad, but I made other batches after and all went well so overheating seemed the most logical.

 

[godschild]

Sorry yall. I guess I didn't mention that I doubled the recipe on soapcalc. I just didn't save the doubled amounts. I just printed it. That's why I used 2oz fo. I think it's the lye that I bought during the spring that everyone was having issues with. I don't think it was the heat because I only heated to 150 and turned the oven off before I put it in.

 

[cmzaha]

And this is why I do not cpop...never saw a great point other than the risk of causing possible seperation. Yep had it happen once have not tried it since except to fix a siezed batch of salt bars. It is very possible your soap would have seperated even during a full gel outside of the oven. I also quit gelling soaps a few years because of seperation and overheating problems with gelling

 

[godschild]

Hi Jules. Every time I've tried to use this lye, I've had a problem that is like this. Ends up oily, greasy, not turning into soap. That's why I think it's the lye.

 

[jules92207]

That might explain what happened with mine too then cause it sounds so familiar. Bummer!

 

[Obsidian]

You could try mixing up a little more lye and adding to the crock but at this point, you'd be guessing at the SF. If you add the lye in tiny amounts though, you should be able to get usable soap.
If I was you, I would complain to the supplier about the lye. I remember there was some trouble last year with lye from a certain supplier. Maybe you can get a replacement.

 

[godschild]

I left them a message today to call me so we'll see what happens. I'll let yall know. It's the same supplier. I will make a little bit of solution. I've been thinking about it today. Worse that could happen would be laundry soap. At least it won't go in the garbage. Thanks yall. I have no idea how much to make up but I am going to try at least. I thought of starting at a fourth of the lye amount used in the recipe. If that's not enough I will add it in eighths so hopefully I don't make it lye heavy lol.

 

[Susie]

But remember that you do not want superfat in laundry soap.

 

[judymoody]

Regardless of whether or not the lye is problematic, I would stay away from CPOP. Especially if you have a fragrance that might also cause overheating. I have never gotten good results from that method. Instead, I just insulate my molds to achieve full gel.

I hope you get some satisfaction from your lye supplier.

 

[godschild]

Well I called them back and the guy that answered said there's nothing wrong with my lye and that there never was anything wrong with their lye that everyone ordered and said was bad. I basically told him that was bs because if I can use hardware store grade lye and all turn out fine, then it has to be there lye. He said he was going to have someone call me back. I'm not stupid. He's passing the buck onto someone else there so they can also tell me nothing is wrong with it in effort to get out of either paying me back, or not sending me replacement lye. I won't stand for that. Somebody is either making this right, or I will blast them all over the internet. I don't make youtube vids or have blogs etc., but I can and will for this. Right is right and wrong is wrong. I didn't want to admit to myself that I got duped like everybody else did, but I have to admit the truth. I told that guy that I can't afford to lose that much money into the trash and that somebody will have to make it right.

 

[Obsidian]

If they aren't cooperating, threaten them with the better business bureau, thats more hurtful to them then internet bashing.

 

[Susie]

Practice saying this, "If you are unable to take care of this, let me speak to your supervisor." Keep repeating it until there are no higher supervisors. THEN if not handled, go to the internet and the BBB.

 

[godschild]

Update: I just was told by someone that answered their phone to email their tech dept so I did and let them know that I know I have bad lye, just the same as many others do/did and that I won't be given the run around like they were. I did let them know that if they don't replace my lye with proper lye, that I will give the matter over to my attorney and I will. I will also contact the BBB, the state department that handles these issues, and everyone else I have to. I won't be ignored.

 

[cmzaha]

Obsidian is correct, BBB is the best avenue. They do not have to be a member of BBB to file a complaint and the company will hear from them guaranteed. I had a company lose a pair of custom stereo ear plugs that they were to repair for me. After months of them lying to me I filed a report. They tried lying their way out of it with the BBB, in the end I had my $600 ear plugs replaced.