Well, my way too-interesting HP batch last night ended up pretty much okay, I think. The bars are a bit greasy on the outside but most of my last minute fragrance and superfat did absorb, whew! I HPOPd it because the batter was acting so wonky that I'm not sure I got a 'full cook' on it, and because of my oil puddles from adding SF & EOs way too late in the process. Sheesh! What a night!!
I ordered tallow but received leaf lard! Had to run my recipe through the calculator again when I discovered I got the wrong product! I didn't find leaf lard on SoapCalc, so I hope the SAP is the same for both kinds of lard. That was the first thing that went a bit wrong. Such a shame to soap with Leaf Lard, isn't it? I'm assuming it can be used, though?
Then, the bars seem to have glycerin rivers -- my first time, but I can't fathom why? I used less water than my last 2 HP batches, and no TD -- aren't too much water and/or TD the 2 things that cause this?
I had 3 first-time ingredients: Olive leaf powder, lard, and about 40% Aloe liquid in place of some of the lye water. I added the Aloe a minute after adding the lye water to the melted oils and stirring them, and it took FOREVER to come to trace! I thought I would burn out my SB. I was taking temps and at first it was only in the 140 F range. I raised the heat a bit and got it to the 150s. I raised it AGAIN and when I took the temp it had gotten to 210!! I removed the pot from the burner for a few minutes. I think it was around this time that the batter looked a little like ricing or something. Can Aloe liquid do that? Mine states: Natural Full Strength but has ascorbic acid and citric acid added as preservatives.
I swear, I had no idea if I'd made soap or simply a big mess in the kitchen! Colored the entire batter slightly with the olive leaf and separated out some to color with leftover AC mixture to which I added Eggplant purple mica. The batter had to be stuffed into the individual moulds, so I'm surprised that I managed any degree of swirl whatsoever! My soap is a familiar shade of grey ... seen this color here on SMF before, LOL.
Hoping it morphs a bit. Nothing like washing with soap that looks dirty, is there?
I ordered tallow but received leaf lard! Had to run my recipe through the calculator again when I discovered I got the wrong product! I didn't find leaf lard on SoapCalc, so I hope the SAP is the same for both kinds of lard. That was the first thing that went a bit wrong. Such a shame to soap with Leaf Lard, isn't it? I'm assuming it can be used, though?
Then, the bars seem to have glycerin rivers -- my first time, but I can't fathom why? I used less water than my last 2 HP batches, and no TD -- aren't too much water and/or TD the 2 things that cause this?
I had 3 first-time ingredients: Olive leaf powder, lard, and about 40% Aloe liquid in place of some of the lye water. I added the Aloe a minute after adding the lye water to the melted oils and stirring them, and it took FOREVER to come to trace! I thought I would burn out my SB. I was taking temps and at first it was only in the 140 F range. I raised the heat a bit and got it to the 150s. I raised it AGAIN and when I took the temp it had gotten to 210!! I removed the pot from the burner for a few minutes. I think it was around this time that the batter looked a little like ricing or something. Can Aloe liquid do that? Mine states: Natural Full Strength but has ascorbic acid and citric acid added as preservatives.
I swear, I had no idea if I'd made soap or simply a big mess in the kitchen! Colored the entire batter slightly with the olive leaf and separated out some to color with leftover AC mixture to which I added Eggplant purple mica. The batter had to be stuffed into the individual moulds, so I'm surprised that I managed any degree of swirl whatsoever! My soap is a familiar shade of grey ... seen this color here on SMF before, LOL.
Hoping it morphs a bit. Nothing like washing with soap that looks dirty, is there?
