Crumbly, rather oily/moisturizing soap

[CrystalWater]

Hello, guys. I really need your help on this. I've tried making my first soap 2 days ago after reading everything I could about it and it turned out crumbly on the sides where I cut it, but it was rather soft and moisturizing. I've used SoapCalc for the recipe and I'm pretty sure I've measured everything right. The recipe was like this:

Total oil weight: 1400g (49.384 oz) - olive oil 65% 910 grams (32.099 oz), coconut oil, fractionated 20% (9.877 oz), palm oil 15% (7.408 oz)
Superfat 2%, I've added 4% more at trace - melted cocoa and shea butter 2% each + 15 ml essential lavender oil
Water as percent of oil weight 38%
Lye concentration: 28.648%
Water:Lye Ratio = 2.491:1
Sat:Unsat Ratio = 28:62

Soap Bar Qualities:
Hardness 37
Cleansing 19
Conditioning 61
Bubbly 19
Creamy 18
Iodine 63
INS 155

I thought it looked okay so this recipe is what I've used. After I poured the soap into the molds I noticed after a while a thin layer of oil above the soap, but it went into the soap again overnight as it got harder. I've waited 2 days and I've cut it, it was soft and crumbly - so disappointed. What can I do about it? Can I rebatch it, melt it in the pot all over again and add some water to it or it will stay like this forever? Should I wait 4-6 weeks to see if something changes or should I try melting it now and adding water? Please, help. Thank you.

 

[CrystalWater]

Also, this is how it looks:

 

[Hazel]

I think your recipe looks very nice. It sounds like what had happened to a couple of my batches awhile back. Because I hadn't had this occur before, I checked on Miller's Troubleshooting page and it was explained as too much heat loss/inadequate mixing. I rebatched them and they turned out fine.

http://www.millersoap.com/trouble.html
http://www.millersoap.com/trouble.html#symptomslist

I'm not saying that your problem was caused by heat loss/inadequate mixing but this is what it sounds like to me. I wouldn't add extra water since you just made it. There should still be plenty of water in it for rebatching. Just chop up the soap, put it in a double boiler or crockpot and cook it. Stir it really well when you see it get to the "translucent" phase and then put it in a mold. You could add a little extra shea or cocoa at this point if you want some unsaponified. The cooking should have caused most of the lye to be used up. I don't recommend a lot - either 28 g of one or 14 g of each. This small amount won't raise the superfat percentage too much. It looks like it would only be about 7%.

Also, I recommend adding all your oils and butters together since lye is still active at trace. Most of the saponification occurs between 12 to 48 hours so you're not going to know which oils might remain unsaponified for the SF. I say most of the saponification occurs during this time period because I've had some batches which still had active lye 4 to 5 days after I made them.

Please post back and let us know how it turns out.

 

[CrystalWater]

Thanks a lot for the tips, I'll rebatch it and tell you how it looks. I really appreciate your reply.

 

[Hazel]

You're welcome! If you're not sure about rebatching, here are some links that will give you more info. They explain it much better than I can.

How to Rebatch Soap
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapm ... ngsoap.htm


pure&simple’s Rebatch method - you have to scroll down a bit to see her posts.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28489

 

[CrystalWater]

It could be heat loss/inadequate mixing since it was my first try, I mixed the lye solution and the vegetable oils at 100F, I should've gone higher I guess, next time I'll start at 110-115F, also I'll mix it longer, it can't be bad. I've rebatched my soap and I'll see in 24 hours how it looks. Thank you for your help, you're a nice person.

 

[Bama]

I look forward to seeing your rebatched soap

 

[HutCar92]

I would agree with Hazel. I had this happen to one for my first soaps, I didnt mix it enough and when I poured it there was a layer of oil on the top. The next morning the layer had turned into a weird softish layer, it had a similar color as your soap does. I never rebatched it, it was tongue neutral but that layer never really got hard! haha. I had poured it into a cardboard box with no insulation. Don't let it discourage you!!! It takes patience (which I have little of) and practice, it gets a little easier each time! Good luck

 

[Hazel]

I mixed the lye solution and the vegetable oils at 100F

That's about the temperature I had my batches around. I've noticed I tended to have problems when I work at lower temps so I learned to always keep stirring or stickblending until I get a medium or a little thicker trace. I've also learned ITP swirls work out best for me so the heavier trace doesn't cause much of a problem with swirling. I just have to do a few extra stirs with the spatula to spread the colors out more. I can't get the lovely wispy swirls but I'm happy with the results.

Thanks for the compliment but I'd be the first to admit I'm not the nicest person here. I have my grumpy moments.

I'm looking forward to seeing your rebatched soap.

 

[Lindy]

When I rebatch I shred the soap with a cheese grater. I then put it into the microwave at 80% power and zap it for 90 seconds several times. After each zap I pull it out and stir it, then put it back in for another zap until it becomes liquid again. And believe me it will become liquid. Now if the soap was made at 35% lye concentration then I will mist water onto it, or add a bit of glycerine in order to get it smooth. This is also how I scent my solid shaving soaps. Once it's made I grate it and put it into pails so all I have to do is measure it out, add a titch of water and melt it. It becomes so smooth it's almost like a melt & pour. Once liquid I add my fragrances, zap one more time for 30 seconds and pour.

I don't hate rebatching any more....

 

[Hazel]

Thanks for the wonderful tip! I think I'll try this with a couple of bars just as an experiment because it sounds so easy.

 

[Lindy]

Hazel you'll be astonished at how fab this is. I have one of those containers that has a base to collect whatever you're slicing, grating or whatever and I use that because it is so easy and the shredded/grated bit are inside. If you add water or glycerin, do it slowly.

 

[Hazel]

I'll try this and let you know how it turns out. Although, it probably will be several days before I do it.

 

[Lindy]

LOL - I really look forward to how you find this method.

 

[CrystalWater]

So, I just cut the soap and I have to say THANK YOU! You saved my first batch of soap. It might not look fancy, but it's what I've wanted and I've worked hard for it. I'll learn more about it as I make more, so I look forward to it. Here's the proof:

I'll have to turn these over so they can cure evenly. What can I say, I'm a happy girl right now.

 

[Hazel]

I'm so glad it worked out and the soap looks great! Thanks for posting the pics.

Did you add a little more shea and cocoa?

 

[CrystalWater]

No, I just left it the way it was, next time I'll add more stuff to it. Thanks.