Egg Yolk instantly congealing with castile soap

[Anstarx]

I've made a batch of castile soap last year with cow milk as water and added one egg yolk to 400g of oil. It worked well overall so I decided to make another batch this year.
I did everything the same way I did last time. Room temp 100% EVOO, frozen milk with a little water to dissolve the lye, cool to room temp, sodium lactate and cane syrup added to the oil and blend well.
The only differences being I used 700g oil since that's all the EVOO I have left and I want to switch to PUOO later (cheaper and easier to work with), and I used two egg yolks instead of one since I used more oil. No FO or EO.
After emulsion, I poured a little soap batter into the the cup holding the yolks. I used a little frother to blend it and the yolk instantly...congealed? It's the only way I can think of how to describe it. Here's a picture I took after.

I rarely use egg yolk only when cooking so I don't know if it's something egg yolk do when being mixed on its own.
It was stretchy and solid at the same time, tangling around my frother. I tried to pull it off with my hand (gloved!) and it felt almost rubbery. I pulled off as much as I can and blend again, only for it to got tangled again. Eventually I just filtered out the egg bits left and finish soaping without the egg.

I wonder happened different this time? Was there be anything in my soap batter that could caused the egg yolk to congeal? Maybe blend the egg with my lye first? Separate some milk from the lye for blending and add to oil directly? I would like to continue adding egg to my castile since I prefer them over regular castile.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I've made a batch of castile soap last year with cow milk as water and added one egg yolk to 400g of oil. It worked well overall so I decided to make another batch this year.
I did everything the same way I did last time. Room temp 100% EVOO, frozen milk with a little water to dissolve the lye, cool to room temp, sodium lactate and cane syrup added to the oil and blend well.
The only differences being I used 700g oil since that's all the EVOO I have left and I want to switch to PUOO later (cheaper and easier to work with), and I used two egg yolks instead of one since I used more oil. No FO or EO.
After emulsion, I poured a little soap batter into the the cup holding the yolks. I used a little frother to blend it and the yolk instantly...congealed? It's the only way I can think of how to describe it. Here's a picture I took after.
View attachment 54505
I rarely use egg yolk only when cooking so I don't know if it's something egg yolk do when being mixed on its own.
It was stretchy and solid at the same time, tangling around my frother. I tried to pull it off with my hand (gloved!) and it felt almost rubbery. I pulled off as much as I can and blend again, only for it to got tangled again. Eventually I just filtered out the egg bits left and finish soaping without the egg.

I wonder happened different this time? Was there be anything in my soap batter that could caused the egg yolk to congeal? Maybe blend the egg with my lye first? Separate some milk from the lye for blending and add to oil directly? I would like to continue adding egg to my castile since I prefer them over regular castile.

Ive never personally used egg in soap but heres a great article from @DeeAnna website that explains everything you could want to know about making egg soap.
https://classicbells.com/soap/eggSoap.asp

 

[lsg]

Others have mentioned stick blending the beaten eggs into oil, then adding that mixture to the rest of the oils, before adding lye mixture.

 

[DeeAnna]

You added soap batter containing active lye to undiluted egg. That was the trouble.

You have to dilute the egg with fat or other liquids before the egg sees any lye.

Put the egg into your fats and blend them together. Then add lye and make your soap.

 

[The_Phoenix]

I’ve used egg yolk in soap. I blend the yolks (room temperature egg yolks incorporate more easily than cold) into the oil before adding my lye solution.

In addition to fat, an egg yolk contains roughly 20% protein. Introducing the egg yolk to the alkaline environment of active lye (@DeeAnna, do I have that right???) altered the protein (this is where my cooking brain isn’t paired with my soaping brain).

 

[Anstarx]

Thank you for everyone's help!
I guess I was lucky that my first batch actually turned out okay lol. I think the next time I make egg yolk soap I will blend it with room temp oil first before I add the lye. What a learning experience!

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

You have to temper your egg yolks the way you would with cooking. You add oils to the egg yolks and start mixing them then you add a little of the warmer oils a bit at a time until you can stick blend the yolks fully into the oils. Then you add your lye.

 

[Ladka]

What quality does egg yolk impart to soap?

 

[Babyshoes]

What quality does egg yolk impart to soap?

I was also wondering that!

 

[DeeAnna]

What quality does egg yolk impart to soap?

I was also wondering that!

Have you clicked on the second link Jersey Girl kindly provided? Might be worth your while -- I think I answered this question reasonably well in that article.

 

[Babyshoes]

Have you clicked on the second link Jersey Girl kindly provided? Might be worth your while -- I think I answered this question reasonably well in that article.

Thank you, I missed that when I was skimming through, I'll take a look now.

 

[DeeAnna]

I hope the article answers your questions. If something is not clear, let me know and I'll do my best to help.

 

[Ladka]

Have you clicked on the second link Jersey Girl kindly provided? Might be worth your while -- I think I answered this question reasonably well in that article.

I missed that as well. Thank you, DeeAnna, for pointing it out.
So, if I understand correctly what egg(s) impart(s) to soap is water, fat, yelow colour and label appeal.

 

[DeeAnna]

In addition to water, fat, color, and label appeal, egg yolk and white also contain protein and egg yolk contains lecithin, a specialized type of fat. It seems likely the protein in the egg yolk was the root cause of Anstarx's trouble.

I don't know exactly how protein reacts with lye in the process of soap making, but I am certain they do react for the following reasons --

Some people smell an ammonia odor when adding lye to milk- or egg-based soap. Ammonia is a nitrogen-based chemical, and protein contains nitrogen.​

​

Some people report their soap batter curdles or forms hard chunks when making egg-based soap.​

​

Work done by Kevin Dunn showed the casein (protein) in milk curdles and changes color when it is mixed with lye. http://cavemanchemistry.com/HsmgMilkSilk2014.pdf​

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I find my egg soaps have a richer, creamier lather than the non egg soaps. I started adding eggs to my soap last year when I had an excess of eggs from my chickens and ducks. I use the whole egg not just the yolk or the white.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I use the whole egg too. I whip it into the castor oil before adding it to the rest of the oils.

 

[earlene]

Yes, you must have just been lucky the first time or forgot that you mixed it with oil first?

I really like soap with egg in it, as it boosts bubbles quite a lot and I also discovered that it cuts down on the drying effect of higher CO content soap as well.

I have made soap with both or only one part of the egg. Egg white for soap that I want to be white. Egg yolk only and also whole egg. Tempering with oil is the method I use when I add eggs. And I do mix it in very carefully, just as when I temper eggs prior to adding them to foods.

 

[Tara_H]

Egg white for soap that I want to be white. Egg yolk only and also whole egg.

Do you find you still get as much benefit using just the egg white? Our hens have just started laying again and we'll be overrun shortly so I'm always looking for great ways to use up eggs and parts of eggs!

I've been thinking about ways to make my LS more colourless and one option might be 100% CO, but I'm concerned about how drying that would be. If I can offset some of that effect using just egg white that would definitely be an experiment worth trying!

 

[earlene]

Do you find you still get as much benefit using just the egg white? Our hens have just started laying again and we'll be overrun shortly so I'm always looking for great ways to use up eggs and parts of eggs!

I've been thinking about ways to make my LS more colourless and one option might be 100% CO, but I'm concerned about how drying that would be. If I can offset some of that effect using just egg white that would definitely be an experiment worth trying!

It's been so long since I made soap with only the egg white. The time I did, it was because I wanted the soap to remain white. The yolks definitely lend a deeper yellow to any soap I've made that included yolks. But if I recall correctly, the soap with only egg white was just as bubbly and lathery as the soap with yolks, although, as I said, it's been a long time ago.

But as for using eggs in LS, that I've never done, so I cannot say how well it would work. And of course, if you SF your LS and add any organic such as eggs, I think you'd be risking bacterial growth.

 

[Tara_H]

if I recall correctly, the soap with only egg white was just as bubbly and lathery as the soap with yolks

Great, definitely worth trying then! My list of experiments to be done is growing faster than my ability to do them