Extra slow trace and drops on the surface

[Ladka]

I've been making my soaps several years but not more than three to four batches a year.
I use various fats ranging from sheep tallow to extra virgin olive oil.
Two days ago I prepared a smaller batch from:
- 270 g of EVOO - calendula flower extract
- 155 g of refined sunflower oil
- 40 g of castor oil
- 40 g of coconut oil
- 133 g of tap water
- 70 g NaOH
I kept the materials between 50 and 60 degrees Centigrade, with a short escape up to 65 deg, mixing manually with intermittent stick blending.
It would not trace even after two hours.
When at last a thin trace was produced I added two teaspoons of calendula flower extract (the same as above) for superfat and 20 drops of lemon grass EO.
I poured the batter into silicon moulds, placed them on a grid, covered with a foil and a blanket.
The next day I noticed sort of oily stains appearing on the paper underneath.
After 48 hrs I unmoulded the pieces of soap which were still rather soft.
After some hours I noticed drops of a liquid on the surface:

The pH of the drops was 14!
I now keep the soap pieces on a carton in the kitchen at about 22 degrees.
I've used all the ingredients before, except for the sunflower oil, using approximately the same procedure.
I intend to wait and see what is going to hapen. I might turn the pieces over so that the other side drips off.
Is there anything else I can - or should do?

 

[steffamarie]

According to my lye calculator, that recipe (minus the calendula flower extract) would give you a -1% superfat, aka that you have excess lye. Is that what you are going for? For a 5% superfat, I'm seeing 66g of NaOH. I'm unfamiliar with calendula flower extract, are you talking about an infused oil? You say you added this for superfat, but I'm having trouble calculating a true SF number just because of my unfamiliarity with this product.

I'm not surprised it took a long time to trace due to the large portion of liquid oils and also EVOO which is notoriously slow to trace. Maybe someone more experienced than I am can provide better feedback, but those are just my immediate thoughts. Be careful handling them!! I don't want you to burn yourself.

 

[Ladka]

Yes, it's infused oil. I consider the SF 0,1345 for it as I infuse calendula in olive oil.
I know these oils are slower to trace and make softer soaps, and usually also use sheep tallow or lard but this time I wanted to make some soaps for my vegan friend.

 

[SaltedFig]

Sheep tallow and lard both contribute hardness (as you know) and the sunflower oil will make an already soft soap a lot softer and slower to set (the olive is soft to start with, but becomes very hard after the cure). At about 8%, the castor will also add a lot of softness to the soap.

You are most likely seeing a very slow reaction that possibly is also drawing water to itself. The soap itself looks fine, but I would remove it from the absorbant surface and turn it regularly. Exposing it to air movement might also be helpful.

It should settle in about 2 weeks (the drops will stop occurring). The soap will be at a lower pH and zap free by then, if there are no errors in it's making. I would expect that this soap will be quite mild after a slightly longer cure than you are used to, but with a slightly higher final pH [*than your usual soaps] (you can have the two occur in the same soap). The soap may be more sensitive to DOS, so storage away from metal and keeping it out of sunlight will be a little more important than with your other soaps.

*extra detail, in square brackets, added for clarity

 

[Ladka]

Thank you steffamarie and SaltedFig for your explanation.
So I'm going to place it on a nonabsorbent surface and turn it daily. After two weeks I may try to dry it in a food dryer at a low temperature.

 

[SaltedFig]

The soap will always be softer than your usual bars. They will continue to cure, but the drops should have stopped by then.

If you want to try it, perhaps do a test bar or two, to see the difference before you commit the whole batch (dehydrating soap is reputed to make it a bit rubbery).

 

[Ladka]

I was wonderig - what plant-derived fat could I use next time to make the trace faster and the soap harder?
And also: would natural beeswax help?

 

[SaltedFig]

I like a little beeswax in soap - I make an olive based honey and beeswax soap that sets like a smooth rock after it's cured

To add initial hardness using a plant based fat, a lot of people use palm oil.
The hard butters have varying amounts of stearic/palmitic acid percentages and you could get close to your sheep tallow soap using these with your softer oils.

Beeswax and honey soaps, and the higher stearic/palmitic soaps will trace quicker than this soap

 

[earlene]

Here is a link to IrishLass's vegetarian/vegan friendly lard substitute formula: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/replace-lard.60723/#post-608370

Try that for a harder bar that will also give you a fatty acid profile similar to if you had used lard. The percentages she lists are for the total of what would be the lard portion of your soap. For example if you normally use 60% lard in a recipe, then only substitute 60% of the recipe with IL's mixture. It takes bit of re-calculating, but it's worth it if you like using lard in your soap, but want a non-animal fat soap.

 

[Dawni]

Here is a link to IrishLass's vegetarian/vegan friendly lard substitute formula: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/replace-lard.60723/#post-608370

Try that for a harder bar that will also give you a fatty acid profile similar to if you had used lard. The percentages she lists are for the total of what would be the lard portion of your soap. For example if you normally use 60% lard in a recipe, then only substitute 60% of the recipe with IL's mixture. It takes bit of re-calculating, but it's worth it if you like using lard in your soap, but want a non-animal fat soap.

I don't mean to hijack, but what if palm is also not an option? I can't find it, nor lard, nor tallow anywhere *scratches head*

 

[earlene]

Cocoa butter? Soy wax? Not to imitate lard, but harden soap.

I don't mean to hijack, but what if palm is also not an option? I can't find it, nor lard, nor tallow anywhere *scratches head*

 

[Ladka]

Thank you everybody for your ideas.
I'll consider beeswax, honey and cocoa butter and see what I get.

 

[Dawni]

Cocoa butter? Soy wax? Not to imitate lard, but harden soap.

And to imitate lard? Hehehe

Thanks earlene.. I've not tried any waxes yet but I've ordered beeswax for balms so that's next to do. Cocoa butter I already use.

Good luck @Ladka, let us know how it goes