Failed batch?? Help!

[kdtay]

I posted in regards to this dismal failure a couple of weeks back. Well, to update you, I rebatched the soap. I think I went beyond the norm and rebatched it 2, possibly 3 times. Yeah, I know, should have tossed it weeks ago but I hated the waste, and did I mention stubborn?? Anyway, the last time I rebatched it (yesterday) I added a little mango and coconut oils, hoping it would perpetuate hardening of the bar. Looks to be to no avail - the end result is always a thick, leathery layer on top of the bar but gelatinous below, on the sides, ends, etc. I use wooden molds and don't dare try to remove unless I want oozing goo everywhere.

Question: Is there any future for this mess - besides the trash? I wondered, since it wants to be runny, can it be repurposed into liquid handsoap or am I facing bacterial growth issues?? I am not a seller and I would probably end up with gallons of liquid since my mold is 5 to 6 pound size. Go ahead, tell me to toss it if that is the best result. PS - Don't yell at me, I am SO new to this wonderful soap-making addiction (obviously). I sure appreciate any information anyone can send my way...yikes!

 

[youreapima2]

I have a batch of soap from last year that was a major catastrophe. I kept the bars, and shaved them added water and new F/O and use it as liquid soap. Because of the Shea-butter in the bars it makes a wonderful liquid soap. It took a while for the soap to turn into total liquid (approximately 1-2 weeks) at first it turned into a gloppy THICK gel, I broke the bottle in half, and added more water, and now it's a nice creamy liquid soap The CP soap I made into liquid was also one of my 1st few, I added fresh strawberries, and used the wrong colors, and the strawberry f/o disappeared totally.

I seen some videos on youtube on on how to make dish soap, and laundry soap out of CP soap. Which is where I got the idea to turn my botched batch into dish soap.

You could try doing that with it.

I only rebatched once myself, and aside from taking most of the day, it turned out horrible and I had to throw the batch out. I think I would rather try to salvage the soap myself, and try making liquid, dish soap, laundry soap out of it rather than just throw it away though.

I'm sorry if I couldn't be much more help, but I thought that perhaps it would also give you an alternative to your soap gremlins

 

[judymoody]

Hi ktday!

I went back to your original post and it looks like you used full water and a 10% SF. Given that you used mostly OO and a small % of Castille, I would expect the soap to be soft and take time to firm up. Regarding the rebatching, clearly something has gone wrong but I'm not quite sure what. Perhaps you did not cook it long enough? When I have rebatched separated soap it becomes taffy-like in consistency and kind of translucent but the consistency is uniform throughout.

How much hard oils did you add when rebatching? I ask because it wouldn't make your bar harder, it would just up the superfat and probably make the soap even softer.

Unfortunately I don't have any experience in transforming failed CP into liquid soap. Hopefully somebody else will chime in.

 

[sudbubblez]

There is a future for that soap, but you will have to add lye to it. Adding those butters during rebatch didn't do anything for hardness as there was no lye to transform them into soap. All they did was make the soap softer.

Pretty much anything can be saved with rebatching as long as you know what you did and how to fix it. The solution here is to calculate how much lye you need for all that extra fat you threw in there. And even if you don't know exactly but have a general idea, you can incorporate additional lye, in small parts at a time. Or, you can run this same recipe (minus the additional rebatch fats) through soapcalc and set the SF at zero. Subtract the amot of lye you actually used from the lye called for to make 0%SF and that would be the max you might want to rebatch with (depending on exactly how much additional oil and butter was added).

If you want this to be liquid soap you will need a preservative. Something way more serious than ROE or GSE.

Even overly superfatted bars made with soft oils will harden eventually. You might try oven processing the soap in the mold after next rebatch to help dry it.

 

[kdtay]

Hi ktday!

I went back to your original post and it looks like you used full water and a 10% SF. Given that you used mostly OO and a small % of Castille, I would expect the soap to be soft and take time to firm up. Regarding the rebatching, clearly something has gone wrong but I'm not quite sure what. Perhaps you did not cook it long enough? When I have rebatched separated soap it becomes taffy-like in consistency and kind of translucent but the consistency is uniform throughout.

How much hard oils did you add when rebatching? I ask because it wouldn't make your bar harder, it would just up the superfat and probably make the soap even softer.

Unfortunately I don't have any experience in transforming failed CP into liquid soap. Hopefully somebody else will chime in.

Oh, I am so new here and am having problems figuring out where to "reply" to your post. Sorry if I'm tramping on your turf!! Thanks for your response! I added 2% hard oils when I rebatched. So now, the gloppy mess is in a mold - it originally sat in the mold for 2 wks before I rebatched the last time. You mentioned adding lye and I can figure out the additional amount required. My question is: WHEN do I add the lye? Do I warm it up and then add it or ?? I don't want the volcano I've heard mentioned in other posts. I rebatched the first time in the oven for at least an hour on very low temp and the second time I used my crockpot on low/warm setting and it was in there for at least 3 hours with the lid cocked partway thru in an attempt to evaporate off some of the moisture. When I rebatched, the mixture had a smooth, even texture. It only forms that leathery skin once in the mold......any further help/comments would be wonderful. Thank you!!

 

[sudbubblez]

You can add the additonal lye at any time. Hot process as well as rebatching are very forgiving. You can throw everything in there in the beginning and as long as you mix it thoroughly once it melts down, there shouldn't be any problems. If your soap is already very wet, I'd mix the lye at 1:1.


Cooking the soap uncovered in the crock pot and stirring every so often might be more effective for drying it out than OP-ing the mold.

 

[sudbubblez]

The initial problem of never hardening could have come from under-stirring. Olive oil is prone to separating from full water recipes if its not blended enough. Really should use a stick blender or a conventional blender for castile soaps.

 

[kdtay]

The initial problem of never hardening could have come from under-stirring. Olive oil is prone to separating from full water recipes if its not blended enough. Really should use a stick blender or a conventional blender for castile soaps.

Thank you for your imput so greatly appreciated! I rebatched this again last night and added (according to my calculations and soapcalc) just under 1/2 oz lye. I warmed the batch first to just over 100* before adding the lye solution - both lye and soap were at approx 100*. I kept it in my crockpot and set it to "high" for 3 hours total although w the lid on. I stirred quite regularly after the initial 1/2 hour/lye introduction. It seemed to be "working"; getting kind of translucent; fairly smooth and vaseline-y in appearance.

I initially used a stick blender from start to finish in the original batch and never had separation. I used a wooden spoon and rubber spatula during
rebatch. Once finished, I put it back in the mold and covered with plastic and then a heavy layer of towels. Today it almost looks as if it gelled backwards in that the edges are translucent and the top center appears to be solidifying - or sort of solidifying - it is still spongy but I guess that is to be expected at this stage of the game. It was still slightly warm this morning but once cooled I removed the plastic and towel layer - the plastic had a bit of fine condensation. The soap is also giving off kind of a "urine odor" but I will bide my time yet again. How long before I know it flopped (again)?

 

[sudbubblez]

If the soap has any kind of dairy product in it, the ammonia smell is normal and will fade. Even if its soft now, it will firm up eventually.

The plastic is for CP soap that still has active lye. It prevents ash by shielding the soap from the air. The towels are also to keep CP soap warm so it will gel evenly. Neither of these are necessary for hot process as the lye is neutralized in the pot. Without active lye, the soap won't ash or create its own heat to gel... with rebatch or HP its already geled in the pot anyways.