First time, did I make a mistake?

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Rpod

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Hi all,

Forster time poster and soap maker. I followed this blog post to make my first batch which is now curing.

https://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-soap-2/

I may have made one mistake. After I added the lye water to the oils, I probably only stirred for a minute or two before using the stick blender. It certainly looked well mixed to me. This guide (and a related guide it links to) makes a big deal about stirring for a full 5 minutes, otherwise you may have pockets of lye left over in your soap. I can't imagine that after using the blender there are parts that did not get mixed, but that's what this guide says.

For what it's worth, everything else went smoothly and looks great. The blender whipped it up into a nice pudding like trace and the color looked much like the pictures in the guide.

So I am wondering now what is the likelihood I will have lye left over in my finished product? And what is the worst case scenario with that? I have not felt what a lye burn feels like. If I was using this soap in the shower would I notice it?

Thanks!
 
I only mix to emulsion myself. However, run as far as you can as fast as you can if you ever see a recipe in cups! Always, always, always measure by weight not volume (assuming you don't want lye heavy soap that is). And always run the recipe through a soap calculator. You would be amazed how many people out there posting soap recipes have no clue how to make soap safely. As for the likely hood of your soap being lye heavy, there is no way to know from the numbers if you measure by volume. To check if your soap is lye heavy or not check on youtube on how to do a "zap test". If it is only slightly lye heavy it can cure out with an extended cure. There are limits to how much can cure out though (one of our members once made a -40% lye discount just to test this theory).
 
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The link gives the recipe in liquid measures, which is usually a no-no. It is best to use weight measurements, that way the recipe can be more exact. After you cut the soap, do a zap test with each bar, (touch the tip of your tongue to the surface of the bar). If you don't get what feels like a small electrical shock when doing the zap test, then the soap should be OK. If the lye was thoroughly dissolved before adding to the oils, then there should not be bits of lye in the soap. I suggest that you study Soap Queen TV and Soaping 101 tutorials for beginners on YouTube before making another batch.:)
 
Hi and welcome!

If you used the stick blender, then there should be no un-mixed lye in your soap. However, do the zap test to be sure:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30690

It is a sticky on the Lye Based forum. Matter of fact, there are excellent stickies on both the Beginner and Lye Based forums that would be really helpful to read. We tend to use a lot of acronyms here, and it will help you enormously to understand what we are talking about.

I second the "watch the videos" suggestions. Here is a four part series that will help enormously. Also, you can search YouTube for Soaping101, who has other beginner videos.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR6ttCSrLJI&list=PLAADF6209996265D2[/ame]
 
Hi and welcome!

If you used the stick blender, then there should be no un-mixed lye in your soap. However, do the zap test to be sure:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30690

It is a sticky on the Lye Based forum. Matter of fact, there are excellent stickies on both the Beginner and Lye Based forums that would be really helpful to read. We tend to use a lot of acronyms here, and it will help you enormously to understand what we are talking about.


I second the "watch the videos" suggestions. Here is a four part series that will help enormously. Also, you can search YouTube for Soaping101, who has other beginner videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR6ttCSrLJI&list=PLAADF6209996265D2
Yes indeed! Listen to the Soap Queen. Heeding her advice can keep you out of the emergency room.
 
Ok, thanks for all the good responses! Sounds like I could do better but there's a good chance this batch is not garbage, I will do the zap test to find out when enough time has passed.
 
The zap test can be done as soon as you cut. If it zaps, let it sit and test again later. Depending on how lye heavy a soap is, that process could take days or even even weeks but usually it is done much quicker.

The internet has some good information on soap making but I'm afraid that link is not in that category. In addition to the very important points raised by the others, there are some other problems as well. For one, never spend $66 of a gallon of coconut oil like the link would direct you!

Stick around here, particularly with posts over the last few years, and you will learn reliably good information.

Oh, and by the way, welcome to the forum. Consider dropping a thread in the Introduction section so folks have a more appropriate place to greet you.
 

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