Help, my soap paste is drying!

[Michelle Anugrah]

I'm making liquid shampoo using tussah silk that I dissolved into the lye water. The paste seized within 10 minutes of hand blending. Now, I'm cooking the paste on my slowcooker and it seems to be drying out in parts, not cooked. The parts that touch the walls of the crockpot becomes like wax and they don't melt. I've been cooking for 2 hours and no change. How do I save this?

Thank you!

 

[DeeAnna]

I'd say your soap is doing just fine -- it's just that you are unfamiliar with the process and don't know what to expect. The initial seizing and the firm paste on the walls are normal. That's what liquid soap paste is like when it's emulsified and saponifying.

If you've been cooking for 2 hours, your soap is probably finished, so don't keep cooking it to death hoping for something different.

Have you zap tested it? If not, you need to do so. If the paste is zap free, you are done with that and can move on to diluting. Zap test tutorial - https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Hi Michelle, and Welcome!

I just went back and read your other thread where you asked about your LS separating:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/help-how-do-i-deal-with-my-liquid-soap-separation.76119/
Now you have a problem with your LS seizing.

Not to negate anything that DeeAnna said above, my question is, where are you learning to make liquid soap? There are many different methods for making LS -- some better than others. To make it easier to troubleshoot, can you share your recipe? and method?

You may also want to take a look at Faith's Liquid Soap for Beginners tutorial on Alaiyna B's blogspot. You might discover an answer to your problems there.

http://alaiynab.blogspot.com/2014/07/basic-beginner-liquid-soap-and.html

 

[Susie]

Just to let you know that there is no need to cook your soap. Truly. Just get it mixed enough that it no longer separates and put a lid on it and walk away. Go back and check it somewhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours, and if it has thickened and gelled (looks like you have areas with shiny, clear paste), then zap test. If it doesn't zap, start dilution. Or, you can store your paste a very long time in an airtight container. I use Ziploc bags, but just be sure the container is airtight.