Hot process breaking issue

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Jenniferf45

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I've recently started making hp soap. I'm using the same recipes I've always used for cp. with the hp, I'll get about 3/4 of the way through using the bar and it will break and crumble. I've never had this issue with cp. any suggestions? I'll usually let them cure for a week or so before use but it's happened with bars that are 5-6 weeks old as well. The only difference between the hp and cp recipe is the addition of full fat yogurt and sodium lactate to the hp. Thanks!
 
What is your recipe? Also, cure time is no different between HP or CP, despite what you might have read. A soap at 1 or 2 weeks of cure time is not going to be "cured", and depending on your recipe, even at 5 or 6 weeks it might not be cured fully. I have a few recipes that are just not good until 3 or 4 month mark.
 
I hot process and this has only happened to my soap when I used sodium lactate. Don't know why. I just quit using it.
 
I highly suspect you may be using too much sodium lactate. How much of it ppo are you using?
I use no more than 3% ppo, and more often than not, 2% ppo (of the liquid kind in a 60% solution). If I use more than 3%, I'll get some crumbling, especially if I use a steep water discount.

IrishLass :)
 
Thank you so much guys! Off the top of my head, I think I'm using one tablespoon ppo. I'll try making it with just the yogurt and see how it does.
 
You may be right! So maybe the yogurt AND the sodium lactate was overkill and it made too much of it. Maybe I'll try cutting both out! Thanks!!
 
That might be what I'm using. I'm not near my recipe right now and can't remember if it's one teaspoon or tablespoon. Thank you for the post!
 
Fermented dairy has lactic acid, so, yes, it will create some sodium lactate when added to soap.

It's not a great amount, however. I estimated it would add 0.2% to 0.4% by weight lactic acid if you used yogurt for ALL of the water. A tablespoon or so of yogurt is not going to add anywhere close to that much lactic acid.

By adding 1 TBL ppo of SL, assuming you mean the liquid 60% SL solution, you'd be adding about 2% SL. If you're adding the powder, that would create about 3% SL in the soap. I'd think about reducing this closer to 1% or even eliminating it and see what happens.

If I recall correctly, don't dairy products + lye water also make sodium lactate?
 
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