It's finally happened...UGH...The dreaded separation...

[AlchemyandAshes]

Why do I try to experiment with too many variables in one recipe??? :roll:
I had complete and total separation today ...as in 3/4" of oil on top, solids on bottom. It's the first time I've tried Room Temp Cold Process AND/OR Coconut Milk in a batch...it was an epic fail. Let me enlighten you as to how this failure (and subsequent rebatching) has occurred:

16 oz Coconut Oil
12.8 oz Palm Oil
32 oz Olive Oil
3.2 oz Pumpkin Seed Oil
2.1 oz Flax Seed Oil
13 oz Coconut Milk (frozen slurried)
8.8 oz Distilled Water
9.2 Lye
4 Tbs Honey (liquified with 1 oz warm water) added at trace
3 oz Sweet Orange EO added at trace
4 tsp Nutmeg/Cardamom/Cinnamon/Allspice/Ginger Powder added at trace
Total Oils: 66.1 oz
Total Liquids: 21.8 oz
Total Lye: 9.2 oz
Water discount: 38%
Super fat: 5%

I ran this thru my SoapCalcPro App and Brambleberry's lye calculator and got 2 different liquid amounts, so I may be off 4+ oz of liquids...however, I didn't consider that the fats in the coconut milk could pose a problem (I didn't strain them out) and initially thought this was the problem. I melted the coconut oil and palm in the micro, just to liquify, then added the other oils. I froze my coconut milk/distilled water, then added my lye. It warmed up, but not hot. I let it dissolve good for about 15 mins, so it really was only room temp when i blended into my oils. It took 30 mins to trace, even with stick blending, and it wasn't a firm trace, but between light and medium. I poured it into (2) 3 lb loaf molds, covered lightly, put in a cardboard box, and ate lunch. In 45 minutes, it had completely separated! :x

So I flopped the gelatinous goo and oily mess into my crockpot set on low, whirled it back together with my SB...and walked away to curse the soap gods and grumble curse words for a minute. Or five.

I usually CP around 110 degrees or so, and never use milk. After hearing how it overheats, I thought RTCP may help, so I gave it a whirl...maybe not enough of a whirl and that's why it separated? Not enough lye? Ooh, but I messed this one up good...HELP!

 

[Hazel]

Wow! That is an ambitious batch but it looks like it will make a lovely soap. I don't know what to suggest since I don't see anything that would be a problem. I think the lye and liquid amounts look fine. I can only make a guess that maybe...and I want to emphasizes maybe...it was the cooler temps. Perhaps there wasn't enough heat to really start saponification. Did heating it in the crockpot help?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Well, it's been in the crock pot for over an hour, and it's staying in a weird gelatinous phase, not like Vaseline, or mashed potatoes, or applesauce...more like when fatty gravy gets cold :?
I've removed a blob and washed my hands...awesome lather, great scent...tongue tested and it's only "tangy", no real "zap". Do you think if I glob it into molds it will ever set up? I hate to waste so many ingredients, but I've rebatched before and never seen anything like this! I'm tempted to add a tiny more lye mxture and see what happens :shock:

 

[Hazel]

I wouldn't add any more lye. It sounds like it has started to saponify since you stated it's "gelatinous". Your soap may not have the appearance of Vaseline or mashed potatoes. When I've done HP, I never had a single batch look like Vaseline and they only looked like mashed potatoes if I squinted and looked at it sideways. I'd leave it cook a little longer and test again for zap. Have you stirred it a bit?

 

[agriffin]

That is really interesting. Did you remold it? I'd love to know how it turned out.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

UPDATE...WITH VISUALS!
This is after I SBed it into submission in the pot...wish I had taken pictures of it before I dumped it in, for those so lucky as to never had separation occur :shock:
[attachment=2:3touj57v]SpiceTrade_Pot.jpg[/attachment:3touj57v]

Then, I crammed the @#$%* into my 3lb loaf molds. I would not surrender! :twisted:
[attachment=1:3touj57v]SpiceTrade_Mold.jpg[/attachment:3touj57v]

After 36 hours, it actually firmed up to the consistency of cheesecake and I was able to unmold it quite easily ! I had to be super careful cutting it with my straight cutter, but I persisted in my endeavors...and conquered! :wink:
[attachment=0:3touj57v]SpiceTrade_Cut.jpg[/attachment:3touj57v]

It looks and smells like gingerbread! It keeps getting a little darker as it dries out, but it DOES lather, despite how oily it is. I have a feeling that I lost a lot of lye in the separation, as it did leak off the top into the cardboard box I had set them in when I tried to remove the molds to dump it in the crock pot. It absolutely does not zap...I'm not even sure I can call it soap at this point...but it's been encouraging that it actually firmed up from it's pudding stage, and it does lather! There is hope!

 

[Hazel]

Yeah! It looks great to me!

I wouldn't worry about the oiliness. It will probably absorb and just think how soft your skin will feel after using this soap. I had a batch (actually I've had several ) which slightly separated and it did have a bit of oil on top but it gradually reabsorbed after awhile. I don't remember how long it took - maybe a week or so? BTW, I enjoyed your post. It made me laugh. I'm glad you wouldn't surrender and eventually conquered.

 

[Kansas Farm Girl]

I wish my rebatched soap looked so good when I glop it into the molds and then cut it. Mine never looks this smooth, it is always lumpy looking, no matter how long I leave it in the crock pot and how much stirring I do. I bet this smells wonderful too. Glad it was finally beat into submission.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

In the cut picture, you're seeing the bottom of the bars...the top is lumpy, but I like it that way
I had to turn them over because they're so oily I'm trying to let all sides air out. If this is actually soap by the end of curing, I'll click my heels

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Well, no heel clicking shall commence. There was no saving this Frankenstein of a "soap". Today it was still like a sponge and was starting to smell "off". I have lain it to rest...may it be reincarnated into the soap it was meant to be.
A moment of silence, please.

I think it lost too much lye after the sloppy separation that oozed out of the box. That's my diagnosis.

 

[Hazel]

How many days did you leave it set? What do you mean it smelled off? I hate the idea that you have to toss it. Are you sure you can't set it on a shelf and give it a little longer?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

I wish I could have saved this one, but in all my soap making, I have never had this happen. It wasn't like cream cheese or even paste, but spongy and squished apart at the slightest touch, like natural peanut butter (the kind you have to mix). It kept getting darker, and today it started to smell like oil that's going rancid. My sister said it smelled like yeast when you're making bread...ugh! That should teach me not to try a new technique AND ingredient on a 6 lb batch! Sometimes I get a little ahead of myself in my excitement to try new things...

 

[Hazel]

I'm so sorry this happened. I'd be terribly upset if I had to toss out a large batch.

Farewell Spice Coconut Milk Frankenstein Soap!

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

ROFLMAO...I love the tombstone!

 

[Hazel]

Thanks! I thought it was appropriate. I got it from freesmileys.org in the basic smiley section.