my soap is thicker than pumpkin puree

[clownking99]

my ingredents are listed down below-
i coulda sworn that my temps were the same?
once i added the lye mix to the oils and started to blend it got SUPER THICK- like pumpkin puree
what could have gone wrong? is it still fixable?




250g goat milk
117 grams lye beads

olive oil - 247 grams
coconut oil -248g
palm oil -165g
shea butter - 124 gr
castor oil - 42 g
fragrance oil - 42 g

 

[clownking99]

can someone give me the top 3 reasons this went wrong?
soon as i started blended (high speed just for 3 second spurts)
added the scent to the oils after all were heated up and shea butter

could the temp diffrences done this? tho i thought they were the same?

its officaily clumpy and i cant use

 

[TeresaT]

(1) you didn't run your recipe through SoapCalc?
(2) you used far too much FO
(3) this would have been fine if you used the correct amount if FO?
With the amount/rate of FO/kg I don't believ you can save it.


ETA: I had to play with SoapCalc for a while to come up with the 250 gm goat milk and the 42 gm FO. 30.25% WATER TO OIL (not lye to water like I had) ratio is not common. Neither is a 51 fragrance ratio. WHERE did you get those numbers/this recipe? What lye calculator did you use?

 

[not_ally]

ClownKing, you've posted several times about your first soap, I think several of us have told you that it would be best to keep it simple. It seems from Teresa's check that your numbers might be off. Really, it would be best to start w/a v. basic recipe, checked carefully, and go from there. Lots of people will be willing to offer opinions on that, but no one will be able to on the current basis.

 

[Susie]

You would truly benefit from using a good soap calculator and sticking with the default numbers on things such as fragrance oil percentage, and water as percentage of oil weight. Just go with the basics until you get much more experience.

 

[Obsidian]

That sounds like your soap seized. Top reasons are:

1. your FO, what did you use and where did it come from. Using too much didn't help any either
2. using a lot of hard oils, palm and a high amount of shea are asking for trouble
3. Soaping too warm. You oils/lye don't have to be the same temp but the warmer they are, the faster it will trace.

I would guess it was the FO, that seems to be the most common cause of seize. It can be saved but whether or not it will be safe depends on what FO you used. Some aren't safe at that amount.

You have 2 choices with a seized soap, you can plop it in a crock pot and proceed to hot process it or you can wrap you soaping bowl in a towel and wait for it to go into gel. If you choose the second option, once its in gel you'll want to mix it really well before molding it.

 

[clownking99]

not safe to mix due to sieze? or for my body ? :-0

 

[Obsidian]

for your body. Some FO will irritate skin or cause other issues and you used quite a lot. Some will be safe at that amount though, thats why we need to know what it is and where it came from.

 

[clownking99]

found the recipe in her video @ about 6:50
i felt like i followed it to a 'T' tho i used red unprossesed palm oil

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdp4zy7b9Ag[/ame]

 

[Susie]

You always, always, always run every last recipe through a lye calculator for yourself, no matter where you get it from.

 

[clownking99]

the FO was 'artminds' brand that i purchased from michaels
says soap fragrance not soap oil?

 

[Susie]

Most soap fragrances available at Michael's and Hobby Lobby are intended for the melt and pour soap that they sell there. You need to only purchase fragrance oils intended for use in cold processed soap.

 

[clownking99]

could that possibly be the cause?

 

[Obsidian]

Watched the video. It traced really quick for her, add in a FO that causes acceleration and its no wonder you got a thick mess. This wasn't a good choice for a beginner recipe and in all honesty, unless you have skin that tends to be oily, it might be too harsh since it has quite a lot of coconut oil.

Yes, the fragrance oil you used is not made for cold process soap. How is soap doing now? Is it getting soft in the crock pot?

 

[clownking99]

could you possibly shoot me a recipe and i try again? using some of the same stuff?

 

[clownking99]

i also have lard on hand :-0

 

[Dahila]

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldprocesssoapmaking/ss/sscpsoap.htm
he has a lot of recipes

 

[Susie]

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldprocesssoapmaking/ss/sscpsoap.htm
he has a lot of recipes

That you need to run through a lye calculator for yourself.

My standard recipe to tell newbies to try is this:

Palm/Lard/Tallow 60%
Olive Oil 20%
Coconut Oil 15%
Castor Oil 5%

Superfat 5%

Use essential oil or fragrance oil intended for use in cold processed soap. Or better yet, go unscented and uncolored so you limit what can go wrong.

 

[not_ally]

People here have been very kind to you, on multiple threads. Please, just do do the following for your first soap: use a combination of the "trinity", palm/lard, OO and coconut. Or go higher w/lard, which is easy to get in the US, which is where you are, I believe. If you want an easier/slower tracing formula, many folks will be happy to provide it. Lard is good, as far as I am concerned. The perfect soaping oil if you are ok w/animal fats (which, if you eat eat meat like most of us do, you should be.)

Forget about FO for your first batch, which seems to have been problematic. Likewise milks.

This board is enormously useful if you take a bit of time to research.

 

[Jstar]

Im sorry, but I gotta say it..not to be snarky or mean, so please do not take it that way.

I have been watching you post about your first soaping project for days now, and you are all over the place.

We can't help you if we are chasing threads all over the forum..its too confusing..and we WANT to help. So please, please keep it in one thread, and listen to the advice given.

I would start out saying what others have..first and foremost...run every recipe thru a calculator before you do ANYTHING else.

Second, start out with 2-3 basic oils, preferably slower movers, forget about FO's or any other additives..including any other liquids such as milks, teas, coffee's etc..use water.

You need to get a basic feel for how just the soap comes together, and how it performs..and get comfortable with it before you start adding things...that way you will 'know' when something is going wrong, or is about to..and how to avert a disaster, or lose alot of product...or heaven forbid make something that is dangerous.

Just remember, your first soap doesn't have to be a work of art..it takes patience and ALOT practice..and you will have failures..even seasoned soapers have them.

Slow down and enjoy the learning of making artisan soap..we'll be right here with you to help you and to congratulate you