Not emulsified?

[Deborah Long]

Another beginner question for my all-knowing new friends here:
Today I tried a spin swirl (again - we won't even TALK about what happened last time!). I *thought* that my liquids were mixed enough, and got my 4 pitchers ready, but then looked again at my batch and SB it some more. By the time I added colorant and fragrance, the batch was too thick to spin, so I just stick swirled my colors and it will be soap and I hope nice looking as it smells great.

So, my question is - what can I do if I stop TOO early (my obvious fear) and the mixture really has *not* emulsified? What can I do at that point? How would I even recognize that? lol

Thanks to all for being so supportive and non-judgmental! I appreciate you ALL!

 

[DeeAnna]

If the mixture didn't stay emulsified, the batter would not look consistent. There will be lighter and darker colored swirls or layers of watery liquid and fatty liquid. When you start to stick blend the soap batter, try SB'ing in very brief pulses and watch the batter as you pulse. You may be able to see the swirls as the SB'er brings up the lye solution into the fat mixture.

You can get an even better idea of what I mean if you use a transparent bowl for making your soap so you can see the layers of liquid. I don't recommend using glass for making soap for safety reasons, but just once ... for educational purposes only ... you could use a clear Pyrex glass bowl as your soap pot so you can see what's happening.

Another hint that the soap is sufficiently emulsified is to watch the surface of the soap batter. You'll need some sideways light for the best results. Watch the light reflecting off the surface. The reflections will be shiny at first like you're looking at a clean pane of glass. When the batter reaches emulsification, the surface becomes ever so slightly duller, a little like a window pane that isn't quite clean and has a little bit of greasy residue.

I see a lot more complaints here that stem from over mixing as long as a stick blender is involved. I'd say situations where the soap has separated in the mold are caused far more by overheating in the mold than by not enough mixing, again if someone is using a SB'er. Too much sugar, a lot of coconut oil, a too-warm oven (CPOP method) are common triggers for separation.

I'm never quite entirely sure when to stop mixing either -- emulsification is a subtle thing -- but that doesn't stop me from trying because I think the reward is worth the risk. The way I see it, if the soap separates in the mold, what's the worst that can happen? I might have to throw away some crappy soap, right? But if my soap always comes to heavy trace so I can't do the design I had planned, is that any better?

 

[Deborah Long]

@DeeAnna Well, I do have a glass bowl that I can use for that, thanks! I can and do see the lighter and darker swirls and can tell which are oils, too. So, if it's not emulsified, just throw it away and start again? I can do that! It's all an experiment at this point for me!

As far as my batch went, it's very plain, but odd looking! I could have put it in a loaf pan and it would have been gorgeous! lol Still - it will be soap and it smells great!

 

[Zing]

Deborah, I have watched this video in this thread
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/stickblending-to-emulsion.60618/#post-730343
100 times and still working on this fine line.... Your soap is gorgeous.

 

[Deborah Long]

@Zing - Oh my gosh, so have I! lol Thanks - it looks rather silly with 4 different colored corners! lol And I love how I can see my drag marks from trying to swirl after my spin swirl didn't work! The bottom looks pretty good! lol I'll add a picture of the bottom

 

[DeeAnna]

I would wait until the soap is saponified and cut before deciding whether the batter was properly emulsified or not. But, yeah, the solution to a soap that separated in the mold would be to toss it ... or you can save all the liquids and solids as best you can and rebatch the whole thing.

I honestly think you'll be fine. As I said before, I tend to wonder a bit too about whether my soap batter is properly emulsified, but so far (knock on wood) I've never had a failure.

 

[Zing]

@Zing - Oh my gosh, so have I! lol Thanks - it looks rather silly with 4 different colored corners! lol And I love how I can see my drag marks from trying to swirl after my spin swirl didn't work! The bottom looks pretty good! lol I'll add a picture of the bottom

Okay, the bottom needs to become the top! It's a beautiful swirl. I think, in general, sometimes we are super hard on ourselves -- but the recipients are just so excited to get homemade soap and don't see the imperfections and disappointments that we do. Lately I've been calling my mistakes the "rustic look."

 

[amd]

Target has clear plastic containers that are soap safe! I always think it's worth a few bucks to be safe Plus, slow learners like me have to do this more than once to get the feel of it. Seriously, it took me 2 years to master emulsification. Target's clear totes were my friend for a long time.

 

[Deborah Long]

@DeeAnna I am waiting and we shall see! lol
@Zing Thanks so much for the compliments!
@amd Thanks for the tip! I guess I'm visiting Target today! LOL

 

[Deborah Long]

so, 4 days later and this soap is still so soft that it 'bends' when I try to cut! LOL It doesn't zap, but it's gonna be another 4 months before it's hard enough to use - if ever...
Still smells awesome!

 

[Deborah Long]

@amd So, is this the container you're talking about? https://www.target.com/p/sistema-klip-it-23-6oz-round-container-with-basket/-/A-50496952

 

[amd]

No. They're in the tote section. More like this

I can't give a direct link because of work firewall (I actually had to email myself the link to view it on my phone, ha!).

 

[Deborah Long]

@amd - Thanks!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Hi Deborah - I was a victim of over stick-blending, and had a lot of problems until I watched that video link^
It was DeeAnna that 'taught' me to take it easy with the SB and I now find I can pour my soap rather than 'scoop' it into molds. I put a photo of my 'soap on a stick' in the thread on ricing,volcanoes and other problems thread.
Now I just blend minimally until the 'oil slicks' have disappeared off the top and I'm having much more success.

 

[Deborah Long]

@KiwiMoose Thanks!