Oh Lordy What have I made?

[SmockingRN]

I am not sure what I have made. Might be soap or maybe not??? I am really new, this was batch #9. Found an online recipe with heavy cream and coconut milk. Changed that recipe a bit and ran it through Soap Calc. I have a real nice beachy fragrance from Nurture Soap...Ready to go! First step freeze the coconut milk. UhOh, it’s not milk, it’s mostly a solid. Hmmm.... microwaved it a bit til it liquefied, froze some. Got all the oils melted, weighed, etc....Just need to mix the lye into the coconut milk. Whoa! It turned into a very thick, ugly, orange brown paste and did not smell good...Check can and find I have not coconut milk, but coconut cream...decide to continue. Strained the very thick lye mixture into oils but couldn’t get it all out of the bowl. Mixture looks a little better...but will NOT come to trace. Add the fragrance, blend at least 5 minutes and finally it’s in the mold. It looks ok. Check the can again and OH NO, this coconut cream has sugar, guar gum and a bunch of other ingredients! Just wondering if this might possibly turn out ok?

 

[Kcryss]

Just wondering if this might possibly turn out ok?

Well, I technically have no answer for your question. Since you added the lye to a lot of fat it might not work fully with the remaining fat after you combined. Time will tell.
I LOVE coconut cream! Makes really good panang!

Maybe one of the experienced soapers will come on later and give a real answer.

 

[cmzaha]

Here is a link for a good article on figuring the amount of fat when using milks. There is a lot of information on this site written by DeeAnna from the forum and our chemist guru.
https://classicbells.com/soap/nutritionLabel.asp

 

[atiz]

It sounds like you may end up with a higher-than-planned-superfatted soap (due to not accounting for the extra fat in the cream). I've done that before and it was okay; you just have to wait a few days and see.

 

[SmockingRN]

Well, I technically have no answer for your question. Since you added the lye to a lot of fat it might not work fully with the remaining fat after you combined. Time will tell.
I LOVE coconut cream! Makes really good panang!

Maybe one of the experienced soapers will come on later and give a real answer.

Thank you. I think that is prob the best answer possible! The lye/coconut cream mixture did look a lot like soap. It sure turned into an eye catching color, and fast, too! I think I have had more than my share of beginners luck so far.

It sounds like you may end up with a higher-than-planned-superfatted soap (due to not accounting for the extra fat in the cream). I've done that before and it was okay; you just have to wait a few days and see.

That is encouraging! I went and looked at it and it looks fine. It’s been 2 hours and it is barely warm. I was worried it might make one of those soap volcanoes!

 

[KiwiMoose]

I wouldn't add the lye directly to the coconut cream. The fats in the cream will start turning into soap as @Kcryss has suggested. I usually make a strong lye-water concentration and add the coconut cream to the oils. The strong lye concentration takes into account the water content that is in the coconut cream.

 

[SmockingRN]

I wouldn't add the lye directly to the coconut cream. The fats in the cream will start turning into soap as @Kcryss has suggested. I usually make a strong lye-water concentration and add the coconut cream to the oils. The strong lye concentration takes into account the water content that is in the coconut cream.

Thank you for this good advice. I am going to try again just as soon as I find real coconut milk (and read the label first).

 

[Kcryss]

Thank you for this good advice. I am going to try again just as soon as I find real coconut milk (and read the label first).

I kept buying the canned coconut milk for soap. I would use what I needed, put the rest in the fridge and then it would spoil before I wanted to use it again. Now I just make it from unsweetened coconut shreds and hot water, strain through a nut milk bag and freeze in 50g portions. The bits that get filtered out can be used as a mild exfoliant.

 

[SoapSisters]

I do the same as @KiwiMoose. I bought a liter of pure coconut cream, poured it into ice cube trays and froze it so that it would keep for longer. Before use, I defrost in the microwave and add to my oils. I find that even a little bit adds to the feel of the lather.

 

[bookreader451]

I used coconut cream in a HP soap and to say it ended up weird is an understatement. The soap cooked very fast, hardened almost the minute I took the lid off to stir and left hard cooked pieces that wouldn't color. When I cut it the uncolored pieces left a polka dot effect. I was upset because my friend had asked for purple lilac soap.
When I planed and beveled it I ended up liking it very much. It is still curing but I added it to my happy accidents and haven't used coconut cream since.

 

[SmockingRN]

I used coconut cream in a HP soap and to say it ended up weird is an understatement. The soap cooked very fast, hardened almost the minute I took the lid off to stir and left hard cooked pieces that wouldn't color. When I cut it the uncolored pieces left a polka dot effect. I was upset because my friend had asked for purple lilac soap.
When I planed and beveled it I ended up liking it very much. It is still curing but I added it to my happy accidents and haven't used coconut cream since.

.


I am finding out that soap making can be a wild ride at times! Very much appreciate all the experience and good advice available on the forum.

 

[cmzaha]

I love coconut cream in soap, but I use the 50/50 split method adding the coconut cream to my oils not my lye solution figuring out the fat and water content of the coconut cream. If I want more Coconut milk I add in powdered the same as I use powdered GM.

The color change you experienced was most likely scorching of the Coconut cream. Also, I would not have strained the lye solution but stick blended in all the solution whether thick or not. You actually lost some of your lye upping your superfat in your soap. Most milks will react with the lye solution forming soap especially if left to sit a little while. Since you use Coconut cream you had more fat for the lye to react with.

To answer your original question, you made a higher superfatted soap than you intended.

 

[MGM]

I kept buying the canned coconut milk for soap. I would use what I needed, put the rest in the fridge and then it would spoil before I wanted to use it again.

I kind of do the opposite....I use half a can of coconut milk or cream for cooking, then freeze the rest for soap making.

Speaking of which, maybe that should be today's soap....another salt soap with coconut oil and coconut cream and a beachy fragrance. Goes well with all the snow outside!!

 

[Kcryss]

I kind of do the opposite....I use half a can of coconut milk or cream for cooking, then freeze the rest for soap making.

Speaking of which, maybe that should be today's soap....another salt soap with coconut oil and coconut cream and a beachy fragrance. Goes well with all the snow outside!!

I haven't tried coconut cream in soap yet. I will have to give it a try! Sounds wonderful! I love the beachy fragrance idea!

 

[SmockingRN]

So that’s why it changed into a red- orange stinky glob! I did follow the recipe, well, except for using the wrong ingredient . I am going to try again and will follow your good advice. I have been very lucky with my 8 previous batches... but sometimes I need to learn the hard way!
To answer your original question, you made a higher superfatted soap than you intended.[/QUOTE]

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I also use the split method to add my coconut or other milks and I stick blend the milks into my oils before I add the lye. If I use liquid milk, I just add it directly. If I use powdered milk, I dissolve it the water. I did two batches this morning, one with coconut milk and one with light cream. The base recipe has soy wax and I keep it on the warm side (115F right before I add the lye and then temperature goes up to close to 130F). This was the first time I used milks with that recipe, so I am anticipating the possibility of some darkening of the soap.

 

[TheGecko]

I am going to try again just as soon as I find real coconut milk

Check the baking aisle, should be next to the canned goat milk.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Check the baking aisle, should be next to the canned goat milk.

My local grocery store carries coconut milk, but not goat milk. The coconut milk is next to the evaporated and sweetened condensed milk.