soap not tracing? (maybe too much water?)

[soappencil]

hi. this was my first time trying to make soap and everything seemed to be going fine until it wouldn't trace and just kinda stayed an eggnoggy consistency
I used:

250g coconut oil
250g canola oil
750g olive oil

with 174g lye and 450mL water

I'm not sure if I used too much water because the calculator said 415 but i was a bit scared of doing the whole crystal thing so I accidentally used a bit too much.

I'm trying to make bar soap. Thanks!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

That is a hefty bit of extra water (more than a 30% increase if my head calculations are right) and it is also a recipe made with mostly olive oil which can take an age to trace as it is

What did you do, in a but more detail? How hot was the lye solution and oils (approx is fine)? How were you mixing? How long did you go at it for?

 

[soappencil]

the lye solution and oils were both at approx 50 degrees celcius when I mixed them together. when i first put them together i mixed it by hand with a fork for about 20min and then used an electric whisk thing for about 10-20 min. for the next hour or so I reheated it to 50C twice and kept mixing it on the low setting every now and then.

overall it still seems fairly well blended and its not separating into layers or anything. there just seems to be a little bit of water on the top and thats it

can it still be saved?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I've only ever used a stick blender, so I don't know how well an electric whisk would work, epsecially on low. I would suggest getting one, even from a charity shop, as it makes mixing a lot easier.

If there is water on top, it still needs some time being mixed up a little bit more.

 

[soappencil]

i ended up just letting it sit for about 2 hours and then it actually firmed up nicely and became a thick creamy texture instead of being so watery

it turned out fine but thanks for the help! i'll also take a look at some stick blenders, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Glad it came good - I remember making a Castile (100% Olive oil soap) last year and it took an age, even with the stick blender. Need to make another this year, too