Split batch - half zappy

[BlackDog]

Eight days ago, I made a batch of soap. After mixing my oils and lye mix, I stick blended until trace, and then divided the batch in half.

To one half, I added TD and white kaolin clay, plus NG British Burberry FO.

To the other, I added TD, poppy seeds, and NG Kiwi FO.

Then I poured into separate molds. Cut after about 18 hours, all is well.

Today, I went back for a sniff and noticed the kiwi bars looked a little....sweaty, for lack of a better word. I put a little soap sweat on my finger, tasted my finger, and lo and behold, my finger zapped! Then I tested the clay half - no zap on any bar. I've never had a soap zap after eight days, let alone *half* a batch. I wouldn't think that the additives or FOs could have an impact on the saponification? Or what else is going on here?

FWIW, my recipe was:
33.6 oz lard
11.2 oz OO
8.4 oz Coconut Oil
2.8 oz Castor Oil

21.3 oz coconut milk
7.75 oz lye
5% SF

*edited for clarity*

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

How did you add these additives and in what amounts? Ie, were they mixed with water or oil?

 

[BlackDog]

TEG -

Good question, got my mind working a bit.

The total batch was 56 oz oil, so we're looking at 28 oz oils per pour.

Before I added the lye, I took out two tablespoons of the oil mixture - separated them and added a teaspoon of titanium dioxide to each, so the colorant was ready to go. Then I added the lye to the rest, split, and added the tbsp of oil back to each respectively. Your question made me wonder why I did it this way when I could have just done the one measure and mixed in the TD before I separated it. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.

As for the others, I soaked my clay (about 1 1/2 tsp) in the FO (1 oz) for a bit and then stick blended in before the pour. For the poppy seeds (about 1 1/2 tsp), I just dumped them in dry and stick blended.

Do you think that maybe my one tablespoon of oil I pulled out was a little heavier than the other? I hadn't considered that part before, but now I'm wondering - maybe a big enough mis-measurement was enough to make one pour lye-heavy.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I can't imagine that such a small amount would do this, though. Jolly well stumped, am I.

 

[cmzaha]

If I am going to pour into two molds using different additives I would split the batch of oils and mix the lye separately for each batch. I am not to paranoid about lye heavy or other issues, but I do want to know for sure my lye is fully incorporated into the batter. When pulling out oils adding additives etc I would be afraid it could throw off the end result. Trace does not mean saponification only that you have a stable emulsification. Someone please correct me if I am wrong on this. If mixing all the batter in one batch, even when separating for layers, as long it is going into the same mold they lye will do what it normally does, go find it nice fats to saponification.

 

[BlackDog]

I can't imagine that such a small amount would do this, though. Jolly well stumped, am I.

hmmm, me too! Even if it is a bit lye-heavy right now, will that correct itself with an extra long cure or am I going to need to rebatch?

 

[BlackDog]

If I am going to pour into two molds using different additives I would split the batch of oils and mix the lye separately for each batch. I am not to paranoid about lye heavy or other issues, but I do want to know for sure my lye is fully incorporated into the batter. When pulling out oils adding additives etc I would be afraid it could throw off the end result. Trace does not mean saponification only that you have a stable emulsification. Someone please correct me if I am wrong on this. If mixing all the batter in one batch, even when separating for layers, as long it is going into the same mold they lye will do what it normally does, go find it nice fats to saponification.

Yes I wasn't too worried about it not getting mixed in, especially since I was hitting it with the stick blender to get the TD mixed in once I added it back to the larger batches. I just thought maybe my 'tablespoon' measurement was off and since I took the oils out before I added my lye, it threw off the lye/oils balance.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Trace does not mean saponification only that you have a stable emulsification...."

You're on the money, Carolyn!

"...Even if it is a bit lye-heavy right now, will that correct itself with an extra long cure or am I going to need to rebatch? ..."

Some people would rebatch, but I would let time be the solution. I doubt your soap is overly lye heavy the way you describe things, so I suggest you give the soap some time and see what happens.

 

[navigator9]

My guess would be that one batch gelled, and the other didn't. But after eight days, even the ungellled soap should have finished saponifying to the point that it's not zappy. You've got me! :wtf:

 

[BlackDog]

Thanks DeeAnna, I'm always in favor of the lazy option if I can get away with it:mrgreen:

navigator, it doesn't look like they've gelled. I wasn't actively forcing gel (small batches and used my log molds as slab molds so the layer was only 1.25" thick, kept in a cool room with a fan) But this is the first time I had used TD so maybe it gelled, but looks different than my gelled naked soap? Ugh so much to learn!