Ugggggh! I could hurt myself!

[kellistarr]

But I won't. I'm so ticked, right now. I made OMH soap, but I forgot to add 8 ounces of oil! Now, my soap is lye heavy. My brain is farting out right now, what do I do with this soap? I can't wrap my brain around rebatching it.
I'm not getting how rebatching, and adding missing oil is going to fix what is obviously a lye heavy soap. I DID accidentally add too much castor oil, but nothing that's going to total 8 ounces.

All of my beautiful butters-gone. Online I read about rebatching lye heavy soap, but in the soapmaking companion, she says toss it. There is nothing about rebatching anything that is lye heavy in her book. To boot, this soap turned out so pretty. I have yet to cut this soap but I want to see the inside. I looked at the bit that I wrapped in paper to toss out (because I washed up my pots right away and it looks okay-no, I did not lick it).

I'm probably going to toss this soap, but can it be saved? Will rebatching
(ughhh!) save this soap?[/b]

 

[carebear]

You aren't getting how adding more oil to a lye heavy soap will help?

OK, lye heavy means either too much lye or not enough oil - and the result is the same.

So if you have not enough oil, you can smoosh it up (the heat helps with this) and add the oil.

 

[IrishLass]

Don't always believe everything you read in a soaping book. The author's opinion on what to do with a lye heavy soap is just that- her opinion. Soapmaking Companion was one of the books I read early on, and while there's lots of good info in there, there are also some things in there based soley on the author's own strongly held bias/opinion or preference that don't particularly hold water or sit well with me.

Many soapers have saved lye heavy batches by rebatching and adding oil back in, bit by bit as the soap is heating, and periodically checking for zap. If you do a search on the net for +Bunny +Lye +Heavy, you will find info on her (Bunny's) rebatching remedy for lye heavy soap. Sure, it's extra work and your finished soap won't be as pretty in looks as at the first, but if you can help it, it sure beats tossing out a batch and having all those oils go to waste.


IrishLass

 

[kellistarr]

Thanks, you guys! I know, Carebear, I know this. I think I was having a total soap breakdown! Even Hubbie, who knows nothing about making soap said the SAME thing.

And, yes, I must keep in mind that some things are the author's preference.

I just needed the experts to re-confirm! I will do the rebatch.

 

[carebear]

Ah yes, well frustration can cause a total brain shutdown. Almost causes panic, somehow - certainly makes me want to crawl into bed with the covers over my head sometimes, to eliminate all stimulus (especially people trying to "help (me) understand".

Been THERE!

(Preference, yea, and sometimes just total errors. I myself would toss it cuz I don't like my soaps rebatched - it's the look I don't like)

 

[PippiL]

Been there many times.Soap turns out so nice and you have to destroy the beauty.It hurts at first,later you don't even think about anymore.I just rebatched a soap and it turned out really pretty.But sometimes it does not.

 

[panzerakc]

Brief hijack -

Soapmaking Companion was one of the books I read early on, and while there's lots of good info in there, there are also some things in there based soley on the author's own strongly held bias/opinion or preference that don't particularly hold water or sit well with me.

IrishLass

Yes, she REALLY doesn't like the idea of animal oils (tallow or lard) in soap!

Irish, I also wanted to take this opportunity for a suggestion you made about combining tallow and lard in soap. When I first read that, I thought, "ooooh, I like the sound of that!" I've made a few batches with the tallow/lard combo, and both I and other users really like!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Anita