Used pomegranate juice instead of water?

[fredntan]

Ehhh it's my 4th batch.

Decided to see what happens if you use pomegranate juice instead of water?

I mixed things up last night.

Added the lye to the juice...I made a tiny booboo.....I used a Mason jar as my lye mixing jar....

It cracked shortly after...just a hairline crack....I put the whole jar in my big soap pot...saw the tiny crack...Crack... it off into a better container. A big plastic tub that used to hold the pool chemicals. It had been used in my soap making before...I decided to let everything cool until today. I went ahead and mixed or melted coconut oil with avocado oil.....I just used microwave this time for coconut oil.

It went to trace just fine this morning....just doesn't smell good? I added a bottle orange EO.....its a lovely maroon color....

Probably have to throw the whole thing out.

I am looking for a name for my one day soap business???
My adult girls are wanting to learn too.
I do want or will donate most proceeds to metavivor.
It's the only breast cancer charity that donates all money towards stage 4 breast cancer research.
I think I will reach out to them.

 

[fredntan]

The soap has turned a icky green sage color....lol
Smells okayish...I can smell the orange EO I put in. I only paid 3 bucks for the EO...lol
I frequent a local wholesale grocery resale store....its where things go after they leave a grocery store

 

[earlene]

I am so glad you caught the crack in the Mason jar soon enough to prevent disaster! Did you strain the lye solution prior to mixing it in with the oils? Even if you did, I would not want to use the soap. Even the tiniest shard of glass can cause horrible damage to tender body parts (think lady bits). I just would not want to risk it.

As for what to expect color-wise, it's an interesting experiment and I would watch it over time, with the caveat to put a HUGE warning label to NEVER USE THIS SOAP so I didn't accidentally wash even my hands with it (due to the possibility of a tiny shard of glass.)

I have broken many glass items over the years, fine crystal, mason jars, Corningware, Pyrex, as well as run of the mill drinking glasses and so forth. It's amazing how persistent those little tiny shards of glass can be!

 

[fredntan]

Good point! Darn it I should have strained it...I will just toss this one. It's no big deal. I will just mix from now on in the thick pool containers....its thick plastic...
Glad it wasn't worse...omg I can not imagine a lye spill!

Maybe I will think up a safety gear thing if this very thing was to happen? In hospital when I was nurse we had spill kits for fluid that was to be used in emergency....

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

And also for others reading this thread - please never use glass! No matter what anyone else says or what their experience has been, just don't do it.

And regarding spills, just having cloths to hand and being in an area with running water should be okay (for rinsing lye off of you there is nothing better than running water anyway) because yes accidents can happen, but do you have anything in the kitchen specifically for dealing with burns from boiling water? Probably not, and statistically you're more likely to end up spilling boiling water than you are lye solution (as you likely boil water more often than you make lye solution)

 

[TheGecko]

Rule #1 - NEVER. EVER. Use glass for mixing your Lye Solution!

I would not use a container that held pool chemicals. If you need a bucket, you can get food grade ones fairly cheap.

Juices have lots of sugars…sugars can overheat and burn resulting in awful colors and smells.

If you are going to use Essential Oils, please purchase them from reputable suppliers and follow safe usage rates.

From lessons learned:

- I don’t wear my rings when soaping. I thought I was safe taking off my gloves while cleaning up and got a little bit of batter under my wedding set. When I got up the next morning, my finger was hurting and swelling…I barely got my rings off. If I had waited any longer, they would have had to be cut off. I had just the tiniest of burn marks…it was two weeks before I could put my rings back on.

I spilled Sodium Hydroxide. I had measured it out, then got distracted and set it aside. I swept, then sprayed the floor with white vinegar, then rinsed twice with water. A couple of weeks later I was moving some stuff around and notice these little brown spots on the floor. At first I couldn’t figure out what they were and then I realized they were burn spots…from the Lye.

- I don’t always wear gloves, or long sleeves or long pants or shoes, but I do wear safety glasses…over my glasses. One day I was banging down my mold from some gloppy soap and a bubble burst and I got hit in the side of the face. If I hadn’t been wearing safety glasses with side guards, the batter would have gotten passed my regular glasses.

I always have extra rags. I mix my Lye Solution in the sink. I have running water a step away. I have a spray bottle of vinegar to neutralize spills (surfaces, not skin). And I have a really good burn ointment…Water Jel.

 

[Ford]

Another note. Some older,dated videos. Use glass for everything. Good for making videos. Not good in every day practice. I myself had done this. Until I learned better.
Also pyrex and mason jars. Are not indestructible! 123 plop, 123 drop, 123 plop.... just practicing for the dance. Next Saturday night.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Just a little bureaucratic nitpicking, between all these glass shard & lye spill horror stories: Fruit juice also contains acids, that will neutralise a bit of the lye, and lift your superfat if you don't compensate for it. Idk if it's a big deal with pomegranate, but it certainly is when using lemon/lime juice.

 

[Orebma]

Just a little bureaucratic nitpicking, between all these glass shard & lye spill horror stories: Fruit juice also contains acids, that will neutralise a bit of the lye, and lift your superfat if you don't compensate for it. Idk if it's a big deal with pomegranate, but it certainly is when using lemon/lime juice.

I had no idea about the need to amend NaOH when using lemon / lime juice. That was a great article - thank you

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

It's best to wash off splattered or spilled lye that gets on your skin is w/ "water" its the quickest & best way to avoid prolonged burning or injury to you.

I wouldn't use the soap if you didn't strain the lye solution after noticing the crack in jar. Great example as to why we don't ever use glass for mixing lye.
Happy Soaping

 

[Arimara]

It's best to wash off splattered or spilled lye that gets on your skin is w/ "water" its the quickest & best way to avoid prolonged burning or injury to you.

I wouldn't use the soap if you didn't strain the lye solution after noticing the crack in jar. Great example as to why we don't ever use glass for mixing lye.
Happy Soaping

The bolded can't be said enough. It's best to use water to rinse off lye solution or soap batter off your skin. Vinegar, being an acid, would have a reaction to any lye present on the skin and actually cause more damage to the skin. Also, as @ResolvableOwl stated, be mindful of juices, if you use them. Apparently pomegranate juice is very acidic (which must explain its horrible taste ) but I have no idea how much of what acid is in that fruit. At least with citrus, you know it's mostly citric acid you're dealing with (it's really better to use citric acid powder if you want a more consistent result).