What did I do wrong?
Here's my recipe:
Cocoabutter: 6ozs.
Lard: 8 ozs.
Coconut oil:6 ozs.
Castor oil: 6 ozs.
Avocado oil: 2 ozs.
Olive Oil: 8 ozs.
Water: 12.1 ozs.
Lye: 4.4 ozs.
I had Masterbatched lye (equal lye amount to equal water amount) so I calculated it out to be the lye amount subtracted from the water amount which equaled 7.7 oz.
12.1-4.4=7.7 additional water.
Since the lye was at room temp, I warmed the oils and left them warm for mixing. Stick blended to what appearred to be trace. Added 2 ozs. of Pineapple/Coconut FO and 3 tsp. Vit. E and hand mixed that in.
Seperated the soap into two containers for adding color. 1 tsp. of Lemon Drop Pop Mica in one, added 1 tsp. of Pearle White Mica in the other. (I wanted the white part to be whiter. Thought I'd try the mica since I had it. Mica doesn't do it....Note to self: buy some TD.)
I wanted to do Agriffins' two color soap with the divider down the middle and to try the coat hanger thingy. (Sorry Agriffin...I don't remember the name of it!) Had the DH hold the divider down while I poured. Mostly went ok. Tried to do the decorative squiggle down the middle with some soap colored with charcoal. That part looked pretty crappy.
Put the loaf mold in the oven at 170 degrees. Sprayed with alcohol to prevent ash. Let it sit for 1/2 hour, sprayed again. Shut off oven.
Thinking back on it now...when I looked at it to spray with alcohol the second time, it maybe looked a little...funny... like it was starting to seperate a tiny bit on the top, not much, just a little tiny bit....But I just left it alone. (hind sight is 20/20, aint't it) I usually leave it in the oven overnight and take it out for cutting the next day.
The results the next morning when I took it out of the oven?:
A rubbery, oily puddly mess. Yellow-ish oils on the top and leaking through the freezer paper liner. I decided to let it sit in the mold while I went to work. Come home to the same thing. Used a papertowel to sop up some of the oils so I could take it out of the mold to cut it. I only cut it once down the middle.
It was rubbery and weird. That was Monday. It's Wednesday night. No different. Still oily, still rubbery, although not as much, but still nasty.
Any huge red flags? Any tiny red flags?
The only thing I can think of was that my oils were too hot compared to the room temp lye. Some people swear by using accurate temps to soap, others just dump it together. I've been a dumper. Never worried much about temps. Should I change my process?
Is there anything I can do with my gelatinous mess? I'm thinking if I hadn't sopped up the oils with a paper towel, I probably could do something with it. Now, since I've skewed the ratios, I should just chuck it? But I'd really like to know what I did wrong first.
*sigh... Soaping is fun. Soaping is fun. Soaping is fun. I keep telling myself this. I know this to be true...
But soaping can be **** frustrating too! :wink:
Any advice? And please don't tell me to get a new hobby!
Here's my recipe:
Cocoabutter: 6ozs.
Lard: 8 ozs.
Coconut oil:6 ozs.
Castor oil: 6 ozs.
Avocado oil: 2 ozs.
Olive Oil: 8 ozs.
Water: 12.1 ozs.
Lye: 4.4 ozs.
I had Masterbatched lye (equal lye amount to equal water amount) so I calculated it out to be the lye amount subtracted from the water amount which equaled 7.7 oz.
12.1-4.4=7.7 additional water.
Since the lye was at room temp, I warmed the oils and left them warm for mixing. Stick blended to what appearred to be trace. Added 2 ozs. of Pineapple/Coconut FO and 3 tsp. Vit. E and hand mixed that in.
Seperated the soap into two containers for adding color. 1 tsp. of Lemon Drop Pop Mica in one, added 1 tsp. of Pearle White Mica in the other. (I wanted the white part to be whiter. Thought I'd try the mica since I had it. Mica doesn't do it....Note to self: buy some TD.)
I wanted to do Agriffins' two color soap with the divider down the middle and to try the coat hanger thingy. (Sorry Agriffin...I don't remember the name of it!) Had the DH hold the divider down while I poured. Mostly went ok. Tried to do the decorative squiggle down the middle with some soap colored with charcoal. That part looked pretty crappy.
Put the loaf mold in the oven at 170 degrees. Sprayed with alcohol to prevent ash. Let it sit for 1/2 hour, sprayed again. Shut off oven.
Thinking back on it now...when I looked at it to spray with alcohol the second time, it maybe looked a little...funny... like it was starting to seperate a tiny bit on the top, not much, just a little tiny bit....But I just left it alone. (hind sight is 20/20, aint't it) I usually leave it in the oven overnight and take it out for cutting the next day.
The results the next morning when I took it out of the oven?:
A rubbery, oily puddly mess. Yellow-ish oils on the top and leaking through the freezer paper liner. I decided to let it sit in the mold while I went to work. Come home to the same thing. Used a papertowel to sop up some of the oils so I could take it out of the mold to cut it. I only cut it once down the middle.
It was rubbery and weird. That was Monday. It's Wednesday night. No different. Still oily, still rubbery, although not as much, but still nasty.
Any huge red flags? Any tiny red flags?
The only thing I can think of was that my oils were too hot compared to the room temp lye. Some people swear by using accurate temps to soap, others just dump it together. I've been a dumper. Never worried much about temps. Should I change my process?
Is there anything I can do with my gelatinous mess? I'm thinking if I hadn't sopped up the oils with a paper towel, I probably could do something with it. Now, since I've skewed the ratios, I should just chuck it? But I'd really like to know what I did wrong first.
*sigh... Soaping is fun. Soaping is fun. Soaping is fun. I keep telling myself this. I know this to be true...
But soaping can be **** frustrating too! :wink:
Any advice? And please don't tell me to get a new hobby!