What to do with lye-heavy cp soap

[Arlo]

[Edited to include recipe]
I made a small batch of soap 20 hours ago. I just unmolded it. It was tackier than I'm used to, although not soft. I used a pH strip and see the pH is 12. I compared it to a batch from two weeks ago that is curing. That batch is pH 9, normal. I haven't yet tried to figure out why this happened, but here are my questions for now:
- is the pH I'm getting now the final one or is there a chance it could still decrease?
- assuming it is lye-heavy, can I rebatch it to somehow to reduce the pH? I have never rebatched soap.
Thank you.

 

[Misschief]

If you could post your complete recipe, it would be very helpful.

 

[jcandleattic]

I made a small batch of soap 20 hours ago. I just unmolded it. It was tackier than I'm used to, although not soft. I used a pH strip and see the pH is 12. I compared it to a batch from two weeks ago that is curing. That batch is pH 9, normal. I haven't yet tried to figure out why this happened, but here are my questions for now:
- is the pH I'm getting now the final one or is there a chance it could still decrease?
- assuming it is lye-heavy, can I rebatch it to somehow to reduce the pH? I have never rebatched soap.
Thank you.

20 hours is too new of soap to test if its lye heavy.
Complete saponification takes anywhere from 24-72 hours, and pH strips are natoriously inaccurate for testing for active lye in a soap. "Normal" pH levels in handmade soap can range from anywhere from 8.5-12 - there are several factors that will determine the range, and you can have a soap that test high that is as normal as one that tests 9.
Saponification and cure are not synonymous and are not interchangeable terms. They mean completely different things.

After the 72 hour mark of your soap you can do the zap test. To learn what that is, search Zap or Tongue test and you will find many post on how to do that.

 

[Arlo]

20 hours is too new of soap to test if its lye heavy.
Complete saponification takes anywhere from 24-72 hours, and pH strips are natoriously inaccurate for testing for active lye in a soap. "Normal" pH levels in handmade soap can range from anywhere from 8.5-12 - there are several factors that will determine the range, and you can have a soap that test high that is as normal as one that tests 9.
Saponification and cure are not synonymous and are not interchangeable terms. They mean completely different things.

After the 72 hour mark of your soap you can do the zap test. To learn what that is, search Zap or Tongue test and you will find many post on how to do that.

This gives me hope! I'll give it the full 72 hours before concluding anything. Thank you for the explanation.