Zap Test-Used the Tumeric

[Guest]

I must be the most paranoid hp soaper known to man. Let me first say I have never licked a battery, that I can remember...

everytime I make a batch, esp hp, I keep licking it. So my last babypoo colored batch, if I stick my tongue on it, no zap...if I leave my tongue on it, I get a nasty taste after about 30 seconds and when I take my tongue off I get a slight tingling sensation, but I know that could be the FO, right?

Is a true lye heavy zap, something that makes you "back the f-up"?

I also put a ph test strip to the soap, I got what first looked like an 11, then when it dried looked like a 7 reading. I just cooked the soap yesterday. It got rock hard immediately after cook. I'ma wait at least 3 days before I use it because when I wash with soap after cook, I get very critical of it...and paranoid...

 

[Guest]

I just washed with a bar I made two months that I know is mild, I put one end of the ph test strip to that soap and the other end to the new soap and got the same exact reading.

Question-when making hp, will soap that goes to the vaseline state always be lye free? I'm thinking that lye heavy soap is the creamy island that disappears as the soap cooks and the clear gloppy stuff is oils/soap with the lye cooked away?

am I right about this?

 

[donniej]

It sounds like your soap is OK. Next time you make a CP batch, a few hours after you mold it, touch a bit to your tongue... it will zap.

I'm not sure PH test strips will work for testing soap. PH is a feature of water so non-water things like soap don't tend to test well with PH strips. In order to get an accurate measurement of unreacted lye still in the soap you need to do a titration. Dissolving a little soap in water or alcohol and adding some turmeric should work too. If the trumeric turns purple then it's over PH 8.5.

 

[xraygrl]

when I make stain sticks at zreo superfat, it will still go to the vaseline stage, so yes a lye heavy would do the same. Unless it is SUPER lye heavy, it will just feel like a tingling sensation on your tongue.

What temp are you cooking at and what lye solution strength, also what liquid was used? I'm thinking that possibly too much water is cooking out before the sap is finished and that is why you are getting a zap after the cook. Let the soap sit for a week and give it a try.

pH strips really aren't accurate for testing soap. The pH of handmade soap is usually around 9-10. Since you are getting a reading of 7, which is neutral, this should tell you that they are not accurate. Read this little tidbit from Millers soap page about pH of soap:

http://www.millersoap.com/phtome.html

And last but not least since this seems to be an ongoing problem, check your scale.

 

[Guest]

It sounds like your soap is OK. Next time you make a CP batch, a few hours after you mold it, touch a bit to your tongue... it will zap.

I'm not sure PH test strips will work for testing soap. PH is a feature of water so non-water things like soap don't tend to test well with PH strips. In order to get an accurate measurement of unreacted lye still in the soap you need to do a titration. Dissolving a little soap in water or alcohol and adding some turmeric should work too. If the trumeric turns purple then it's over PH 8.5.

cool, your saying, regular tumeric, the spice?

 

[donniej]

Yup, I did a little write up with pics recently.... click here...
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... c&start=15

It's about half-way down.

 

[Guest]

Yup, I did a little write up with pics recently.... click here...
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... c&start=15

It's about half-way down.

Donnie you are so SMART! Thank you, i will buy tumeric tommorow, I think I will feel alot better if i can test my soap creations in a more objective manner.

and I'm tired of lickin my soap 8)

 

[Guest]

when I make stain sticks at zreo superfat, it will still go to the vaseline stage, so yes a lye heavy would do the same. Unless it is SUPER lye heavy, it will just feel like a tingling sensation on your tongue.

What temp are you cooking at and what lye solution strength, also what liquid was used? I'm thinking that possibly too much water is cooking out before the sap is finished and that is why you are getting a zap after the cook. Let the soap sit for a week and give it a try.

pH strips really aren't accurate for testing soap. The pH of handmade soap is usually around 9-10. Since you are getting a reading of 7, which is neutral, this should tell you that they are not accurate. Read this little tidbit from Millers soap page about pH of soap:

http://www.millersoap.com/phtome.html

And last but not least since this seems to be an ongoing problem, check your scale.

I think you are right about the water cooking out too fast. The top of my soap was a lil dry and crumbly. I will soap at 33% to 38% water, somewhere in between for hp from now on. I started the batch on low in my crock pot but I had somewhere to go so I put it on high for 1/2 hour. I only used a 33% water solution and 50% of the water was tamarind nector and cocnut milk (which was frozen when i added to the lye water).

It cooked 1 hour and a half

 

[xraygrl]

Yes Def use AT LEAST a 33% solution for Hp, or somewhere in between 33-38%, Hp really needs the liquid through the cook to finish the sap.

 

[Guest]

well I couldn't resist, i showered with my baby poo colored soap. It is dry, as It flaked for a couple rounds in my wash cloth. I think I am finding either an aversion to high coconut oil content soap or unfinished saponification. I feel clean but not dry. Looking forward to testing it with tumeric tommorow.

The rose mica seems to be trying to show through but it is a seriously doo doo colored soap. The rebatch I added also gives the affect of an undigested meal, combine that with it's smooth glossy look after my shower and I have.......a great gift for all my out of town relatives waiting for free samples of my soap

 

[Guest]

I disolved a piece of my soap in tumeric water, it did make the water more golden, so then I dropped abt 5 lye pellets in it and saw it turn reddish purple. Thank you Donnie, I feel alot better about my soap. I think I am just sensitive to high coconut content and I need to use higher water in my hp.