Made my first batch of soap, have I messed it up?

[VivaLeBeaver]

I think I took them out the moulds slightly too soon as a couple of them cracked but that's ok.

I've put them in a cupboard to let them rest for a few weeks and took a peek today. Have noticed that with the cracked ones I can see White crystals in the middle, it almost looks like the caustic soda granules but a bit flufflier.

I'm worried they didn't dissolve properly, though there was no sign of crystals when the soap base was liquid and it traced ok. I used cows milk rather than goats milk if that might have upset it?

Soap is six days old now.

I used to get that on mine - I never had the nerve to use them as I'd read that it could be sodium hydroxide granules. I'd be interested to find out, too.

Don't use it if it is neat NaOH!

Thats what was worrying me!

Slap - did you give up on the soap making or are you having better luck now?

You can let it dry a week or so more and see, but it sounds like it didn't soponify properly.

I used to do it compulsively before the DCs came along - but I found I went through a stage of always having a white powdery residue (but I hadb't to start with) and I never managed to get to the bottom of it. I couldn't figure out if it was the sodium hydroxide or the oil or what. Since then, there are a lot more soap making suppliers and which is better than buying caustic soda from hardware store, which is was I had been doing. I think I might have another go - you have spurred me on.

I recently went to a craft fair and there was a handmade soap stall. They also ran soapmaking courses and I was really tempted to go on one, they said that people usually left them confident enough to make up their own recipes. And I always like a good course... :)

I followed a proper recipe so not sure why it might not have sopinified properly.

Might try another recipe tomorrow and see how that goes. I did get my caustic soda from the hardware store though, do you think the stuff from soapmaking supply websites is better stuff?

I don't know for sure. It was just my theory based on nothing, really. I don't if anyone else has any ideas?

In the meantime, I remembered this soap-making supplier.

I used to get a white coating on the top of the soap, but not in the middle. I could easily scrape it off with a blade. But like slap, I always sourced the caustic soda from a soap supplier.

Which soap-supplier(s) have you used, Sansa?

Butterbur and Sage are good for essential oils.

(did you get the pinterest invitation, btw?)

I'm so glad I've found this Topic. I was beginning to think Mumsnet wasn't for me .

thisone

Thanks for the Pinterest invite, I'm LOVING it!

The just a soap website looks good. I'll order some caustic soda and some oils from there tomorrow.

Use pH paper to find out whether you have NaOH. Don't risk using the soap, especially near the eyes.

Ooh - that is a good site. Glad you're liking Pinterest.

Let us know how you get on Viva. I think I'm going to make some time to have another go.

Viva - sounds like it could be the lye has not disolved properly. Have you done the Zap test?

2 ways - lick the soap or lick you finger, rub it on the soap for a wee bit, then lick your finger again. if it zaps, it's lye. (and you will know when it zaps, if you're not sure, it's fine)

It could be that you didn;t get the soap to trace properly - when you add your lye to your oils, start mixing by hand with a whisk, till you see it going like a batter. then use your stick blender. Every now and then, stop the blender and use your whisk.

Also, once you've reached thin trace, add your smellies, and again mix in by hand so that the essential oils are mixed evenly throughout the batter (same with any colourants you add)

or, if you followed the recipe out of a book, you also need to check the kye calculation on an independent soap calculator. Never rely on the measurements the book gives you cos they are often out. Google soap calc and you'll get a good one

sansaLannister : I used to get a white coating on the top of the soap, but not in the middle. I could easily scrape it off with a blade. But like slap, I always sourced the caustic soda from a soap supplier

This is called Ash and is a perfectly normal part of the soap and is usable. there are various theories on ash, and sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't, though if you are like me when you've made a new soap and can;t resist having a sneaky peak, you might find you get ash. Some smellies are prone to ash more than others (I got about 4mm of ash on my pear soap and i really didn;t like that so i didn;t sell those ones) but it is just cosmetic. infact, my Lavender & patchouli soap has a light sprinkling of ash and against the purple colour is quite pretty.

Viva - enjoy making more soap - and you will also find soap making forums great for advice, often more so than the books.

Thanks Polly, I take it I won't hurt myself by licking it if it is lye?

I didn't use a blnder at all, just a spoon. Maybe this is where I went wrong.

lol, no you won't hurt yourself. I'm guess if is chrystals though that it will be raw lye and personally I would chuck it.

You can use a whisk and stir by hand but it will take you HOURS. Using a blender speeds up trace considerably. Keep blasting in 1 or 2 minute blasts with the occasional stir by hand, and trace will be when you take a spoon or the whisk, take a little mixture and dribble over the rest f the mixture. If it leaves a trace, i.e. doesn;t sink into the mixture. your soap is ready!

Well it def traced. The recipe said it would take 40mins and to give it the odd stir which I did. It did the leaving a trace along the top. It does look like crystals though.

I'm going to make some more with a different recipe tomorrow.

Might just be ash - I get that depending on circumstances for curing, but if you put clingfilm over the moulds it doesn't happen.

But I've always used proper soaper's sodium hydroxide - never got a result with the over-the-counter (as it were) stuff.

Re cures - I've started (well, I haven't made any in ages but will do my Christmas batches once I've got DS's halloween costume out of the way) doing a combination of room-temperature process and oven curing - tis brill. No ash, quicker cure, looks better in general - get a slight translucency to white soaps which I love.

Method:

Don't heat the oils - just measure out and tip in the sodium hydroxide solution - it heats itself and the oils so you can trace nice and quick. Bung into the moulds, then put into the oven on its minimum setting overnight. Next morning, turn out and put edgewise onto card for 4 weeks - excellent results

Although doesn't work for milksoaps - heated oils and wrapping in blankets for those still. But I've had better results with cow's milk (semi-skim) than goat's milk.

And did you know if you whisk with a metal whisk or better yet a stick blender you can trace in 2-10 minutes? It tips over really quickly though, and you're best off putting your smells in with something plastic or wooden, or you don't get a nice shape in the mould.

There, everything I've learned in the last 5-6 years and it's all yours [so happy to find other soap-makers]

I've made some honey soap this morning and it looks really good. Smells nice already as well.

I used the hand blender this time.

Ooh, what ingredients?

12oz veg shortening
4oz coconut oil
2oz lye
1 cup of water
1oz beeswax
1/4 cup of honey

Can anyone recommend a soap making forum btw? Thanks.