Table of Contents
What causes lye pockets in soap?
Lye pockets in soap can occur when a batch of soap separates. This separation can be due to overheating, insufficient mixing, or misbehavior caused by a fragrance or essential oil. The result is typically a separated layer of oil and glycerin and, possibly, a heat tunnel exhibiting lye pockets in soap.
Are lye pockets safe?
In certain cases, the soap may have pockets of lye. That typically happens when the soap separates. In that case, I recommend throwing the batch out to be extra safe. The lye pockets can irritate or burn the skin, or may do some odd things in the laundry.
What are the white spots in my soap?
Lye Pockets Many new soap makers immediately see white spots and think that it is lye. As long as your lye completely dissolves, this is not usually the case. Mixing issues can cause lye heavy areas in your soap, but it looks something like this. If it does, then it is lye heavy.
How do I know if my soap is lye heavy?
If the bar “zaps” you, it’s likely lye heavy. The feeling is hard to describe, but you’ll definitely notice it. Don’t do this test if the soap is seeping, as the liquid may be unsaponified lye that can burn your tongue. If the soap doesn’t zap you, it’s likely safe to use.
What happens if you have too much lye in your soap?
Too much lye will result in a bar whose pH is too high and can cause skin irritation and burning. Not enough lye can result in oils going rancid, causing discoloration and bad odors.
How do you fix Ricing in soap?
Ricing. When an ingredient in the fragrance binds with some of the harder oil components in the recipe, it can form little rice-shaped lumps. Usually, you can stick blend the soap to smooth out the ricing. It will make it quite thick, so you may have to skip your planned design and get it into the mold with a spoon.
How do you know when saponification is complete?
The zap test is when you stick a bar of soap to your tongue. If it zaps you like a 9-volt battery, your soap is still not saponfied. If it doesn’t, it is probably done with the process. Again, saponification takes about 24-48 hours.
How can you tell if lye is still good?
If your lye solution does not get very hot, it may be expired. Above, the potassium hydroxide lye solution using expired lye only reached 124 ° F. If you notice anything odd happening with your lye, don’t use it in cold process soap. Expired lye doesn’t saponify properly, meaning your soap may not reach trace.
How do you test lye?
The old-timers tongue test is an effective way to test for excess lye. If you lick your soap and it ‘zaps’, you know it’s lye heavy. If your soap initially zaps after taking it out of the mold, don’t panic. Wait the full 4 to 6 week cure time before retesting.
Why does my African black soap have white spots?
When exposed to air it can develop a thin white-colored film. This is not a bad thing, but looks a bit unusual. Simply put water on it and it will disappear. I noticed small white specks and some film, but didn’t have an issue with it.
How do I get rid of white patches on my skin?
Your doctor may recommend topical creams, ultraviolet light therapy, or oral medication to help restore skin color and stop the spread of white patches. Skin grafts are also effective for getting rid of small patches of white skin.
What causes Ricing in soap?
Ricing and seizing are usually caused by fragrance oils. Ricing occurs when an ingredient in the fragrance oil binds with some of the harder oil components in the recipe to form little hard rice-shaped lumps (shown on the left).
How do you know when soap is cured?
Pin the card down with the lead bar in each curing stack. Weigh that lead soap every few days and record the date and weight. When your soap stops losing weight then your soap is fully cured!Jan 31, 2013.
Why is my soap turning brown?
Fragrances that have a lot of vanilla, florals, or citrus tend to be the most likely to turn your soap darker and this can happen in melt and pour soaps or cold process soaps. You can then use that color change to incorporate it into your soap or decide how to add dye to the soap to help mask it as needed.
How do I know if my soap is safe?
An extremely common recommendation I found as a method of checking the soap pH is to touch a bar of soap to your tongue. If touching the bar of soap to your tongue zaps similar to touching your tongue to a battery, it indicates a soap is lye heavy.
Why is my soap batter lumpy?
My soap batter turns lumpy or has rice-like pieces in it. Reasons: This is primarily a problem with fragrance oils. Some just don’t do well when combined with raw soap and will bind with bits of hard fats in the recipe causing those lumps.
What is Superfat soap?
Superfatting is the process of using less lye (or more fat) than industry standards so that there’s some leftover oil in the soap that’s not bound to lye. This leaves behind more unsaponified fat, providing more moisture in the soap.
