Help! Soap!

[valmom]

Or rather lye and oil...

My in-laws were visiting today, and today is my soaping day. I melted my coconut, shea, and crisco, mixed my lye, then breakfast interrupted. When I got back to the soap, all of it was cool, and instead of thinking what I was doing, I mixed the lye in and started stirring away. It was setting up really fast! Of course, once it is poured into molds and I am thinking, I totally forgot to add the liquid oils to the recipe! I was missing 2/5 of the oils (olive and canola). I *thought* something was fishy with how it was setting

My question is, can I scrape what is in the molds out and heat it on the stove, add the liquid oils and stir it in and have it take? I really like the scent I used and would hate to have to dump it!

 

[Bettacreek]

Is it already set? If you can still get whatever you use to stir in there and mix it around, just add your oils and stir. Make sure you get it completely mixed in though. I did this with mine. Made soap and then decided to go spotting deer earlier than usual, left, came back, went to sleep, woke up and had semi-solid soap (a little thicker than room temp butter, but not as thick as refridgerated butter). I stuck a fork in it and it peeled up easily, so I added my goatmilk into it and stirred like an idiot on crack. It's in the mold now, and nobody would be any the wiser that I was an idiot on this batch. I've done the same before. One time I had actually left it go for so long that I had bowl shaped soap with a fork surprise hidden in it (the fork slid down into it while we were gone, lol). The one with the fork surprise was actually one of my favorite batches, if only I could figure out what I did with the recipe!!! That would actually be my steady recipe if I could find it!

 

[valmom]

This one is actually already poured into the molds. I have now taken it out of the molds, chopped it up (it was pretty darn solid) and put it on the stove with the liquid oils I neglected to add the first time around and a bit more water. I was stirring like crazy until my hand seized up- so I'm here checking for suggestions. It sort of looks like lumpy mashed potatoes- the oils and water went right into it, and th lumps are the chunks of the lye heavy soap. I know I can't give up until I have all of those pieces dissolved again!

 

[Emerald]

You can try to let it get hard for a few days and then grate it up on a grater and then add your extra oils and a bit of liquid and then heat and stir, and stir, and stir- that is how they make milled french soap!
I had one batch of soap start ashing up and no matter how many times I washed the ash off it did it again- a friend who makes soap told me to grate it and add just a bit of water and a bit more oil and then heat it and stir your arm off and re mold it and it turned out wonderful. Best soap yet.

 

[valmom]

My hand is killing me- if I don't get carpal tunnel from this batch, I never will! If I get it to the consistancy of smooth mashed potatoes will that ensure that the lye is re-distributed?

 

[me&thegals]

Pretty much. You will have to bang it into the molds pretty good to get out any air pockets. Good luck! I have never thrown out a batch yet--you can always rebatch!

 

[valmom]

Well, the lumpy mashed potatoes went to more or less creamy mashed potatoes with stiff peaks I spooned it into the molds and crossed my fingers.

Next time I will try letting it set and grating it! Those lumps took a LOT of stirring to dissolve.

 

[Emerald]

Next time you are out yard sailing (spelling intended lol) or thrift store shopping look for a stick blender- just a little one and use that to whip your soap-I had an old one that I used and it worked great. But I killed it and I am not gonna use my big industrial one for soap! lol

 

[~gd]

Next time you are out yard sailing (spelling intended lol) or thrift store shopping look for a stick blender- just a little one and use that to whip your soap-I had an old one that I used and it worked great. But I killed it and I am not gonna use my big industrial one for soap! lol

I kill a few myself but the off brand ones I buy go for about $9 NEW!

 

[Emerald]

Next time you are out yard sailing (spelling intended lol) or thrift store shopping look for a stick blender- just a little one and use that to whip your soap-I had an old one that I used and it worked great. But I killed it and I am not gonna use my big industrial one for soap! lol

I kill a few myself but the off brand ones I buy go for about $9 NEW!

I killed so many of the $9- $10 ones that I gave up and spent $65 on a small restaurant one! have had it for almost 6 years now(i think) and it is working great! It is almost all metal compared to the little plastic ones I used to buy... But I might get another small cheapo for making soap again- they did work well.