About Terry Knorr Expertise I can answer most questions concerning the making of handmade soaps. Those which I cannot answer, I am willing to research for you.
Experience Began making and selling handmade soaps under the name of Earth Soaps in 1994. Have since expanded under the name Good Earth Herbs to 24 different soaps. We do both retail and wholesale business. I also teach two different classes on soapmaking: a basic class and an advanced class.
Question Made my first batch of soap...after letting it sit for 48 hours I fimd that there is 2 layers...the top being very oily(semi solid) and the bottom layer being hard Whats wrong?
Can I "think" I say the soap trailing and just didnt stir it long enough?
I am making my basic lye sop now than will grate it and add the oils.
Help please.........Linda
Answer Hi Linda!
Your situation is not that uncommon. It has happened to me before. I will assume that you are using a cold process method. If you are not, please email me again; this information will not necessarily apply.
There are several things which could cause this outcome.
1. too much oil in the formula
2. soap didn't trace, or you achieved a weak trace
3. soap cooled off too quickly.
When you begin to mix your oils and lye, make sure they are at least 90 degrees F. It has been my experiance that this amount of heat is necessary to achieve a quick trace. This heat serves as a catalyst to begin the saponification process.
To check for a strong trace:
When you drizzle some of the mixture back into your pot, it should leave a trail (this will appear as a long mound where ever your drizzle landed). If that trail does not remain for at least 10 seconds, keep mixing. The longer that trail remains, the more completly the mixture has saponified. (Be warned, however, that you can mix too long. If your mixture begins to look like mashed potatos, you had better get it into your mold quickly!)
The next thing to remember is to cover your mold with towels or some other insulating material. Your soap must not cool off too quickly. If it does, it will seperate. If it is insulated well, the soap will build up heat as it continues to saponify. Don't be worried - it won't heat up enough to cause a fire!
A lot of people who are just getting into soapmaking will try a formula that they got from someone else, but attempt to use some other oil or fat. Because different fats and oils require a different amount of lye, this will not always work. If you think it might be the formula causing your problem, you can email that to me. I'd be glad to look at it for you.
Another common problem is inaccurate measuring of the materials. Occasionally, I still do this. Because we are human, we sometimes make mistakes. But, at times those errors will be result in pleasant surprises!
I hope this information is helpful to you. Have a great day!
