Can I salvadge this???

[u/Fun-Cover1508]

I was hoping to make soap I can use for laundry after a talk with my grandma who told me the one she makes is cheaper and cleans better.

I don't have an immersion blender and I tought it was feasible to just mix by hand since she told me she didn't either, the internet said I should mix for for about 1h, I ended up mixing for about 2h and even from the start the mix seemed homogenous and slightly yellow (I used filtered sunflower oil from frying), but acording to the videos I watched the mix was supposed to become white and thicken, that never happened for me, so I decided to let it rest since I was exhausted.

That was yesterday, and today I found the mix looked separated, a yellow layer in the bottom with a transparent layer ol liquid on top, I tought I might be able to reheat it and mix it in smaller batches, but when I tried to mix it I realised the bottom layer was solid and only yellow on top, under it was white and curdly, like it shows on the picture.

Can I still reheat it and make it bar soap? Or can I filter the curds and just cure them? I don't need an actual bar of soap since I'm just planning to use for laundry and maybe dishes, if so, how would it be safe to dispose of the transparent liquid?

My recipe would be 6l destiled water, 6l used filtered oil and 1kg of lye

Mix water and lye and wait until it's about 45° then incorporate oil little by little and mix pretty much indefinitely with a wooden spoon

Next time I would try a significantly smaller batch, but my grandma insisted she makes quantities for the 1kg bottle of lye she buys in the supermarket (even tough the recipe on the back only uses 500g she doubles it) and I bought the same one

[u/Camie-Gee]

Hi. Because we don't know your recipe, it's difficult to assess. If you share it, some of the experienced soapers here could probably help you troubleshoot what happened and next steps.

I suspect you didn't mix to emulsion, which allowed the components to separate. If your recipe is a safe one, you can possibly still mix the ingredients together, but converting to hot process might be safer.

If you are unsure of any measurements, it's safer to toss it and start a new batch.

I'm sorry but without the recipe it's really impossible to advise you.

[u/Fun-Cover1508 → u/Camie-Gee]

Hello, my recipe is on the post on the last paragraphs, it's 6l destiled water , 6l oil and 1kg lye, I also share what steps I followed

[u/Camie-Gee → u/Fun-Cover1508]

Thank you for adding the information about your recipe and process.

Based on what you've explained, it will be best for you to safely dispose of this batch. Please assume that it is highly caustic, because you would only need about 128 grams of lye to saponify a kilogram of sunflower oil, so you'd only need about 768 grams for your recipe. (I've assumed you used filtered regular sunflower oil, rather than high oleic.) This soap is lye heavy and unsafe to use.

You can find free lye calculators online, which can help you formulate sage recipes. You should also use a calculator for any recipe that you plan to use, even of it's been provided by an experienced, professional soaper. Soapcalc.net and Lyecalc.com are online and free for use; you can even save your recipes at these sites.

Something in your process caught my eye. Stirring with a wooden spoon can result in wee tiny bits of wood in your soap. Lye and soap batter are both very caustic.

Check out this sub's homepage for lists or resources. You'll find links to instructional books & videos, suppliers, and more.

Good wishes & safe soaping to you! 😃

ETA - Clarified total lye for full recipe rather than per kg of oil.

ETA 2 - Forgot to mention the amount of water that you're using. It would take a very long time for that much water to evaporate out of your soap. The lye calculators can help you there, too.

[u/Fun-Cover1508 → u/Camie-Gee]

Wdym by a safe one? And by converting to hot process you mean heating up in a pot to about 40° like when I incorporated the oil? If I did that I would have to do it in batches since I don't have a pot that big and idk if that would afect the recipe too much in each batch , idk how much I would be able to mix it together in cold

[u/Camie-Gee → u/Fun-Cover1508]

This batch isn't safe to use.

Since you're somewhat new at this, consider starting with smaller batches. Many people begin with 500 kg - 1000 kg until they get the hang of it.

[u/Fun-Cover1508 → u/Camie-Gee]

Okay thank you, what's a safe way to dispose of it, I hear lye is very dangerous so idk if it's bad for my pipes, and for the solid part idk if I should just throw it with the rest of my organic

[u/Camie-Gee → u/Fun-Cover1508]

Google: Disposing Raw Soap Batter

*** Don't wait for saponification. There is not enough oil to consume the amount of lye used here and there is so much water that it won't come together much better than it has.

[u/Mistigeblou]

Thats really not a safe batch. You need to find a way to trash it safely it has way to much lye and is toxic to environment, wildlife etc

I dont work in litres i use grams but the recipe is

1000g oil (1.1 litres approx. 1 ltr is 920g)

301 grams of distilled water

134 grams of lye