Forgot to check if lye was dissolved

by SL
(BC)

I was mixing the lye in the water (water temp was hot as my oils were not heated enough) and forgot to check if the lye was mixed enough.

The hot water made the lye bubble whenever I stirred and it smoked so after maybe a minute of mixing I put it in the oil, forgetting to check if it was dissolved or not.

My soap took longer to trace but it seemed to and I put it in molds. So is the soap okay?

Answer:

Unfortunately I can't tell you if the soap is ok or not. I suggest cutting up the soap and inspecting it.

As long as the lye crystals/flakes/beads dissolved and there are no hard lye bits in the final bars, the soap is probably be fine.

If you discover hard white bits or pockets of slippery liquid in the final bars, I would suggest throwing out the soap.

I also suggest using room temperature water from now on since the mixing of the lye and water generates it's own heat. You do not need to increase that heat by using hot water...this could cause the lye to volcano on you.

Cathy