Lye flakes vs. lye beads???

by Kim
(Dallas)

I used a Lye calc. for my recipe and it said to use 6.08 oz of lye which would have been a 5% discount. However the flaked lye i am useing seemed like so much when i weighed it out.

I think my scale might be off by .1 of an ounce but that shouldn't make that much of a difference should it especially figuring in a lye discount.

I was trying to unmold my cold precess soap last night after 24 hours and I didn't use gloves. I couldnt get it out and decided to leave it in another 24 hours and leave it in the freezer for a day as well...however my hands are extremly irritated today.

I know I shouldn't have touched it without gloves but I only came in contact with a little and my hands are extremly irritated. Is there a chance there is way too much lye in my soap..or will I only know for sure with a ph test after 6 weeks or longer?

This was my first cp soap. Also my first hp soap came out just like everything I read and saw however it has been one week and although I thought you could use hp soap immediatly it still irritates my hands.

When I received the lye I didn't realized it could even come in that form because everything I had seen in pictures and videos were the beads.

Answer:

I'm guessing that you are making a batch of soap that has an oil weight of approx. 40 ounces. That's about what you would need for 6.08 ounces of lye. That's kind of large for beginning batches. I would try to stick with smaller ones while you are learning. That way if you mess up, you're not throwing out lots of ingredients.

There is a chance that your soap has too much lye in it but I think it would be a weighing error and not if the scale is out by a very small amount. I don't think being out by .1 ounces out of 6.08 ounces with a 5% lye discount should cause the soap to be lye heavy. If anything it would only reduce the superfat to about 4% or so.

I would first make sure that the scale is only out a little. Try weighing something that has a known weight.

If the scale is out by a lot or if your batch isn't using anywhere near 40 ounces of oil in it, I would scrap the soap.

If it's not out by any large amount, I would give the soap some time to cure. Perhaps you are particularily sensitive to the raw soap. My hands will feel quite dry if I handle it too soon. If you are still irritated by the soap after the cure, then you may have made a weighing error.

Cathy

PS...if the scale is out even a little bit, be cautious when it comes to small batches as that small amount can definitely cause the soap to be lye heavy when working with little numbers. In fact, if the scale is out at all, I would get a new one.