When is it okay to lose hope in a batch of soap?
At what point do you admit to yourself that the batch of soap you made is just not worth saving?
I don’t think any soap is beyond repair.
About 13 years ago I made a batch of soap and was in the middle of doing a few things at once. When I returned to the batch, I forgot that I had already added the sodium hydroxide to the water.
I added another dose of sodium hydroxide to that same water and carried on making the batch of soap.
When I cut the soap the next day it just crumbled.
Instead of throwing the soap out, I put it in a container and put it away for a few days.
I have a very obsessive mind and I thought about it for a few days.
This was the birth of my “fix your messed up batch of soap”method.
In my mind it made sense and on paper it made sense. I was able to fix that messed up batch of soap and several after that.
I have passed this method on to the members of Soap Making School and have witnessed some pretty fantastic batches of soap that came from a total mess.
I have learned never to throw out a failed batch of soap. Soap Making can be unpredictable sometimes, but if you keep an open mind and give yourself some time to think about how to solve the problem, you could come up with a natural soap that comes together beyond your expectations.
Here is an example of a batch that needed saving.
I made a 100% coconut oil soap. It was meant as a fishing soap since coconut soap is the only type of soap that can bubble in salt water.
I made the soap and because I was busy the next day, I didn’t get to the studio to unmold and cut the soap. If you are familiar with coconut oil soap, it is as hard as a rock.
I couldn’t cut it at all after leaving it for 2 days. I tried but ended up chipping it and cracking it.
Those chips and cracks went into another batch of 100% coconut oil soap that I was able to cut the next day. I like it more than the original turmeric coloured lime lemongrass soap.
I scented the new batch with lime to preserve its light colour because lemongrass essential oil is quite yellow. The scent is wonderful and the soap is fun. I called it “Go Fish”.
Here is another soap that was rescued.
I started out with the stripped soap, adding the layers and hoping for the best, but when it came time to unmold and cut it, I was less than happy with the results. I let it sit and let it sit then it came time to do something about this unimpressive soap because I needed the space it was taking up.
I woke up in the middle of the night (told you I was obsessive) and the idea of implanting the stripes into another batch of soap was stuck in my head. I pictured what I wanted to do and early the next morning I rushed off to the studio to make this soap.
When I came in the next day I unmolded it and cut it. I was so excited by the results. It was even better than I imagined.
So there you have it, do not throw out your soap. There is always a way to save it.
If you are a Soap Making School member, you can download the video for “fix your messed up batch of soap”. There are also other videos that use up your soap scraps so you waste nothing. This includes the video for another soap making method I created that allows you to make cream soap with all the same ingredients as a traditional cream soap but without the fuss and time it takes.
If you are not a Soap Making School member yet, what are you waiting for?
