# Lye help



## DaniR1968

The last batch the lye mix was grainy. I tried to use it anyway and wound up with zap and rebatched.

The lye mix I am working on right now is staying grainy. I've been stirring for a while now and it still looks exactly the same. 

Help! Not sure what to do. Strain it? Keep stirring? 

Thanks


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## jdranch

Are you using goat milk instead of water? When I soap, the milk/ lye mix thickens. What has helped me in the past is using frozen milk and pouring lye onto the frozen milk and stirring until the milk has melted. I then stickblend it and strain it.


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## DaniR1968

I am using milk. Usually I use frozen but it wouldn't come out of the plastic bag so I let it melt a little. The milk had frozen with the plastic creased into the milk so would possibly tear off leaving bits in the milk. 

The first time I just poured the whole mess in the oils. At first you could see the grains but by the time it came to trace, it was smooth. It had zap, though, so I had to rebatch it.

This time I decided to strain it and see if it would trace. It has traced and is in molds. I did rub some on the inside of my wrist to see if it started to burn. I did not so maybe I won't have to rebatch. I'll do the tongue test tomorrow. 

Can you defrost, put in ice trays and refreeze? I have two more bags of milk where the plastic is creased into it.


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## Guest

Yes, you can refreeze the milk you are using for soap..


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## NubianSoaps.com

Yes, defrost it and refreeze it. Make sure also you are using more milk by weight than lye. If the recipe is calling for 16 ounces of lye, you really need to be using 32 ounces of frozen milk. The lye beads are much larger than what I have ever purchased before if you are buying from triple A, they used to be much smaller. Always strain your lye/fluid mixture as it is being poured into your butters and oils. Also you might want to think about moving to equal amounts of water to your lye weight, to dissolve your lye beads, then add in equal amounts of goatmilk to your fluids, this way your lye is going to get dissolved and not start saponifying the fat in the goatmilk. The later in the year you put up your milk, the higher the butterfat, the more problems I had with soaping 100% goatmilk with any kind of discount at all. Why I moved to water to dissolve my lye and then adding fluid goatmilk, plus I didn't have to freeze milk anymore. Vicki


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## DaniR1968

Thanks Barbara and Vickie. 

Next time I will defrost the milk and use water to dissolve the lye then add the milk. It will also make the milk go farther. 

I'm pretty sure this batch is going to have to be rebatched. Thank goodness you can do that!


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## DaniR1968

I have rebatched 2lbs of this. It did not darken even a little. Is it still okay? Any rebatch I have done before darkened and it's my understanding it's normal to darken. 

If the grainyness was the milk fat, and I strained that off, I supposed that would explain it not darkening. 

It does lather.


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## MF-Alpines

For those of you who strain, do you have a problem with the strainer getting clogged because of the milkfat? I find that if I strain my whole mixture, well, it won't strain. What I've noticed is that IF there are lye clumps, they are at the very end of the pour so I am just straining the very last little bit that goes into my pot of oils. I haven't had a problem doing it this way, but still, I'd like to hear how y'all strain your lye mixture.


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## Guest

I don't strain.. when mixing lye make sure you stir alot at first so you won't get the clumps and I stick blend my lye.. very seldom do I have any clumps..


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## NubianSoaps.com

I am only straining water and lye, perhaps because mine sits in bleach jugs for a couple of weeks, I see more flakes, bits of lye beads etc. I have to strain. Vicki


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## Anita Martin

I use all milk and have to stick blend the milk/lye solution before using it. I stick blend very, very well. I need to strain if I'm using water because I can see flakes...if I'm using milk, I can't see them.


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## DaniR1968

Don't know what I'm doing wrong! I made soap this morning. I dissolved the lye in water first then added the milk. I used the stick blender before pouring into the oils just to be sure. I still have zap! How is that possible? I've checked several times just to be sure and there is definite zap. 

I'm using the same lye that I have been using all along. I'm stumped.


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## nappint

If you made the soap this morning then it's not finished saponifying and that's why you're getting zapped. You need to wait approx. 24 hours, then test for zap. If you have an accurate scale, use a soap calculator to create your recipe, measure carefully and let your soap fully saponify you won't have a problem.


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## carlidoe

The soap is still caustic right after it is mixed.


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## MF-Alpines

Yes, wait to test for zap after it has cured a few days. And what Judy said, are you weighing your ingredients or measuring them? Are you using a soap calc?


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## DaniR1968

Oh! I feel silly now. After that one batch zapped, I started testing within hours. LOL

I have only used the Walmart recipe and have not used a soap calculator. I have a postal scale and weigh everything.


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## MF-Alpines

Ok, Dani, at least you weigh everything. Still, always run through a soap calc, just to be sure. Yep, I'll bet your soap is fine.


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