Failure and success

I've had the itch to make some soap recently.  I get the itch several times a year, and over the course of a few days/weeks I crank out 4-5 batches.  I make far more than we ever use, so the extras are 'gifted' to unsuspecting family members.  They say they enjoy them, but they don't really have a choice now, do they?

A large batch of coffee soap from several years ago

So on Sunday I made soap.  Or rather, I tried to make soap.  I devised a 5-lb batch using my normal recipe, and was intending to split it into 8 different colors to turn into soap dough (kinda like play-do but used for soap crafting).  However, my best laid plays went a-gley.

Soap dough gnomes from Sorcery Soap

Long story short, my lye was old and had lost its efficacy.  So the chemical reaction that turns oils and water and lye into soap didn't happen.  Of course I didn't realize this until an hour or two into the process, when despite my best efforts at mixing my soap batter it never emulsified.

Icky soap batter separation

To a soap-maker, emulsification is key - it's the point where the chemical reaction kicks into gear and all the base ingredients combine into happy soap soup.  But if you get your measurements wrong, or if your ingredients aren't up-to-snuff, then bad things happen. 

After Sunday's failure, I was a bit down in the dumps.  But I still was feeling the itch.  So on Monday I made another batch.  And not just any old soap recipe, but something I've never tried before - liquid soap.  I found a couple of tutorials on YouTube and decided to give it a go.  Our big bottle of store-bought liquid soap was empty, so I figured it was a good time to try.

A gelatinous mass of soap batter cooking on the stove

And it worked!  The liquid isn't as clear as it should be, but it's the right pH and it suds well.  And most importantly, it cleans well.  I scented it with lemon and lemongrass essential oils.  It smells heavenly.  Homemade liquid soap is thinner than store-bought, but it's fantastic stuff.  And I've got enough to last a while.  Not too much, however - sorry unsuspecting siblings, no liquid soap for you!

Enough to fill my empty bottle