Batch one

I made my very first batch of soap. I used the Soap Essentials Bar II recipe in The Soapmaker's Companion. The recipe calls for 201 grams of Lye, 19 ounces of water, 21 ounces of olive oil, 16 ounces of coconut oil, 14 ounces of palm oil, 12 grams GSE and I added an ounce of eucalyptus oil for scent. For molds I used 2-12 inch pieces of 3 inch PVC that I rubbed vaseline in to prevent sticking. To keep them insulated I put them into a water cooler and stuffed a towel and some newspaper around the sides. I covered the top with another big towel.

I think I did okay for my first batch. I now see why I need to speak with others who make soap. I had so many questions and messed up a bit. I'm still not sure how this soap came out. One of the things that shocked me was the color. My bars will be yellowish. I thought it was my fast pouring of the lye mixture since I have seen white bars. I read afterwards that some grades of olive oil can produce yellow bars so maybe there is still hope! It also took much longer than I thought to trace. I stirred for about an hour. I know that GSE makes the soponification process take a little longer. I also hope that I didn't will myself to see a non-existent trace out of exhaustion. I'll know more tomorrow night. I am still hoping to be able to cut my bars and use them one day.

My mistakes and things I would change :
I learned you can not just dump the lye into the water and hope for the best. You must pour slowly while mixing or it cakes at the bottom and sticks HARD. I ruined the glass jar I bought today as well as my lye solution. It had to be remade.

Using a large pot for a smaller batch is not a good idea. It makes things much more difficult to handle. The pot I have would probably be a bit large for even a 12 pound recipe(I was using a 4 pound recipe). I will be going to find a glass bowl to use instead.

Hand mixing is hard! I partially hand mixed. I used a handheld mixer but the pot was so large I still ended up stirring. In the future I will use my kitchen aid. I will just need to find a extra bowl for it.

The lye solution needs to be poured into the oils slowly. If my soap fails that will have been part of the reason. I went more slowly than I did with the lye and water but still a bit fast.

Temperature is important! Another possibility, if my soap fails, is the temperature. After I had to remake my lye solution I grew impatient. I didn't allow the lye to cool enough and began mixing at around 115ish degrees. It should be added, according to my book, at 80-100 degrees.

The PVC pipe I bought was 5 feet. I cut it into 2-12 inch pieces and 2-18 inch pieces. Next time I will use 1-18 inch piece for a recipe this size. One pipe is only half full. I wonder if that will effect the soap?

I really shouldn't make soap at midnight. It's a process that can't be rushed.