Everything I've read and studied about liquid soap, it should be brought to a trace before you start cooking……stirring, stick blender, etc.  Or maybe the recipe used cooking time for trace?  But I don't see how potassium hydroxide could provide a trace by just cooking…the trace is like taffy.  The paste forms after bringing to trace then cooking…the longer you cook it, the more transparent it becomes.  After you add 40 more ounces of water, it won't ever come to a paste again…you're diluting it into liquid soap.

I ran a couple different soap calcs using 100% sunflower oil, and they both are calling for 9.9 oz of water and 3.3 ounces of KOH.

Do you mind giving the link where you found this?  I'd love to read how they're doing it.

Lots of times the same recipe will be used….from 1 author or as a link or stolen.  You can tell if it's the same wording.

Have you tested to see if it's neutral?  Tongue test or with Phenolphthalein?  If it's neutral you're ok…if it's not, just keep cooking it.  Some recipes can take hours.  And this one had A LOT of lye for only 16 ounces of oil.

DID you mix it with a stick blender to form a paste before cooking?

"Mix this all together using a hand-held stick blender on low. You may stir by hand with a wooden spoon, but the hand-held stick blender will make the task easier. The mixture will likely appear as though it is going to separate. This is normal. Just keep mixing. The mixing of your ingredients will create a pasty consistency. Now pour 40 oz. of tap water into the crock pot. Combine this with the paste using your hand-held stick blender."

From my experience, I just don't see how all that water (56 ounces!  almost 1/2 gallon) could produce a paste.  I haven't replaced my stick blenders that burnt up at the Retreat yet or this would be in the crockpot already!  I'm heading to the store!

They don't tell you how to dilute it…how much water or anything.

But DON'T THROW IT OUT! It's saveable I'm sure.  Just make sure it's neutral and then determine the consistency of it…you may have to play with the amount of water to use to dilute it.

I do have a VERY EASY liquid soap tutorial on my site.  It's only using coconut and olive oil pomace (or olive oil will work).  http://ourlifesimplified.com/h…..-easy-way/

And according to what Kirk's says about castile soap, that recipe is a castile soap…all vegetable product.  I consider castile soap to be 100% olive oil, but I guess 100% vegetable oil is considered castile today.

With liquid soap, the trace is not the same as bar soap.  It's like a taffy or like ehow describes "The mixing of your ingredients will create a pasty consistency."  Your blender won't be able to blend.  And it doesn't drop off your blender.

It's ok not to have the stick blender going all the time.  Give it whir for a minute or so, let it rest, but keep stirring the soap with it just like a spoon.  It will take a while to get to trace.

Did you make liquid soap with olive oil?  You can use that same recipe and substitue any soft oils.  Suzanne made a liquid soap with lanolin that she really liked as a shampoo. http://chickensintheroad.com/h…..quid-soap/ It's way down in the recipe part.  That's a 4# recipe, you can divide it down into a 1#.  That recipe has a lye excess, so you will have to neutralize.

And yes, milky indicates lye activity.  My advice is to just keep cooking it.  Stir it also every once in a while (15 minutes or so).  Air can get trapped and not let it saponify as fast.