Troubleshooting
The cooking soap has oil on top
Most likely the soap was cooked on too high of a power setting. Stir the oil back in and continue cooking
The soap looks grainy
This is perfectly normal, keep cooking
The soap tingles when I taste it
The soap hasn't cooked enough, keep cooking
The soap has been cooking for a few minutes and is starting to look dry
If the soap needs to be cooked some more, add water a tablespoon at a time
The soap has cooked for 15 minutes and looks like mashed potatoes, but there is no lye tingle.
The soap has cooked for too long. Quickly add your other ingredients and glop it into the mold
I keep stirring, but the soap keeps climbing.
You have reached the champagne bubbles stage. Continue to stir until the soap stops climbing. Test for pH. Cook the soap longer if the pH isn't right.
My soap didn't go through the champagne bubbles stage
That's ok, not all soaps do. Continue cooking until the soap looks like heated Vasaline