Make sure to keep fresh batteries in your scale. Hi Sigrid! Hi Carol, Im so sorry to hear it did that! This is because silicone and plastic molds create an airtight seal that doesn't allow for any air to touch the soap. The amount of essential oil in that soap (7 g which is abt 2 tsp) is the equivalent of a bit over a 1% essential oil dilution rate. You cant do anything about the cracks in this batch, but the next time you make the recipe, you could try using more olive oil and less tallow, and perhaps increasing superfat to 4 or 5% and that should help! Some dont do well when combined with raw soap and will bind with bits of hard fats in the recipe causing those solid lumps. You may notice that a weak lye solution doesnt get very hot, the soap batter takes too long to reach trace, and the final soap feels oily or soft. You can incorporate the color change into your soap by adding some swirls with a bit of unfragranced soap base to give a colored or white contrast or you can use some . Hi Jan, thanks for another great post. Monitor freshly poured soap for signs of overheating and move to a cooler place if needed. It sounds like the soap might need rebatching. Solution: If your temperatures get too cold, the fatty acids in solid fats can start solidifying before they can react with the lye, and you can end up with stearic acid spots. Cold work rooms will increase risk of soda ash. Stearic spots are more cosmetic than anything & usually the soap is fine to use. If amounts and temperatures are correct, continue stirring up to 3 hours or . 1369g Coconut oil :), I have never seen my soap so oily the next day the oil is oozing out I have used the same ingredients a dozen times what can be wrong I hope I can still use it thanks for the advice, Hi Clara, Im so sorry to hear your soap did that! Thanks! Soap will not trace or is slow to trace. Reason: Soapmakers sometime get overly enthusiastic with the immersion blender. Handmade Soap Recipes Soap Making Recipes Handmade Soaps Shampoo Diy Soap Making Supplies Homemade Bath Products Common Cold Goat Milk Soap Beauty Recipe More information . (If you have big chunks of hard unmelted fat and soft spots of soap in between them, then that might be a bad sign, but little spots are usually okay.) Cut soap has a darker ring in center. Try to be gentle at this stage as any movement can cause foaming of the soap, which will lead to a more opaque soap. Check out our soap store at http://www.cheekymaidensoa. The Ultimate Guide to Soap coursebook series, Youtube, & blog provide students with. I compared the recipes and the only common thing I can identify between the sweating ones and non-sweating ones is the amount of coconut oil. I would rebatch it and then see how it does over the next few days. If your soap doesnt reach trace within 10 to 12 minutes, see if one of the situations below applies. Reason: Check the bottle of lye you used. Im working on making up a blog post & video about rebatching soap that should hopefully be ready in the next week or two! Was it a hand mixer (with two whisk like beaters) or an immersion blender (stick blender)? So you could try decreasing the coconut oil to 125 grams (25%) or 150 grams (30%) and use a 6 or 7% superfat. If the soap has been in the mold several hours and then starts separating, scoop it into a crockpot and cook on low heat for around 1 hour (hot process), then spoon into a soap mold. Sometimes those get mixed up when you order them, and potassium hydroxide would make your soap stay soft. Do they smell like old oil, or unpleasant? That will help us troubleshoot better! Most scales have a tare button that you push to reset the scale to zero. Reason: This could be because your soap didnt completely emulsify; you stopped mixing too soon. Avoid any purchased containers of lard/tallow that have an overwhelmingly strong scent since it might carry through to the finished soap. Reason: Olive oil doesnt lather very well on its own. Set it on some parchment or wax paper to cure for a week or so and that's it. I want to make sure my math is right. If the soaps not tacky, then the likely culprit was the long heating time. Soaps gels from the center outward. If you can give me more details about your recipe and how theyre looking/smelling now, that might help us pinpoint the problem further! Working with warmer temperatures can help in that case. Use the right water temperature: Using water that is too hot or too cold can impact lather. If you you just add extra oils randomly, then youll end up with a really soft and oily soap that doesnt lather well. If you cant blend the majority of them out, then I suggest rebatching the soap. Reason: Some fragrance oils (FO) may separate from the soap batter and form bead or pools of fragrant oil in the surface of the soap. Add sodium lactate or salt to the lye solution and use a reduced water amount to decrease time spent in the soap mold. A must read for all soap makers! Reduce the amount of water in the recipe by 7-10% and the soap will cure faster. Hi Kyptnc7! Heres a great how-to article: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. Ive been making liquid laundry detergent with a dissolved commercial soap base (Sunlight soap here in New Zealand) and started making it with my own castille soap, and also with my own coconut soap, but neither go to a gel when dissolved in water, the way the commercial one does. (Don't let heat escape the oven by opening the door to peek!) With cold process soap the water evaporates out during a process called cure. Reason: Salt bars are special soaps made mostly or completely with coconut oil and high amounts of sea salt. Hi, just read your article on whats wrong with my soap. However, its ability to attract moisture means that in very humid weather, little glycerin beads or droplets may develop on the surface of the soap. Soap has a dark ring or rind around the outside and the middle is lighter. Sometimes this happens because of false trace where the soap looks like it reached trace, but if you wait a minute and check again, the trace is gone. Is it past its expiration date? As you can see, the colour darkened quite a bit as it saponified. Hi Jen! Its possible that there was too much lye. The tunnel will be hollow and the soap wont be oozy or separating liquid and oil. It kimd of saperated. Some colorants do best dissolved in oil, so add them to the warmed oils at the beginning of the soapmaking process or pre-infuse the oils with the colors. For fragrance oils, be sure to read through product descriptions and reviews to see what other soapers have to say about them. Could it be glycerine? It sounds like something is wrong with the lye or the lye amount. Soap remained soft and oil started to float on top. 11. I believe that same ratio would be maintained, so theres no extra glycerin being produced to make the bar feel more conditioning. Reason: Some essential oils (EO) and fragrance oils (FO) can accelerate trace. It may take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour but you should hopefully notice an even gel across the top. After 24 hours, take the crock pot soap out of the molds. could i rebatch the soap? :). Shilpaa. I hope that helps! Infused oils may impact it? They smell and work fine. Heres a great article on that: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. Early in my soapmaking days I tried using a cheapo mechanical scale and the weights were wildly varying when I later tested against a digital scale. :). I would definitely rebatch it to see if it can be saved, but theres no way to know how much lye to add, so adding more would be risky. (Try 115 to 120F , which is 46 to 49C.) If working in a warm room, or with ingredients containing natural sugars such as honey, milk, beer, etc, you may not need to insulate your soap. Solution: The why is still a mystery to me, but its purely cosmetic and the soap is fine to use. Wonderful post, thank you. (Soap-on-a-stick). Yes, I did go wrong there. This in turn should free up my inbox to a more manageable level while helping others more easily find the information they need. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar per pound of oils to your soap recipe. 28.8g eucalyptus. Ill try again and share results and pics with you. :). Glycerin rivers in soap is often caused by overheating/uneven cooling, and can be encouraged by certain colorants, like titanium dioxide (you may have heard of titanium dioxide crackles!). Hi, so much info. Its a balancing act for sure! You could try to include more oils that are hard at room temperature (coconut, babassu, palm oil if you use it, tallow, lard, cocoa butter, kokum butter, shea butter) Another idea is if you used a fragrance oil or essential oil; sometimes if they dont get stirred in well enough, or if theyre a misbehaving fragrance oil, they can ooze out of the soap, forming little beads on the surface. Hi Sandi! The soap couldve cracked because of the high amount of tallow and lower superfat. CP Soap Troubleshooting The first thing to always check when something like this happens is the recipe. Allowing the soap to sit a couple extra days will ensure that process is complete and the results are accurate. That helps a lot! Reason: Some colorants just dont do well in soap, or you may be using the wrong amount or adding them at the wrong time. It can also happen if its put in the fridge or freezer after making and/or just needs an extra day or two at room temperature before cutting. A student of mine recently contacted me for some advice about one of the most common soapmaking mishaps when using the cold process method: soap seizure. Each Tuesday, youll receive one of my best natural soapmaking tips, recipes, or printables. That could come from overheating. If your liquid soap recipe is made from scratch, then you might want to consider adjusting the recipe to include more coconut or castor oil, or try lather boosting additives like aloe liquid (in the lye solution, not for dilution) or sugar. 698g Sodium Hydroxide Soap has hard and soft places when you slice into bars. Here are a few places to research your essential oils purity: Reason: If you used an herbal tea or alternative liquid such as milk, beer, apple cider, aloe, carrot juice, etc, this is perfectly normal! Or a good smell each, just different from each other? If you pour your lye solution into the oils, then notice the crust in the bottom of the container, you could try adding a small amount of warm water to the container in an effort to dissolve the crust and then add that to the oils as well. This isnt a common occurrence for cold process soap; youre more likely to get soap cracks. Please guide me I do want to get into soap making. Castor Oil 4.55 Oz (5%) They arent harmful and sometimes even lend an interesting appearance to soap. :). Im sharing the recipe below. and I still learned lots of new things. https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/troubleshooting-cold-process-soap-problems/#section10 Soap made a few hours ago is turning darker in the middle and looking funny. Solution: Use a lighter hand when spritzing soap tops with alcohol, or cover with an alternative method such as plastic wrap. :). As the soap cools, the center will lighten again. Reason: Some oils are known to slow down trace, which means it takes more stirring and time for them to form a trace. Thanks! Hi Shilpaa, Im so sorry to hear about your soap! Hi Theresa! Jan Berry is a writer, herbalist, soapmaker, and bestselling author of The Big Book of Homemade Products, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, and Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps. Over time, so much of the moisture will evaporate and it may help ease the softness enough so that it can be cut into bars. Soap is not the color or scent you expected. You can also find her writing about gardening and foraging over at her family's website: UnrulyGardening.com! One drawback about rebatching milk soap is that it may turn darker with the heat, so you want to use a darker colorant rather than try for something like pale pink or lavender. Had no idea regarding scales. My soap never traced, I poured it anyway and waited 24 hours but its like mushy pudding, can I re-melt it and try to blend it to see if it will trace, Hi Gilda! Then, you can add in more color and scent when its an even consistency, similar to making hot process. So there is still hope before throwing it away! Thanks! Shea butter 7.85 Oz (15%) Yes, you can try to rebatch the soap & that can often fix problems such as false trace, or not reaching trace. Is this soap safe to use? Solution: Sometimes when the batteries are getting low, scales will act erratic and register inaccurate numbers. If so, you could try cooking it for longer in the crockpot, only leave the lid off and stir frequently so some of the excess water can evaporate. It was not! Reason: This means the soap has overheated at some point. Then I stumbled upon your write up and Im wishing I knew all this before. 6. Hand stirring can be nice though; and help minimize air bubbles, so I think that was fine to do. Solution: Use a water discount. Hi Pennytoes! I had to throw the batch. Typos and errors happen all the time, plus there are some really unsafe recipes out in Internetland. But, giving soap a full 4 to 6 weeks cure time, at minimum, is important. Yes, you can grate or chop it, then melt it down in your crockpot with a tablespoon or two of water if needed. Any help is much appreciated. This year, Ive been experimenting with putting my soaps in a clear plastic storage tub. You may need to mash the soap down with a spoon and make sure to tap the molds on the counter to help the soap settle. Solution: Check the recipe with a lye calculator and see what the recommended water amount is. If it still shows the trace after 30 seconds then its a true one. 10.7 oz water 200g olive oil The amount of lye and oils stays the same, so there is no danger of the soap becoming lye heavy and being too harsh. It will be easier to troubleshoot with more details. at that time i did not know that it could no longer be used. Is it a case of false trace? Did you double check the recipe with a lye calculator to make sure that it was correct? That might help the lather more without needing to add detergents. If the lye solution is a strong dark brown though, then you can likely expect some type of tan or brownish color in the final soap. Solution: Dont be alarmed. Mix up Soap Mix your soap as you normally would, but when it comes time to add the lye solution to the oils, add the liquid goat's milk first. Or place saponifying soap in refrigerator. The lye solution turned a really weird and unexpected color. With the melt and pour method, you aren't making soap completely from scratch with oils, liquid, and lye. :), Hello, l have a question about cold processed soap preservatives. Let the soap set up for 24 hours or so. Colorado. For soap to sweat, water must be available in the surrounding air. Wear gloves since the soap is still caustic at this point. :), Hi Jan ), Ive arranged it so you can click on the phrase below that most closely describes whats going on with your cold process soap and it should take you right to the first line of text in the corresponding section. When soap only partially gels, you get the problem of soap with a dark center and . Reason: You didnt stir the lye until it completely dissolved. If you want to add extra oils, you can definitely do so, but youd want to include them in the list when creating a recipe with a lye calculator to make sure you have enough lye. 25% Coconut Oil. Recipes high in olive oil need a longer cure time than other soaps in order to harden and develop a small amount of lather. So your soap isnt wasted, I just wouldnt use it on a pup. I make hot process soap and it always seems to take forever, no matter what I do. To avoid a gel phase, try: Thanks for your great sharing. What can I do to prevent my soap from heaving in the middle of the mold? I made a batch of soap and t came out too soft. How is it looking now? https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheNerdyFarmWife/posts, Hi Jan. You dont want to count the weight of the jug into your recipe I think that is where things went wrong for you. Im brand new to this whole thing. Another idea is to also reduce the cocoa butter down to 75 grams (15%) and replace the 25 grams (5%) with something extra nourishing for your skin like shea butter, or avocado oil. I have been scouring the internet and it is difficult to find something that seems comparable and I dont know how to fix it. You can save some of the warm soapmaking oils from the recipe, mix with the fragrance or essential oil, and blend it in at light trace. (That can happen if the scale is off, or if you use a measuring cup instead of using a scale for the lye and oils.) If an essential oil causes ricing check the brand that youre using since its likely cut with synthetics. Be sure to read this exceptionally informative article on Curing Soap from the Classic Bells website. Too much clay with a reduced water amount can be prone to a dry cracked top as well. Im trying to reheat it, but doubt that will work. Pure essential oil should not cause ricing in soap. Ive had many readers write to me struggling with soda ash and in mulitiple cases, theyd been making soap in very cold areas, such as 50F (10C). Hi Uma! Try using your immersion blender to smooth the lumps out. Good luck finding the cause! 30% RSPO Palm Oil. Soap has dark spots that are oozy and sticky. Solution: Be sure to research fragrance oils before use and purchase from a reputable vendor who thoroughly tests their oils in soap. I tried making my first cold process soap today and failed miserably. Solution: If youve insulated or covered the mold, remove the layers. Ive made my soaps recently, but one of my soap still a bit soft, it feels hard and soft in the mean time. I love your website and have learned so much! http://cavemanchemistry.com/DreadedOrangeSpot-Dunn.pdf, Would like to make Lavender/Lemongrass soap, but cant find a recipe. Those are a few ideas to start with to help us troubleshoot better! Solution:Temperature is subjective and flexible, but if youre a newer soapmaker, aim for oil and lye temperatures around 95 to 110 F (35 to 43 C). Reason: Olive oil and other soft oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, etc are extra conditioning but can feel slimy if used in high amounts and not cured for an extra long time. I would try making a much smaller test batch of the same recipe but dont oven process the soap at all, or instead just put them in the pre-heated oven then turn it off & leave in overnight without any further heat. Today when I tried to cut, it is crumbling, I stopped cutting, can I do anything to save it? After time is up, turn oven off and allow soap to remain in ambient heat until cooled. Reason: Tap water contains impurities that can react negatively in the soapmaking process, increasing risk for soda ash and DOS (dreaded orange spots indicating early rancidity). Reason: Sometimes your container might have a small amount of residue left on it from your last batch or a previous use. Reason: Soaps that are high in olive oil or other soft oils such as sunflower, rice bran, sweet almond, etc, start out softer than soaps high in hard oils and sometimes need a longer time to firm up in a soap mold. Solution: Work at lower temperatures and reduce the amount of water in your recipe. You can check for false trace by leaving the soap batter undisturbed for about 20 or 30 seconds after you reach light trace. ), East = Easy I used brambleberry lye calculator with super fattening level of 5%. Is this the right recipe at all or did I goof up in beginning itself? Next time you can melt the oils at a higher temperature & that should help!
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