Thats a great question! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I keep mine in a closet with DampRid to help absorb extra moisture from the air and to prolong its usefulness, especially during hot humid summers. Got to trace within a few minutes and applesauce stage not long after. Hot Process: . Reason: This means that the soap is getting too hot. Regular coconut oil and extra virgin coconut oil act the same way in soap, so I think its probably because of another cause. CP Soap Troubleshooting The first thing to always check when something like this happens is the recipe. It is a plastic mold (16 bar) I love the size and quantity in one batch but they are always uneven! Solution: Increase the amount of hard oils in your recipe. Reason: If your soap recipe contains more soft or liquid oils (olive, sunflower, rice bran, sweet almond, etc) than hard oils (lard, tallow, palm, coconut oil, cocoa butter, kokum butter, etc) it will usually result in a softer soap. https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. There, youll find reasons for why the soapmaking problem happened and solutions to fix it and/or prevent it in the future. (I tried it and it worked for me & my 10+ year old Cuisinart! Reason: This is primarily a problem with fragrance oils. My first thought is that the glycerin amount in soap should stay the same, no matter how its presented (as glycerin rivers, or mixed into the soap per usual). Solution: There are a few suggested workarounds to try. Followed by rice flake kind solution. Make sure to keep fresh batteries in your scale. Here are some of the common reasons why cold process soaps leak oil: Incorrect measurements. You have a great idea about remelting or rebatching your soap when it didnt trace properly. 100g cocoa butter Solution: Just wait and let the soap go through this natural stage. series of 4 articles on natural colorants, try this trick by Good Earth Spa of drilling holes in the stick blender, tutorial on removing soda ash at Modern Soapmaking, printable chart of 24 common soapmaking essential oils, Simple Secrets: Anchoring Fragrances In CP Soap. I have been scouring the internet and it is difficult to find something that seems comparable and I dont know how to fix it. Hi Pennytoes! Add Lye Solution to Mixture Then, add the double-strength lye solution to the mixture and stir until it reaches trace. I wish I could be more help, but good luck with your experiments! Some soapers also have good luck adding the misbehaving EO or FO to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution. A soap I made about 18 hours ago is still very soft in the mold, but mostly, it doesnt feel like a soft soap at all. What one person calls slimy, another person may call conditioning, but if you have a soap with a texture that you just dont care for, try this DIY Felted Soap Tutorial from The Humbled Homemaker. 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. :). Thank you for your time and your work. :). Wonderful post, thank you. Find out the most common soap making mistakes, and let's troubleshoot! (Try 115 to 120F , which is 46 to 49C.) I tried to make your recipe Lavender shampoo and bar soap the total of my oils is 750grams and i run it thru the soapcalc before making. Is there any way to save my lotion? (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.) Do I throw it n retry or is there any hope. Soap has weird orange or brown spots on it and/or smells bad. 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. I wish I could be more help! Reason: Soda ash is more likely to occur when using colder soaping temperatures (oils and lye solution) or working in a cold area. Pls can I add more foam booster to my liquid soap after making the liquid soap, cos I realized dat after making the liquid soap, it didnt foam to my taste, so please I need ur advice, if adding foam booster will have any negative effect on the soap,or should I go ahead.. Tnks waiting 4 ur response, Hi Asiosa! Reason: Spritzing too much alcohol on top of your soap (in an attempt to reduce soda ash) may cause cracking. Jo Haslauer has an excellent series of 4 articles on natural colorantsthat every soapmaker should read for information on infusions and theres also a unit on natural soap colorants in my Soapmaking Success Video Course. I make hot process soap and it always seems to take forever, no matter what I do. 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. If they happen soon after making your soap, it could be something like spots of scorched milk or honey, or a fragrance oil, or bit of colorant/clay not mixed in. Thank you so much for this helpful treasure found! Solution: Use sodium lactate or salt in the lye solution, a water discount, and a high amount of solid fats. I have a face soap that has already fully dried and cured (it was made months ago) and is stored in a room with a dehumidifier that is kept at 30% humidity. For fragrance oils, be sure to read through product descriptions and reviews to see what other soapers have to say about them. While it is old, much of the information is still helpful to novices. Thanks for commenting! (Soap-on-a-stick). Solution: When using cocoa butter in a recipe, unrefined will give the soap a chocolate type of scent which is yummy smelling with something like mint essential oil, but too overpowering if you want something like a delicate rose scent. Dont leave the soap unattended and keep an eye on it at all times. Thanks for your great sharing. Lye Crystals (feel sharp, crystal-like, scratchy). Then I stumbled upon your write up and Im wishing I knew all this before. The humectants in the product attract moisture from the air and droplets of water form on the surface of the soap, creating a visual and tactile experience to resemble that of sweat appearing on skin. Pure essential oil should not cause ricing in soap. Double check to be sure your recipe checks out with the lye calculator and that you are using the recommend amount of water. If you get a chance to post a photo on my Facebook page, Id love to see more details & I might have a better idea for you: :) I put that into bramble berry soap calc to find lye and water and add 15g if essential oils at trace. Leave the soap in the oven until saponification is complete. Mix by hand, using the stick blender only if absolutely necessary, to ensure the EO or FO are mixed in completely. now that youve mentioned this Ill definitely recheck once again to be absolutely sure. Hi Vahid! Is that where I goofed up? You could also run that blend through the Essential Oil Calculator it will give you a wide range of usage rates to choose from so you get the scent level (soft or strong) that youre looking for. Ive been soaping for 3 yrs. Soap has uneven colored streaks or spots in it. All recipes are made and used at your own risk. That might help with troubleshooting if you get a chance to let me know. Sorry to hear that happened! Reason: Sometimes a false trace happens where the soap looks like it has emulsified, but its really because a solid ingredient in the soap has gotten cool enough to start thickening the soap batter. 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!). In my last video ( https://youtu.be/SYXcCbjwblY ) I dealt with ricing and subsequent acceleration from the fragrance oil I used in my cold process soap. Soap batter suddenly seizes up and becomes impossible to stir. My batch wouldnt trace properly to begin with. Don't use a blanket - your soap needs more air, preferably dry air. This means the soap started getting hot and going through gel phase, but cooled down too quickly before the heat could reach the edges. Blends nicely with bergamot, citrus oils, clary sage, spice oils, neroli, rose, sandalwood, palmarosa, patchouli, petitgrain and ylang ylang. First, double check that you didnt forget to add the lye when making soap. As the soap cools, the center will lighten again. Are steric spots bad ? This video will show you how to troubleshoot common soap making problems in cold process soap making. The top of the soap loaf has a weird wrinkly look. Or, you can try adding the FO or EO to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution and stir by hand. Hot process soap should be cured for at least 1-3 weeks. Be sure to read his paper on Dreaded Orange Spots for more information and options. It will be easier to troubleshoot with more details. :). The list below highlights the major causes of cold process soapmaking problems, and . Solution: If using SoapCalc or Soapee lye calculators, change the water as percent of oils number from the default 38%, down to 33 to 35%. Heres a great how-to article: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. About Soap has a dark ring or rind around the outside and the middle is lighter. Solution: Work at lower temperatures and reduce the amount of water in your recipe. 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 keep mine in a closet with DampRid to help absorb extra moisture from the air and to prolong its usefulness, especially during hot humid summers. i made it yesterday and checked on it this morning. Solution: Before adding to soap, mix thoroughly with vegetable glycerin, oil, or water, depending on vendors instructions and your recipe directions. Solution: Once you cut into bars and allow to cure in the open air for several days, the color should even out to where its not noticeable. Each Tuesday, youll receive one of my best natural soapmaking tips, recipes, or printables. Have you tried grating it instead of cutting? Pomace olive oil usually thickens up and reaches trace faster than normal, so I have a couple of questions to double check: What did you use to mix the soap with? If its developing a crack down the middle, its getting too warm and should be uncovered. :). Try dipping in water, as instructed by this. 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. The lye solution has a hard crust of lye on the bottom of the container. To offset loss of lather, add castor oil at 5 to 7%. Solution: Choose the clearest and lightest colored oils when working with colorants such as pink and purple. Do I need to rebatch my soap ? That will help us troubleshoot better! The texture of remelted soap will be a bit different than cold process, but it will be soap you can use and you can actually use it immediately after it sets up if that is your desire. 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. I believe that same ratio would be maintained, so theres no extra glycerin being produced to make the bar feel more conditioning. I hope that helps! 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! Use moderate amounts to prevent a chalky look. Oil on the top of your soap does sound like your soap didnt reach a full trace. Allow established over night, rinse and have a look-see. Reason: Coconut oil is very cleansing when turned into soap and can be drying for some skin types. It has 12 different fats in it. So your soap isnt wasted, I just wouldnt use it on a pup. In biology, tissue is a historically derived biological organizational level between cells and a complete organ. Hi Michelle, Thanks for the kind words & so happy you enjoyed the article! Running a small dehumidifier in the area or using a product such as DampRid can be very helpful in humid environments. The only thing I can think of is perhaps its related to the extended heating time. As a bonus, beeswax also reduces the chance of soda ash! It could be that an ingredient didnt get mixed in well and it got more heavily distributed in that part of the mold. Reason: Zinc oxide or titanium dioxide wasnt completely blended into the soap batter, leaving little white flecks in the soap. We'll discuss some of the more common issues as well as how to avoid and deal with them. Bought it after my good friend, Carmen, showed me how to make soap the hot-processed way using this book. Water discounting can cause the batter to accelerate. Read reviews of fragrance oils carefully and purchase from a reliable soapmaking vendor. Over time, lye will absorb moisture and humidity from the air. Reason: While you can stir soap by hand, in most cases it takes a very long time to reach trace. and I still learned lots of new things. You could try rebatching it & see if that helps! Today's cold process soap makers have resolved many troubling issues involved with the process of making soaps. Heres a great site on rebatching your soap: Soap is not the color or scent you expected. If using palm oil, its recommended to completely melt and stir the oil every time you use it or you might have an uneven balance of fatty acids, leading to more spots in some batches. It keeps the air off of the soap and I can still peek through and see how its doing. Solution: Carefully read reviews before purchasing and using a fragrance oil. Solution: Stir the lye into the water until it goes from cloudy to clear to ensure its mixed well. Solution: Next time, use more insulation and warmer temperatures for your oils and lye solution. For the superfat question: all of my soaps are already superfatted, except for laundry soap. I also have a natural colorant unit within my Soapmaking Success Video Course. Solution: Dilute honey with an equal part of warm water before adding to the soap batter. Clear the foam off the soap, and carefully pour the soap into your soap molds. If its still soft after rebatching, then you could still let it sit and cure for many months. https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/coconut-laundry-soap-stain-stick-laundry-detergent-recipe/. Remove any insulation that you might have on your soap (blankets, etc. Look for labels such as Folded Orange, 10x Orange, 5x Lemon, and so forth. Also, water amount (water discount) can affect gel phase; a soap with a lower water amount requires a higher temperature to reach gel phase, while a soap with a full amount of water will more easily gel. Solution: Dont run the stick blender continuously, try alternating hand stirring for 15 to 20 seconds, then just a short burst of the blender, then hand stir some more. Given enough time the soap will become much harder. Solution:There are a few suggested workarounds to try. Pl suggest what to do ? Did the lye have any lumps or clumps in it? (Virtually all of the recipes on the internet & in books should already be superfatted as well.) 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