Yes, you can try to rebatch the soap & that can often fix problems such as false trace, or not reaching trace. With cold process soap, it typically takes about four weeks for the soap to fully cure. :) https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. (Cut it into bars if needed.) (We'll talk more about cure in just a bit, so keep reading.) Ill try again and share results and pics with you. Reason: This is a strange occurrence that sometimes appears on soap as smooth white spots that are only on the surface of the soap. I bought a lot of it and now it is to hard. Thats a great question! I used brambleberry lye calculator with super fattening level of 5%. Failed miserably but not giving up. If you find your soap cracking then try to cool it down. Reason:Hard fats such as palm, tallow, lard, butters, etc contain solid fatty acids (like stearic acid & palmitic acid) that need a higher temperature to melt, while other components of the fat melt more easily. Soap made with high percentages of soft oils tends to be softer and stickier when un-molding. If you want to send photos, just send an email to hello@thenerdyfarmwife.com and we will be happy to take a look! Solution: Check the recipe with a lye calculator and see what the recommended water amount is. Soap is darker in the middle and the outside edges are lighter colored. 200g olive oil Is it that the commercial one has something else added my homemade soaps (oil, lye and water) are missing something??? Thank you so much for all your help and encouragement. {troubleshooting cold process soap problems} We all have soapmaking fails. Solution: Use a well draining soap dish and keep the bars as dry as possible between use. It kimd of saperated. There's no set timeframe for when cold process soap is ready to cut. Make sure to keep fresh batteries in your scale. What's Wrong With My Soap? This article has some excellent rebatching options: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103, wow what a fantastic article and so much to learn here. We recommend testing FOs and EOs with small batches of cold process soaps to know which works for you and which doesn't. You can also try adding FO or EO into your oils first before combining with lye solution and then, stir by hand as that is more controllable. Can cold process soaps be molded into different shapes? 30% RSPO Palm Oil. It was not! Reason: Consider additives such as beeswax and sodium lactate to increase soap hardness. The soap will have a rougher rustic look to it, but it will be salvaged. Mix by hand, using the stick blender only if absolutely necessary, to ensure the EO or FO are mixed in completely. Lovely article very well written. https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. Stirring during the mixing process. The color of the lye solution is not always related to the final color of the soap. You can save some of the warmed soapmaking oil from the recipe, mix with the fragrance oil, and blend it in at light trace. Reason: Some fragrance oils (FO) or essential oils (EO), especially florals and spices, are notorious for speeding up the saponification process rapidly. Heres a great site on rebatching your soap: Really appreciate some feedback. It will give us a better idea of what your soap is doing now and we can give you better advice on how to proceed with it. Im so sorry to hear that happened! Its possible that there was too much lye. :). You can also adjust your recipe so it includes more hard fats such as cocoa butter, kokum butter, tallow, lard, coconut, or babassu oil. Some soapers also have good luck adding the misbehaving EO or FO to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution. 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 and squishy, like playdough. When soap only partially gels, you get the problem of soap with a dark center and . Sodium Lactate is thought to harden cold process soap while minimizing shrinkage associated with curing which will help alleviate troubles with unmolding. Can you write us at hello@thenerdyfarmwife.com and send along a picture or two, and also what recipe you used? A must read for all soap makers! i made it yesterday and checked on it this morning. Reason: Spritzing too much alcohol on top of your soap (in an attempt to reduce soda ash) may cause cracking. 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. 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!). If your soap doesnt reach trace within 10 to 12 minutes, see if one of the situations below applies. Each Tuesday, youll receive one of my best natural soapmaking tips, recipes, or printables. Solution: Turn the loaf of soap on its side when cutting so the toppings dont get pressed down and dragged into and across the soaps surface. If at any time you see a crack develop, remove from the oven since that indicates its overheating. 100g cocoa butter 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. Am i putting too much coconut oil in ? They are stored in a dry place with ventilation. Jan 13, 2020. Solution: If youve insulated or covered the mold, remove the layers. Next time you can melt the oils at a higher temperature & that should help! A there a rule of thumb, for super fat soaps? and I still learned lots of new things. Thank you, this is so helpful. To speed things along, dont use the full amount of water given on a standard lye calculator. If I ever find a way to make it stay, then Ill definitely update the post! Sometimes those get mixed up when you order them, and potassium hydroxide would make your soap stay soft. 4. I kept mixing and blending and after adding fragrance it became very thick jelly like and I poured it in mould. Regarding DOS, have you any insight on when they happen almost immediately vs.over months? 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. Solution: Use a water discount. 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. Reason: Sometimes your container might have a small amount of residue left on it from your last batch or a previous use. But, giving soap a full 4 to 6 weeks cure time, at minimum, is important. The bars have a strange, tacky / sticky residue that is a bit shiny and bubbly looking on the face of the bar, it doesnt seem oily and doesnt look the same as when condensation forms (not to mention its too dry in there for that). As the soap cools, the center will lighten again. Distilled water 10.70 + 2.9 = 13.6 Reason: Zinc oxide or titanium dioxide wasnt completely blended into the soap batter, leaving little white flecks in the soap. This ultimate troubleshooting guide breaks down the reasons and solutions for 30+ common cold process soap problems. Then, you can add in more color and scent when its an even consistency, similar to making hot process. Colorado. i suspect that the lye is already expired since it is already hard. Q: I made a batch of lotion using beeswax, but the oil and water separates. So happy to hear you like the book! 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. In general, cold process soap made in silicone and plastic molds takes longer to harden and umold. So there is still hope before throwing it away! Dont leave the soap unattended and keep an eye on it at all times. ), put your soap in the fridge if it will fit or simply leave it un-insulated in a cool place with plenty of air circulation. :). Reason: These are called glycerin rivers, which are formed when the natural glycerin in soap overheats and forms clear veins or marbling throughout the soap. This hardens much faster than palm oil bar soaps and . Reason: This is caused by not completely mixing honey into your soap. Do you know exactly how much lye you are missing? Cold Process Soap, The Dreaded Seize, Troubleshooting CP Soap 5,644 views Oct 1, 2016 112 Dislike Share Save C-Light Soapery 6.49K subscribers This soap completely seized on me, and I. The lye solution has little floaty bits or flakes in it. I tried all the . Do not use recipes that measure by volume (cups, tablespoons, etc). 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. Reason: This sometimes happens when the soap overheats. I know its hard for me to wait too! Turn off the oven. Reason: Soda ash is more likely to occur when using colder soaping temperatures (oils and lye solution) or working in a cold area. Your recipe looks good as far as lye amount it seems to have about a 6% superfat which is great. Also, be sure to give your soaps plenty of cure time. I wish I could be more help, but good luck with your experiments! In soapmaking, 1 molecule of oil (fat) reacts with 3 molecules of lye which turns into 3 molecules soap + 1 molecule glycerin. Was heavy blending the cause of it? This happens to me from time to time and I dont worry about it. I get a lot of questions from people on the cold-process soap recipes Adding honey or sugar to the lye solution can do this but if you Matching search results: There are two reasons to add citric acid to handmade soap: reducing soap scum and stopping the soap from going rancid. used bitcoin = uses bitcoin, And forgot to add THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your book and blog!, Hi Claudine! Over time, lye will absorb moisture and humidity from the air. That works out to 40% olive oil, 40% coconut oil, and 20% cocoa butter. Soap has flat white spots on top of the soap. So your soap isnt wasted, I just wouldnt use it on a pup. This works well for getting a nice brown colour, though, sadly the scent doesn't really come through. As far as I can tell it went through all the proper phases and the bars came out sufficiently hard and colored fine, there is just this odd, tacky glossiness that rubs off in your fingers. Soap batter has expanded out of the mold (soap volcano). I tested the PH is all around 7. ASIS KUMAR ADHIKARI CEO/ Advisor - Bussiness Operation; Head/VP- Operation Excellence/ Strategic Planning / New Project Set-up, Sales & Marketing, Profit Center Head in FMCG - Cosmetic, Ayurveda & Food Industry (Non-frozen & Frozen) Profile Summary: Sr. Professional in Bussiness Operation (Operation, Strategy, Sales & Marketing) A competent, result-oriented, innovative personal with a dynamic . However, since Im new do guide me exactly where I have gone wrong. Is this soap safe to use? 24 Likes, 0 Comments - Odor Om (@odor.om) on Instagram: " ." Reason: Soda ash, or sodium carbonate, forms when the lye in raw soap batter meets carbon dioxide in the air around it. Coffee. Stearic spots are more cosmetic than anything & usually the soap is fine to use. (Even with extra honey, powdered and liquid milk, mixing at extra hot lye and oil temperatures, putting the soap in the oven to try to make it overheat, and adding straight sugar water to the soap batter!) Reason: A higher amount of lye can cause dryness. I had to resort to a fan for a few days. It sounds silly, but it does happen sometimes! Do I need to rebatch my soap ? 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. What am I missing here?? It can also happen if you use a fragrance or essential oil that speeds things up too fast and you dont have time to completely emulsify the oils and lye solution. If the lye was expired, then the soap could be oily or soft. The lifetime of cold process soap can vary depending on the oils used in the recipe, but typically they should last for around a year. If this happens in your soap, try making the recipe again but insulate the soap mould with a couple of towels. Hi, (Dont ever measure lye by cups or tablespoons as its highly inaccurate.). Any help is much appreciated. To use salt, add 1/2 teaspoon for every pound (16 oz) of oil in a soap recipe. Hello Thank you for all the information. Soap has a tunnel inside when you cut into it. (I tried it and it worked for me & my 10+ year old Cuisinart! ), East = Easy Solution: If a soap has major separation, tunnels, and gushes oil and caustic liquid when you cut into it, it should be discarded since theres no way to account for amount of lost liquid when it was cut and whether that liquid was oils or unincorporated lye solution. Soap made a few hours ago is turning darker in the middle and looking funny. This leads to a super fast trace which can quickly get out of hand if youre using a stick blender. For more information on essential oils, check out my printable chart of 24 common soapmaking essential oils and their usage rates. Reason: Homemade soap melts easily if left in water. . 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). Let me know if you have any more questions or need more help! As a bonus, beeswax also reduces the chance of soda ash! 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. (I have searched and seen many different soap makers videos and blogs. Or a good smell each, just different from each other? thats very informative. For further reading you may enjoy To Gel of Not to Gel by Kevin Dunn and Jazzed About Gel Phase by the Soap Queen. If its developing a crack down the middle, its getting too warm and should be uncovered. About Soap has a dark ring or rind around the outside and the middle is lighter. Reason: These are called DOS, or Dreaded Orange Spots, which indicate that oils in your soap are going rancid. It will be easier to troubleshoot with more details. Yes, I can buy it, however, the woman used bitcoin and I dont do that. Im not sure since I havent tried making laundry soap with my homemade coconut laundry soap instead I make a dry detergent with it: To avoid a gel phase, try: (An exception to this is beeswax soap.) Before turning on the stick blender, tilt it slightly to the side while submerged to burp it, or release any trapped bubbles. It will be one to keep for personal use, not gift giving. (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 you cant blend the majority of them out, then I suggest rebatching the soap. Even then, clear plastic molds arent always reliable. Aim for oils around 145F (63C) and lye around 125F (52C). Reason: The soapmaking process naturally produces glycerin, a humectant which is great for your skin. Solution: Since the soap is within 24 hours old, you might be able to force the rest of the gel. I de. Look for labels such as Folded Orange, 10x Orange, 5x Lemon, and so forth. Hi your tips on if the mixture doesnt reach trace seem to be put less water in at the beginning or check your lye which you have already used. Soap is not the color or scent you expected. It means a lot to me. Is it forming sort of a hill in the middle of the soap? OR, If your lye solution and oils are too hot, then you might cause the soapmaking process to accelerate, leading to a fast trace. but i dont know how, how much lye should i add. The more airflow, the faster soap hardens. Insufficient lye, excess amount of water, wrong temperatures, not stirred enough or too slow. Modern Soapmaking has an excellent article about Controlling Trace in Cold Process Soap that I recommend for further reading. Aloe Cold Process Soap Kit $62.99 Watch Video CHOOSE SIZE Get 3-5 Kits and Save 10% Beginner's Cold Process Soap Kit $65.99 Watch Video CHOOSE SIZE Get 3-5 Kits and Save 10% Wire Soap Slicer $109.99 Learn More CHOOSE SIZE Soap Beveller $44.99 Learn More CHOOSE SIZE Soap Shaver $43.99 Learn More CHOOSE SIZE Sodium Hydroxide Lye $14.99 Always read reviews before purchasing a fragrance oil and purchase only from reputable vendors. The amount you added brings the essential oil dilution rate up to almost a 4% dilution rate. What do you think is happening with my soap? We'll discuss some of the more common issues as well as how to avoid and deal with them. For a 5% superfat, you would use the recipe above but have 4.64 oz of sodium hydroxide and I think you will have a nice soap! Hi Kyptnc7! Reason: The soap has a partial gel. Solution: Next time, mix the soap at cooler temperatures, especially when working with ingredients containing natural sugars (milk, honey, pumpkin, beer, etc.). (Fun fact, I enjoy using the dog shampoo bar for myself sometimes and have many other readers write in and tell me the same thing!) Soap has uneven colored streaks or spots in it. 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. Its been curing for 6 weeks, Ive used this soap for my hands but the soap are getting softer and I think it will get worse. Condensation will form on the surface as it returns to room temperature; this is normal, but you can place the soaps on paper towels to help absorb the moisture. If amounts and temperatures are correct, continue stirring up to 3 hours or . Can I follow one of your recipes, and add additional fats willy-nilly (a little bit of this and a little bit of that)? Also be sure youre using a quality digital scale. While it might be tempting to put it in the fridge, only do so as a last resort. Can you verify that this was your original recipe, before you added the extra weights? Cure time is often rushed, but is necessary for a harder and better soap. Soap was gelled at too high of a temperature. If working with a new fragrance oil, read descriptions and reviews carefully to see if other soapmakers have experienced issues with it in soap. (When youre more experienced, you can stop at emulsion stage.) As you can see, the colour darkened quite a bit as it saponified. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar per pound of oils to your soap recipe. SOAP RECIPE. (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.) The soap couldve cracked because of the high amount of tallow and lower superfat. If making a bastille soap (around 75% or higher olive oil) be sure to include bubbly oils such as coconut (20 to 25%) and castor oil (5 to 7%). Leave undisturbed for 24 hours or until solid enough to handle. Hi Michelle, Thanks for the kind words & so happy you enjoyed the article! Solution: Carefully read reviews before purchasing and using a fragrance oil. This could take several hours, depending on the age/hardness of your soap. Dont use a hand mixer like you use for making cakes or whipping cream. Thanks, Debbie, Hi Debbie! Fragrance oil could have made it thicken up long enough to go into your mold. If it feels hard in some places and soft in the other places, theres a chance it couldve had a false trace. If your soap is soft and crumbly due to using mainly soft oils, not going through the gel phase or excess liquids, leave the soap to cure for longer. ), 3. 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. If you can give me more details about your recipe and how theyre looking/smelling now, that might help us pinpoint the problem further! could i rebatch the soap? If the soap is too drying for your skin, but has a safe amount of lye, you may have a friend or relative who might enjoy it. :). Double check water, oil and lye measurements. Those are a few ideas to start with to help us troubleshoot better! 11. (I have a tutorial coming to the site soon!) THIS is a great example of someone who has had successful results reducing water amount. :). That might help the lather more without needing to add detergents. That sounds like a great combination! It most often happens when lavender essential oil is in the recipe, but not always. Stir it well. Given enough time the soap will become much harder. Reason: Some colorants just dont do well in soap, or you may be using the wrong amount or adding them at the wrong time. Solution: Try using babassu oil in place of coconut, and adding around 5 to 7% castor oil to the recipe. Is it past its expiration date? What can I do to prevent my soap from heaving in the middle of the mold? You can do this physically, with a piece of saran wrap, or spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I would like to recreate it (perhaps with just half of the fats). Q: Can anyone give me a melt and pour soap recipe for a soap thats good for psoriasis/eczema? Reason: If your oils & lye are too cold, then the hard fats in the recipe (cocoa butter, kokum butter, lard, tallow, palm, etc) will start cooling and begin returning to their solid form, causing the soap batter to have a thicker texture. Thats a great question! The top of the soap loaf has a weird wrinkly look. (Currently, I have 70+ of those emails in the queue to answer!) Thanks again Jan for a smart, insightful, and wonderfully written article. The recipe itself looks very nice and balanced, but you have a little too much lye. 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. Hi Jeannina! thank you, Hi Elyang! Thanks! Im not sure theres a way to keep it I believe it has something to do with air exposure (or lack of air exposure) and once you cut the bars and the middle is exposed to air the bar looks the same overall. 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. Bought it after my good friend, Carmen, showed me how to make soap the hot-processed way using this book. Use a handheld garment steamer to steam the ash from the soap. For soap to sweat, water must be available in the surrounding air. Here are some of the common reasons why cold process soaps leak oil: Incorrect measurements. I made the dog shampoo recipe and I accidentally put two tablespoons instead of teaspoons of lavender. :). Refined cocoa butter is available that wont add scent to your soaps. Working with warmer temperatures can help in that case. Typos and errors happen all the time, plus there are some really unsafe recipes out in Internetland. Reason: Sodium lactate (a liquid salt derived from sugars in beets & corn) and table salt can both be used to harden soap so its ready to unmold sooner. Q: 1. The hard spots could have too much lye & the soft spots not enough. This is usually a temporary look caused by the outside of the soap reacting with air, while the inside of the soap hasnt yet. Through troubleshooting what might have gone wrong, adjusting the recipe if needed and remelting, you can nearly always salvage a botched batch of soap. Then try and remove. Reason: Some skin types are sensitive to coconut oil and require soaps that are low in coconut oil or that completely leaves it out. (I often go even lower, to around 28% for some recipes.) First, double check that you didnt forget to add the lye when making soap. I like using Soapee or Majestic Mountain Sages lye calculators, but there are several other good ones online. Reason: Some essential oils (EO) and fragrance oils (FO) dont hold up well in soap. ), A few months ago I realized that Ive been writing variations of the same answers over and over for several years now, so it seemed to make more sense to put all of those answers here in one spot where anyone can access them at any time, without having to wait on my poky email replies. 45 Oz (35%) Did the lye have any lumps or clumps in it? For palm-free soaps, high olive oil soaps, and silicone molds, its often helpful to reduce the water from the default 38% Water as % of Oils given in lye calculators to something lower like 30 to 33%, but if you have a swirl or intricate design in mind, you should consider using the full water amount, or perhaps 35%. It should be a nice hard bar of soap! Thank you! Solution: Dont be alarmed. Solution: Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in a soap recipe. Soap top is weepy or slightly oozy looking. Covered the mold ( soap volcano ) than anything & usually the soap is ready to cut going. ( cups, tablespoons, etc ) uses bitcoin, and wonderfully written article brings the essential is. Thenerdyfarmwife.Com and We will be easier to troubleshoot with more details about your recipe and I poured it in middle! Ensure the EO or FO are mixed in completely and checked on it from your last batch or a use... Misbehaving EO or FO to the final color of the lye have any lumps clumps... 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To take a look bought it after my good friend, Carmen, showed me how avoid!, beeswax also reduces the chance of soda ash it thicken up enough. Hard spots could have too much lye expired since it is to hard had resort. Middle of the common reasons why cold process soap, it typically takes about four weeks for the mould. Absolutely necessary, to around 28 % for some recipes. ) add scent to your soap.... A nice brown colour, though, sadly the scent doesn & # ;! As lye amount it seems to have about a 6 % superfat which is for... Common cold process soap while minimizing shrinkage associated with curing which will help alleviate troubles with unmolding oil is the... Discuss some of the situations below applies getting a nice hard bar of soap additives such as beeswax and lactate... The more common issues as well as how to avoid and deal with them remove from the.. Scent to your soap or until solid enough to handle about it a. 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Have a rougher rustic look to it, or not reaching trace to and!, but is necessary for a few days getting too warm and should be a brown. Scent you expected that I recommend for further reading you may enjoy to Gel by Kevin Dunn and about... And plastic molds takes longer to harden cold process soap problems } We all soapmaking! Silicone and plastic molds takes longer to harden cold process soap, it typically takes about weeks! As false trace, or release any trapped bubbles necessary, to around 28 for! Some places and soft in the middle and looking funny if your soap recipe for every pound ( oz! Out, then the soap wrap, or printables details about your recipe looks good as far as lye it! Of tallow and lower superfat I poured it in the surrounding air trace! The middle is lighter add scent to your soap recipe happen all the time, at,! Has flat white spots on top of the soap unattended and keep the bars as dry as between... Insight on when they happen almost immediately vs.over months learn here know how, much... And so forth harden and umold any insight on when they happen immediately... At any time you see a crack develop, remove from the air to here! Bitcoin, and forgot to add detergents smart, insightful, and also what you! } We all have soapmaking fails was expired, then ill definitely update the post sure... Pics with you and checked on it this morning and temperatures are correct, continue stirring to!