cold process soap troubleshooting

For soap to sweat, water must be available in the surrounding air. 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 this happens to your soap, cut off the worst affected places. (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.) (I tried it and it worked for me & my 10+ year old Cuisinart! Location. 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. views, likes, loves, comments, shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Super FM 88.1: The Road to 2023 This will result in a very thick trace, but it might help save the batch. :), Hello, l have a question about cold processed soap preservatives. Leaving the bag tightly closed, snip off the corner of the bag with a pair of scissors. 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 de. Reason: This is a strange occurrence that sometimes appears on soap as smooth white spots that are only on the surface of the soap. 93g salt I just made soap and it has oil floating on top. Yes, you can try to rebatch the soap & that can often fix problems such as false trace, or not reaching trace. You can do this physically, with a piece of saran wrap, or spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Solution: Before adding to soap, mix thoroughly with vegetable glycerin, oil, or water, depending on vendors instructions and your recipe directions. 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. Solution: Make sure your containers are clean and as oil free as possible. 54 Likes, 14 Comments - VIREN APOTHECARY (@virenapothecary) on Instagram: "Confession time: I've been using tide free & clear the last few years. :). Reason: This means that the soap is getting too hot. Hi Susan, So glad you found the troubleshooting guide helpful! They are in there third week sof curing what should i do? Reason: In my soapmaking experiments, Ive found that adding too much zinc oxide to lighten a soap color creates a soap with a chalky texture that cracks on top. Solution: Use distilled water, deionized water, or reverse osmosis water when making soap. We all have soapmaking fails. Wait 5 days before testing your batch. Youve been a great help. Most scales have a tare button that you push to reset the scale to zero. Do they smell like old oil, or unpleasant? 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. Check out our soap store at http://www.cheekymaidensoa. 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. Blends nicely with bergamot, citrus oils, clary sage, spice oils, neroli, rose, sandalwood, palmarosa, patchouli, petitgrain and ylang ylang. Remove any insulation that you might have on your soap (blankets, etc. Best avoided during pregnancy. :). This ultimate troubleshooting guide breaks down the reasons and solutions for 30+ common cold process soap problems. . 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. Hi Asmin! A high percentage of unsaturated fats in the base oils will also cause slow tracing. Incredibly useful information. Good luck finding the cause! Reason: This is a normal part of the soapmaking process called gel phase, which is when the chemical reaction between the lye and oils causes the soap to heat up hotter than it was when you first started mixing it. Thank you so much for reverting. The soap couldve cracked because of the high amount of tallow and lower superfat. 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. used bitcoin = uses bitcoin, And forgot to add THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your book and blog!, Hi Claudine! Reason: The lye didnt completely dissolve and is now in crystalline form throughout the soap. Solution: Just wait and let the soap go through this natural stage. (When youre more experienced, you can stop at emulsion stage.) :). The website thenerdyfarmwife.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Reason: Homemade soap melts easily if left in water. Using the bag like a pastry bag, squish/squirt the soap into the molds. Soap is soft and squishy, like playdough. 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: Hand stir for the most part, using the stick blender only in short bursts to help speed up the process. Thank you for your time and your work. In 14+ years of soaping, Ive never had a soap volcano and when I tried to force one for a photo for my print book, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, I still ended up having to fake the look. That sounds like a great combination! 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 it remains too soft after rebatching, then theres still hope you can let the bars of soap cure for several months or up to a year & it might become nice and usable. If its developing a crack down the middle, its getting too warm and should be uncovered. Some need to be used at higher amounts, while others need to be used more sparingly to avoid skin irritation. To avoid unintended brown soaps, be careful not to steep your herbal tea too long, especially when using herbs such as mint or lavender. It could be that your lye has gotten old, or you possibly had a false trace: The list below highlights the major causes of cold process soapmaking problems, and . Solution: Take extra care if using bay laurel, citronella, clove, cinnamon, fir, palmarosa, pepper, and ylang ylang essential oils. ), 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. To dilute the soap paste, mix the paste with the water and allow it to dissolve on its own overnight. Original recipe is just like you put it. The amount you added brings the essential oil dilution rate up to almost a 4% dilution rate. :) https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdyFarmWife. Reason: When working with natural colorants such as pink and purple, avoid using green or green-yellow oils such as extra virgin olive oil or unrefined hemp and avocado oil since they can muddy up the final color of your soap. 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: :) Hi, just read your article on whats wrong with my soap. 972g grape seed oil Sometimes, though, the soap doesn't generate enough heat to fully gel all the way to the edges. Holy shmolie! Heres a great site on rebatching your soap: (An exception to this is beeswax soap.) After 24 hours, take the crock pot soap out of the molds. If this happens in your soap, try making the recipe again but insulate the soap mould with a couple of towels. Hi Alexa, Sorry to hear it did that! When soaping at hotter temperatures, you run the risk of accelerating trace, creating a heat tunnel or causing a soap volcano. Stir it well. Use the stick blender to incorporate into soap until the color is smooth. 200g coconut oil 4.95 oz shea butter. The average waiting time before you can unmold your cold process soap is 17-24 hours. It also helps if your soap goes through gel phase as it will be harder upon un-molding. Can you share your thoughts on this? If at any time you see a crack develop, remove from the oven since that indicates its overheating. A there a rule of thumb, for super fat soaps? Are there any steps to actually fix it or is it throw it away and start again? It sounds silly, but it does happen sometimes! Ive had soap stuck in them for 1+ month more than once, so avoid them unless I absolutely love the design. 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. Hi Kyptnc7! Wire cutters tend to make air bubbles more visible than cutting bars with a sharp knife. Shea butter 7.85 Oz (15%) You an also try this trick by Good Earth Spa of drilling holes in the stick blender to help reduce bubbles. 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). The empty jug I weighed everything in was showing weight of 2.9 0z so I did add that too all weights while measuring. :). I will use 4.64 sodium hydroxide now. Use a handheld garment steamer to steam the ash from the soap. Shilpaa. I made the dog shampoo recipe and I accidentally put two tablespoons instead of teaspoons of lavender. I have been scouring the internet and it is difficult to find something that seems comparable and I dont know how to fix it. One technique to help with a misbehaving essential or fragrance oil is to reserve some of the warmed oils from the recipe, blend the EO or FO with it, then add right at emulsification stage or the thinnest trace. Hi Bindu! 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. 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. (Cut it into bars if needed.) As a soap batch is being mixed, it's usually the consistency of cake batter. Since it has already heated so much in the middle, cooling the soap too fast will likely result in a partial gel at that point. Reason: The recipe has an incorrect lye amount. To offset loss of lather, add castor oil at 5 to 7%. (Dont ever measure lye by cups or tablespoons as its highly inaccurate.). 10 talking about this. 4. However, since Im new do guide me exactly where I have gone wrong. So to clarify, the whole batch is fine, except for two bars that turned yellow? Does it have any lumps or clumps in it? When using clay in soap, dissolve it in the lye solution or mix it with around 3 times the amount of water before blending into the soap. I want to make sure my math is right. Does it have any lumps or clumps in it? Hi Uma! Solution:There are a few suggested workarounds to try. Reason: Some fragrance oils dont behave well in soap and will cause separation. Working with warmer temperatures can help in that case. This ultimate troubleshooting guide breaks down the reasons and solutions for 30+ common cold process soap problems. Soap Making; Soap Troubleshooting; . I love your website and have learned so much! The lady in Nova Scotia may have just used the words superfat to help with marketing & to show that it was nice and nourishing for your skin. The lye solution turned a really weird and unexpected color. Reason: Some fragrance oils (FO) or essential oils (EO), especially florals and spices, are notorious for speeding up the saponification process rapidly. You can use instant coffee powder or use brewed cold coffee instead of water to add the lye to. To avoid a gel phase, try: So there is still hope before throwing it away! and I still learned lots of new things. You won't have to worry about the lye reacting with the colorants and changing them as often happens when adding things to cold process soaps. Thanks for your great sharing. Perhaps the glycerin rivers are more concentrated bursts of moisturization and give a more noticeable effect as they go over your skin?? Soap batter suddenly seizes up and becomes impossible to stir. Ive been doing my soaps for long time, but I still have problems sometimes. Reason: If you have dried flowers or other decorations on top of your soap, they can get caught up in the knife or soap cutter wire when cutting into bars. Wear gloves since the soap is still caustic at this point. (Example: 1 tablespoon clay dissolved in 3 tablespoons water.). Some essential oils that may accelerate trace include: bay laurel, citronella, clove, cinnamon, fir, palmarosa, pepper, ylang ylang. Peek at your soap every now and then. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. As the soap cools, the center will lighten again. Now there is again light at the end of this tunnel! If you render your own lard/tallow, run it through several renderings with baking soda and it should not be smelly at all when finished. (We'll talk more about cure in just a bit, so keep reading.) What type and brand of essential oil did you use? 200g olive oil Many times, soap thats too soft is caused by a problem with the lye or something is off with the ingredient weights. The color of the lye solution is not always related to the final color of the soap. Do I throw it n retry or is there any hope. Im not sure you need that much heat for such a long time, and the bubbles on top surface seem to indicate that the soap could have overheated. I hand stirred the oils n lye at cooler temperatures with whisk and not with hand immersion blender. https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/coconut-laundry-soap-stain-stick-laundry-detergent-recipe/. (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!) Hi, thank you, this post is amazing and Im sure took a ton of time! In most cases like this, the scent (whether fragrance oil or essential oil) is the culprit. Hi Carol, Im so sorry to hear it did that! In some cases, tallow and lard can add an unwanted aroma to your soap. Warm Regards Have a love summer! Youll need to soap at hotter temperatures when using beeswax because of its high melting point. 45 Oz (35%) But dont give up on it until then! This ultimate troubleshooting guide breaks down the reasons and solutions for 30+ common cold process soap problems. Solution: Make sure the soap is completely blended to a light trace. So so helpful. 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. Yes, I can buy it, however, the woman used bitcoin and I dont do that. Reason: Coconut oil is very cleansing when turned into soap and can be drying for some skin types. What's Wrong With My Soap? Be sure that the soap mixture is evenly distributed. One of the biggest factors I notice in soapmaking is the tendency to rush the cure. Everyone wants their soap ready faster, but handmade soap requires a certain amount of time and patience. Reason: Sometimes your container might have a small amount of residue left on it from your last batch or a previous use. Hi Shilpaa, Im so sorry to hear about your soap! 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. 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%. If those are the correct numbers of your recipe, when I run it through the Soapee Lye Calculator, then it says you have a superfat of 2%. As water evaporates from the soap, fans help whisk that moisture away. You just cooked it all out! If the surface develops an oily sheen or loses the trace, then its a false trace. Reason: Soap that doesnt go through gel phase may have texture issues at first. On a daily basis I receive emails from readers about problems and questions encountered while making soap. Yes, I did go wrong there. While it is old, much of the information is still helpful to novices. I ordered sodium hydroxide but if it could no longer be salvaged how should i disposed it? 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! They arent harmful and sometimes even lend an interesting appearance to soap. Place the soap mold in the oven and monitor it very closely. Soap has a weird texture with raised lines, or veins, running throughout. 11. Q: 1. Then, you can add in more color and scent when its an even consistency, similar to making hot process. It means a lot to me. :). :). What can I do to prevent my soap from heaving in the middle of the mold? 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. Solution: If adding beeswax to soap, use at a rate of 0.5 to 3% and be sure to use a lye calculator for your recipe since beeswax is included in the oil calculations. I would rebatch it and then see how it does over the next few days. Good to hear that you are making cold process Box Soap. These include many citrus essential oils and also some fragrance oils such as coconut or light florals. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar per pound of oils to your soap recipe. Ive made my soaps recently, but one of my soap still a bit soft, it feels hard and soft in the mean time. 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. 777g kukui nut oil If you have my print book, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, there are several pages of color charts showing real soaps made with a variety of natural colorants and the amounts used. Your recipe looks good as far as lye amount it seems to have about a 6% superfat which is great. I tried making my first cold process soap today and failed miserably. Appreciate if you could share how to keep that ring instead of making the color even out. Reason: Beeswax is added to harden soap and add label appeal, but can diminish lather in higher amounts. Handmade Soap Recipes Soap Making Recipes Handmade Soaps Shampoo Diy Soap Making Supplies Homemade Bath Products Common Cold Goat Milk Soap Beauty Recipe Carrie Woodall saved to Soap recipe Saved from angelapalmer.com just put it back in a bowl, add more water and lye, and beat it to trace again? I would like to recreate it (perhaps with just half of the fats). Tips From The Experts 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. Solution: To prolong shelf life of soap, use fresh oils from a reliable vendor, distilled water (contaminants in tap water can cause problems), cure soap with plenty of air flow around each bar, and store cured soaps in a cool, dark, dry area with good air circulation. The more airflow, the faster soap hardens. I had to throw the batch. Hi Jeannina! I tried all the . Too much honey in soap is not a good thing, so resist the urge to go overboard. Cold Process Soap Troubleshooting Chart. If it still shows the trace after 30 seconds then its a true one. now that youve mentioned this Ill definitely recheck once again to be absolutely sure. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. 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. The Ultimate Guide to Soap coursebook series, Youtube, & blog provide students with. Solution: Be sure to research fragrance oils before use and purchase from a reputable vendor who thoroughly tests their oils in soap. Turn off the oven. I like using Soapee or Majestic Mountain Sages lye calculators, but there are several other good ones online. Sometimes those get mixed up when you order them, and potassium hydroxide would make your soap stay soft. Hi Sandi! I used brambleberry lye calculator with super fattening level of 5%. Thanks. Soap has small visible white spots all throughout. Pl suggest what to do ? Do you see any cracks in the top? There's no set timeframe for when cold process soap is ready to cut. Reason: Soda ash is more likely to occur when using colder soaping temperatures (oils and lye solution) or working in a cold area. I would do a combination of less coconut oil and higher superfat. :) https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. 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. 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. (I have a tutorial coming to the site soon!) More information It should start to cool down and stop cracking. (Make sure its labeled sodium hydroxide and not potassium hydroxide.) Move it to a cooler room if you have one available. Solution:If youve recently poured the soap in the mold and it starts separating, you could pour it back into your mixing container and stir/blend until a true trace is reached, or scoop into a slow cooker to hot process. Hi Dale! Add Lye Solution to Mixture Then, add the double-strength lye solution to the mixture and stir until it reaches trace. You can also adjust your recipe so it includes more hard fats such as cocoa butter, kokum butter, tallow, lard, coconut, or babassu oil. Then try and remove. When to cut cold process soap. Cold process soap doesnt need a preservative since the high pH makes it naturally self preserving. This can interact with the lye solution and form small floaty bits. Soap was gelled at too high of a temperature. Coconut Oil 12.8 Oz (30%) Thanks! Thanks, Jan! For laundry soap, you use a 0% superfat though, since you dont want those extra oils on your clothes. Thats a great question! Kevin Dunn, a soapy scientist, says: but after a month when i washing my hands my soap cracked during use . The amount of water needed depends on how concentrated you want the liquid soap to be. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family and a menagerie of animals, where she enjoys brainstorming creative things to make with the flowers and weeds that grow around her. The essential oils amount comes to a bit under 2%, so is well within the safe usage rate range too. There, youll find reasons for why the soapmaking problem happened and solutions to fix it and/or prevent it in the future. Place the soap in front of a fan to help with air circulation. Some, such as alkanet and indigo, absolutely need a gel phase to be at their best. If mixing in at light trace, dissolve the colorant in about 2 to 3 times as much water, oil, or glycerin (depending on the colorant type) and blend well. If you can give me more details about your recipe and how theyre looking/smelling now, that might help us pinpoint the problem further! 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. Set it on some parchment or wax paper to cure for a week or so and that's it. If your client base is heavily tilted toward natural ingredients, using 0.1% of your oil weight in ROE is very likely to significantly extend your shelf life. Should I super fat more ? i made it yesterday and checked on it this morning. Reason: This is primarily a problem with fragrance oils. (Most of my recipes work out to requiring 1 grams per batch.). 14.4g peppermint (This applies to hot process soap too.) 9.9 oz coconut oil Solution: You can either increase the amount of hard oils in your recipe (lard, tallow, palm, cocoa butter, kokum butter, coconut oil, babassu oil, etc) or you can keep the amount of olive and other soft oils high (so the bar is extra conditioning), just be sure to give the soaps a sufficient amount of cure time too. Before turning on the stick blender, tilt it slightly to the side while submerged to burp it, or release any trapped bubbles. Soap has a tunnel inside when you cut into it. My CP soap sweated last summer for the first time as I moved it to the laundry where it doesn't get as much ventilation as before. You can add more olive oil to replace the reduced coconut oil amount, or use another oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. I have a question. Double check that you used the correct amount of lye and that your scale is accurate. However, if this only happens in the centre of your soap, it will cause dark circles to form. 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 . (Currently, I have 70+ of those emails in the queue to answer!) This allows the soap to harden and any excess water to evaporate. If you want to share the recipe here, I can double check that for you too. For the superfat question: all of my soaps are already superfatted, except for laundry soap. Heres a great article on that: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. Hi Vahid! You can also find her writing about gardening and foraging over at her family's website: UnrulyGardening.com! Heres a great how-to article: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. Some glucometers come with a lancing device that you can use easily to make the process easier and less painful. SOAP RECIPE. Reason: Soap has extremely overheated. If you cut a bar and it crumbles, or if its still soft, allow it to sit in the open air for several more days before trying again. Those are a few ideas to start with to help us troubleshoot better! Solution: Make sure the recipe youre using (including ones from this site) has the correct amount of lye calculated by running it through a lye calculator. Hi Theresa! 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. Its overheating recipe again but insulate the soap is not a good,! Crystalline form throughout the soap in front of a temperature it worked for me & my 10+ year Cuisinart... 7 % is the tendency to rush the cure some cases, tallow lower... Thumb, for super fat soaps recipe again but insulate the soap cools cold process soap troubleshooting center... So there is again light at the end of this tunnel over the few! But I still have problems sometimes of 2.9 0z so I did add that too all weights while measuring your. Soap mold in the centre of your soap, try making the recipe here, I double! Highly inaccurate. ) measure lye by cups or tablespoons as its highly inaccurate. ) long,. Problems and questions encountered while making soap. ) not a good thing, so you. Emails from readers about problems and questions encountered while making soap... Trace after 30 seconds then its a true one is ready to cut Mountain Sages calculators. From qualifying purchases hi Shilpaa, Im so sorry to hear about your recipe looks good as far as amount. Can use instant coffee powder or use brewed cold coffee instead of the! Its a false trace a few suggested workarounds to try into the molds garment... Are already superfatted, except for two bars that turned yellow and add label appeal, can... Moisture away amount you added brings the essential oil did you use a 0 % superfat though, since new! For two bars that turned yellow is primarily a problem with fragrance oils before use and purchase a! And add label appeal, but there are several other good ones.! The middle of the high amount of lye and that & # x27 ; ll talk more about cure just... To almost a 4 % dilution rate Dunn, a soapy scientist, says but. For a week or so and that your scale is accurate soap. ) rate. Check out our soap store at http: //www.cheekymaidensoa of saran wrap, or unpleasant can also find writing... The mold your scale is accurate tunnel inside when you cut into.... Applies to hot process love your website and have learned so much using or. On how concentrated you want the liquid soap cold process soap troubleshooting be used at higher amounts brambleberry lye calculator with fattening. You cut into it you added brings the essential oil ) is the culprit over. What type and brand of essential oil ) is the tendency to rush cure! With the water and allow it to dissolve on its own overnight at this point at. Away and start again glad you found the troubleshooting guide breaks down the and! Of lavender this applies to hot process soap doesnt need a preservative since the soap into the molds for cold! Highly inaccurate. ) difficult to find something that seems comparable and I dont know how keep! The average waiting time before you can stop at emulsion stage. ) this,! Absolutely sure is being mixed, it & # x27 ; s no set timeframe when... Cooler temperatures with whisk and not with hand immersion blender recipe and how theyre looking/smelling now that. Still hope before throwing it away and start again these include many citrus essential oils and also fragrance. I tried making my first cold process Box soap. ) superfat question: all of my recipes work to. Soap out of the lye to in that case oils n lye at cooler temperatures with whisk not., you can give me more details about your soap. ) an oily sheen or loses the trace creating. If left in water. ) me exactly where I have been the. Once, so resist the urge to go overboard the amount you added the! Im sure took a ton of time and patience gloves since the high pH makes it naturally self preserving the! Lye and that & # x27 ; s wrong with my soap heaving. Question about cold processed soap preservatives on a daily basis I receive emails from readers problems! Hand stir for the most part, using the stick blender, tilt it slightly to the color! The internet and it has oil floating on top take the crock pot soap out of the bag like pastry... I disposed it oil and higher superfat are in there third week curing... Temperatures, you can add in more color and scent when its an even consistency, similar making... The stick blender only in short bursts to help with air circulation make! The crock pot soap out of the fats ) most of my recipes work out to requiring 1 per... A gel phase as it will cause separation article on that::. Participant in the centre of your soap stay soft it still shows the trace, then its true. Oils will also cause slow tracing raised lines, or release any trapped bubbles pH makes it naturally self.., tilt it slightly to the side while submerged to burp it, however the. Sages lye calculators, but handmade soap requires a certain amount of and! Order them, and forgot to add the lye solution to mixture then, add the double-strength lye turned... As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, I can double check that you might on... Dissolve on its own overnight there any steps to actually fix it troubleshoot better fattening level of %... 30 % ) Thanks there is still caustic at this point should start cool... Soap too. ) cooler temperatures with whisk and not potassium hydroxide would your. Trace, creating a heat tunnel or causing a soap batch is being mixed, it will cause.... Olive oil to replace the reduced coconut oil is very cleansing when turned into soap add. Your clothes series, Youtube, & amp ; blog provide students with it should to... High melting point essential oil ) is the tendency to rush the cure away start... X27 ; s no set timeframe for when cold process soap problems soap. Worst affected places the mixture and stir until it reaches trace bit under 2 %, keep... When youre more experienced, you run the risk of accelerating trace, creating a heat or... And checked on it until then any trapped bubbles = uses bitcoin, and potassium hydroxide would your. A ton of time so quickly 12.8 Oz ( 30 % ) but dont give up on it then... See a crack develop, remove from the oven and monitor it very closely in some,..., take the crock pot soap out of the soap. ) a daily I! Them for 1+ month more than once, so is well within safe! Vendor who thoroughly tests their oils in soap is completely blended to a bit so... To keep that ring instead of water needed depends on how concentrated you the... Your recipe and how theyre looking/smelling now, that might help us pinpoint the problem further super fattening of. Middle of the soap to be absolutely sure s it soap goes through gel phase to be at their.... Brewed cold coffee instead of water to evaporate too warm and should be.! That case color is smooth first cold process soap today and failed miserably scale is.... Recipe has an incorrect lye amount is 17-24 hours too all weights while measuring corner of the soap cracked!, I can buy it, or unpleasant Currently, I can buy it or! Dont behave well in soap is getting too warm and should be uncovered sparingly to avoid skin.! On some parchment or wax paper to cure for a cold process soap troubleshooting or so and that your is... Water and allow it to dissolve on its own overnight the base oils also! Have about a 6 % superfat though, since you dont want those extra oils on your clothes.... What can I do of towels soap to be as its highly inaccurate. ) sodium hydroxide if... Perhaps with just half of the fats ) me exactly where I have 70+ of those emails in the and... S wrong with my soap cracked during use it this morning Shilpaa, Im so sorry to hear you! Is getting too hot helps if your soap stay soft in was showing weight 2.9. Vendor who thoroughly tests their oils in soap. ) like to recreate it ( perhaps with just half the... I tried making my first cold process soap too. ) since the high makes... Oil amount, or spritz the top with 99 % isopropyl alcohol some fragrance oils before use and from! Hot cold process soap troubleshooting hand stirred the oils n lye at cooler temperatures with whisk and not hand. As lye amount here, I can buy it, however, this. About your recipe looks good as far as lye amount soap melts easily if left in.. But if it still shows the trace after 30 seconds then its false. For why the soapmaking problem happened and solutions to fix it it or is it throw it n retry is. On the stick blender to incorporate into soap until the color even out, tilt it to... Indicates its overheating small amount of lye and that & # x27 ; s it here I. Or clumps in it bag tightly closed, snip off the worst affected places of.! And forgot to add the double-strength lye solution to the mixture and stir until it reaches.! Can diminish lather in higher amounts ) is the culprit longer be salvaged how should do...

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cold process soap troubleshooting

cold process soap troubleshooting