# Interesting Observation



## Luckyone80 (Nov 15, 2014)

So, 8 batches of soap in so far and I have an observation that I don't think is coincidence. I made the first 5 batches of soap with distilled water and all developed soda ash despite spraying the tops with alcohol ad covering with plastic wrap.
I used tap water in the 6th batch by accident and it did not get soda ash, I tested it again with the next two batches and low and behold neither of them developed it and all three batches were different recipes. 
I live in the city so I have city water but I have a water softener too. Not sure what it is but I don't think I will be going back to using distilled water.

Pictures attached are the last 3 batches.


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## Obsidian (Nov 15, 2014)

I always use tap water and ash is hit or miss with me. Most of the time I don't get it but when I do, its quite thick. I never spray my soap or cover it with plastic. Your oatmeal soap is beautiful by the way, you need to post cut pics


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## Luckyone80 (Nov 15, 2014)

Obsidian said:


> I always use tap water and ash is hit or miss with me. Most of the time I don't get it but when I do, its quite thick. I never spray my soap or cover it with plastic. Your oatmeal soap is beautiful by the way, you need to post cut pics



Thank you, that is the newest soap I just made last night and I'm actually happy with it for once.


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## Jstar (Nov 15, 2014)

Great looking soaps! 

And I started using tap water for mine as well a long time ago {in the city I used city tap water, now in the country and use well water}..I don't get ash much anymore, but when I do its light..I stopped spraying with alcohol too and I never cover mine either...


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## Luckyone80 (Nov 15, 2014)

Jstar said:


> Great looking soaps!
> 
> And I started using tap water for mine as well a long time ago {in the city I used city tap water, now in the country and use well water}..I don't get ash much anymore, but when I do its light..I stopped spraying with alcohol too and I never cover mine either...



Thank you! Here I thought I discovered something new, lol I had no idea of this little trick since everything I've ever read or watched said to use distilled. Glad I found it out early in the game.


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## coffeetime (Nov 16, 2014)

It's the water softener I suspect. Hard water has a lot of minerals in it. Must be why. My tap water is very hard so I don't have that option. But with distilled and a spritz of alcohol I get almost no ash as well.


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## Jstar (Nov 16, 2014)

> everything I've ever read or watched said to use distilled.



True that...and my discovery was a happy accident so I just went with it


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## cmzaha (Nov 16, 2014)

I find spritzing with alcohol does nothing. I also find some EO's such as lavender and some fo's more prone to ash. I still get ash when using 100% gm with lavender eo. Ash just laughs at me wasting good alcohol spritzing the tops, and still goes on its merry way developing on the top of my soap


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## godschild (Nov 16, 2014)

I have the hardest of well water.  I am too chicken to try using anything but distilled.  I develop ash all the time using the distilled along with the alcohol and covering.  Don't know what else to do since everyone I know has well water so I guess I'm stuck with the distilled and the ash....  I love your soaps.  They're so pretty.


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## welsh black (Nov 16, 2014)

Mmmm. Should I try my tap ??


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## MarisaJensen (Nov 16, 2014)

I will be trying my tap today. Ash is my worst enemy.roblem::Kitten Love:

Let's see if this does the trick for me as well. Your soaps are beautiful!


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## JustBeachy (Nov 16, 2014)

I've said this a couple of times on this forum. My grandma had the worlds worst well water known to mankind. Like drinking sulfur water. She made her soap out of that well water every time and had no problems. It's been a while, but I can still remember how her soap always looked, and can't say I remember any SA. 

At times we can get too picky/technical about what we use. Water definitely falls into this category, in my opinion.


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## snappyllama (Nov 16, 2014)

Love your soaps!  I've got well water that makes me use distilled (plus I'm a chicken).  I've only had ash once when I tried to gel (nothing gelled but I did get a lovely layer of ash on top of my alcohol spritzed top).  I do spritz my top tops with alcohol since I was used to doing M&P: it just feels weird not to spritz everything in sight.


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## Luckyone80 (Nov 16, 2014)

godschild said:


> I have the hardest of well water.  I am too chicken to try using anything but distilled.  I develop ash all the time using the distilled along with the alcohol and covering.  Don't know what else to do since everyone I know has well water so I guess I'm stuck with the distilled and the ash....  I love your soaps.  They're so pretty.



Thank you, if your soaps develop ash anyway, couldn't hurt to try tap just to see then maybe?


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## DWinMadison (Nov 16, 2014)

You soaps are all beautiful. Can't believe you are just 8 batches in!


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## DWinMadison (Nov 16, 2014)

It seems that as I've gotten more confident and get a better trace on my soaps before molding that they ash less. Not sure if that's the reason, but I don't seem to get it anymore, and everything else is the same. Always tap water here...sometimes filtered.


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## IrishLass (Nov 17, 2014)

I only use distilled (my tap water is very hard) and it's a very rare occurrence for me to get ash. Although it does happen, I would say that it's only about 2% or so of the time. The other 98% is ash-free. And I don't do the alcohol or saran-wrap trick either.

For what it's worth (in case one or any of the following aspects might matter), this is how I conduct the majority of my soaping sessions:

1) I use a water discount (usually a 33% lye solution)
2) I soap on the warm side (110F/43C - 120F/49C)
3) I pour at medium-thick trace
4) I cover my mold with its normal/accompanying cover and then drape over the cover with a few old cotton diapers (clean of course ;-) )
5) I encourage gel by placing my soap in my oven which is pre-warmed to 120F/49C, then turned off once the soap is placed inside.
6) I then let my soap alone 'do its thing' and then totally cool down before uncovering/unmolding/cutting.

The only times I seem to get ash is either

a) when I unmold my soap too soon (i.e., when my soap is still warm);
b) on the extremely rare occasion when I purposely try to avoid gel;
or
c) when I (accidentally) get partial gel. 

Interestingly, on those particular occasions when I get partial gel, the ash only shows up on the un-gelled parts. 


IrishLass


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## Ellacho (Nov 17, 2014)

Despite of soda ash, your soaps look very lovely!


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## Luckyone80 (Nov 17, 2014)

Ellacho said:


> Despite of soda ash, your soaps look very lovely!


 
Hmm, none of the ones I posted have SA, lol


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## Luckyone80 (Nov 17, 2014)

DWinMadison said:


> You soaps are all beautiful. Can't believe you are just 8 batches in!


 

Thank you!!


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## Ellacho (Nov 17, 2014)

Luckyone80 said:


> Hmm, none of the ones I posted have SA, lol



They sure don't!! lol, Sorry !


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## Jstar (Nov 24, 2014)

I soap fairly cool...100 or less, never insulate {could be the thickness of my wooden molds because they gel everytime unless I put them in the fridge}, never spritz, never cover, and have not used distilled since one month after I started roughly 3 yrs ago...no ash most of the time...would be nice to finally nail the ash issue down tho eh?

I'd also like to say to those who are afraid to use tap water..city or well...I'd say jump off in there and try it..you try every other kind of liquid...water is just a liquid  Make a small batch and see what happens...a new adventure! hehehe


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## hmlove1218 (Nov 28, 2014)

I've never once used distilled water. I have well water so I figured that it is pretty close to rain water as I have no added chemicals to affect the soap. I could be completely wrong on that, but it's also cheaper than buying water.

I do occasionally develop ash. However, most of my ashy soaps were of an old recipe with a higher water content than the recipe/water discount I'm using now. Perhaps that also has something to do with it?


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## judymoody (Nov 28, 2014)

The alcohol spray seems to make a difference for me.  I also found that I got a lot of ash when I used shea so I stopped using it and switched to cocoa butter.


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## Pepsi Girl (Nov 28, 2014)

I'm in the well water group and I never use distilled water.  If you think about all the other things we use for liquid in soap making, beer, wine, tea, coffee... Why buy water? Be like Mikey " try it you might like it"!


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## lionprincess00 (Nov 29, 2014)

I haven't been posting much lately (pretty busy), but I saw your soaps and wanted to pop up and tell you how absolutely professional and beautiful they are.


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## Luckyone80 (Nov 30, 2014)

lionprincess00 said:


> I haven't been posting much lately (pretty busy), but I saw your soaps and wanted to pop up and tell you how absolutely professional and beautiful they are.



My soaps?


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## lionprincess00 (Nov 30, 2014)

Luckyone80 said:


> My soaps?


Of course your soaps!!! They're clean and neat with crisp looking lines, nice pictures, and simple elegance. I've tried fancy stuff and I am always so attracted to a simpler more elegant soap over the fancy things. They look great, and ESPECIALLY excellent considering how new you are.


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## Luckyone80 (Nov 30, 2014)

lionprincess00 said:


> Of course your soaps!!! They're clean and neat with crisp looking lines, nice pictures, and simple elegance. I've tried fancy stuff and I am always so attracted to a simpler more elegant soap over the fancy things. They look great, and ESPECIALLY excellent considering how new you are.



Why thank you so much, that makes me feel so good! I also am more attracted to the simple, more natural looking soaps over the fancy ones so that is what I try to make. I still have lots to learn and so happy I have this board of wonderful people to help me along the way.


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