# I could use a little help with my CP-soap.



## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 12, 2014)

*Hello!*
I'm new to soap making (it's so much fun!) and i could really use some help. I've tried googling and searching around here, but i can't find any good answers. This might be because english isn't my first language - i apologize in advance if my grammar is messed up. 

Anyway!
So! I've tried M&P soap, CP and also rebatching CP and i have a few questions if anyone would like to help out. 

*Melt and pour:* Is there any way to get rid of that awful glycerine-smell? I've tried adding EO, FO, tea etc, yet that funky smell still comes through. 
Also: Why is it that my soap turned green when i poured in some tea that was a dark red?
I feel like this soap base is pretty awful, like it doesn't clean very well. Is this my imagination? M&P soaps are pretty, but i do not like them and i do not like making them.

*Now on to my real problem:*

I made a batch of CP-soap two weeks ago. I'm really impatient and curious - which means I added some things that was not according to my recipe. (You know... what would happen if i poured some of this in?). 

*Here's the original recipe:*
114g water
45g lye
150g coconut oil
75g canola oil.
75g olive oil.

*Here's what i ended up with:*
114g water + 45g lye
150g coconut oil
73g canola oil
70g olive oil
7g sweet almond oil
11g powdered milk
0,5 teaspoon honey
0,5 teaspoon paprika powder

(told you, curios and impatient)

It took forever to trace, but it happened. Things looked ok, but i unmolded it too fast (all soft and mushy). About half of the soap i decided i was going to rebatch at a later state and the rest of it is still curing (no idea how things are going). 

Yesterday when i rebatched i got a bit curious again... I added coconut milk and it really looked and smelled amazing. 
After that i was quite unhappy that the paprika powder didn't colour my soap the first time - so i tried again. Almost immediately orange blobs started showing up in the mix. I thought at first that i might have burned it or something and tried to catch these blobs. 

Still no colour, so I added more paprika. The moment i did this i realised that these gelatinous orange goo-globs were a direct result of me adding the paprika powder.

I tried stirring for a while longer to see if i could maybe... i don't know melt them? But later i just gave up and poured it in a mold. 

*What happened here?
What were those blobs?
What do you think of my little experiment? Will i even be able to use the first batch that is now curing?
Why didn't paprika colour my soap? I used alot more than recommended by people with bright red paprika stained sexy soaps.
Should i throw out my rebatch or could it be saved? If it's possible to rebatch is there anything i can do about the colour? It's not pretty. Dark-ish brown with orange goo-ey blobs.
*
Should i try to contain myself and stick to the recipe? 

Thank you so much in advance. I'd really appreciate some answers, because this stuff is keeping me up at night.


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## marilynmac (Oct 12, 2014)

As a beginner who want to improvise everything, so far I have learned:  

"stick to the recipe".   item by item, gram by gram.   

Run every recipe through a soapcalc   (soapcalc.net) no matter where you got it.

Keep it simple at first.   just a few oils.  don't go adding milk or sugar or fruit or FO's  or anything else until you know how your basic recipe will behave.  No matter how much you want to try it.  

I know that MP smell.  I played with some MP years ago and stopped because of the smell that gave me a headache.    Maybe some of the MP soap base you can get online is better these days .  

Watch some soapmaking 101 youtube videos.  BASIC soap first.  The procedure is pretty simple, but you do have to follow it.


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## Seawolfe (Oct 12, 2014)

Soap making is not like cooking, you can not just swap out oils - you need to run every recipe through a lye calculator no matter where it's from, and if you make any changes in the oils you need to run the new recipe through a lye calculator. This is because each oil needs different amounts of lye for the saponification reaction. 

You also need to be careful about the amounts of liquids, or any aditIves. Simple recipes at first will let you learn how additives work. 

Are you using a stick blender? The paprika should not have blobbed like that with a good stick blender. Next time try blending it well with the oils before the lye.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 13, 2014)

Hello! Thank you for replying.

I know this... improvising is kind of a problem. I tend to get bored when i'm just standing there, so i get adventurous. So, should i just throw it out? Both the cp and the rebatch? Could it be saved?

I'm using a stick blender, i tried doing just that. In the CP id didn't blob, but it didn't give any colour. 
In the rebatch some colour, ALOT of blobs.

What are the blobs?


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## judymoody (Oct 13, 2014)

Hi and welcome!

There are many kinds of M&P base - you might want to try another brand and see if you like it better.  The ones sold at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby are generally not very good.

Regarding CP, I ran your original recipe through soapcalc and it looks fine.  However, for a beginner, I'd recommend a batch size of at least 500 grams as small measurement errors can compound quickly if the recipe size is small.  Regarding your paprika - a picture would help.  I am assuming that when you rebatch it is harder to mix ingredients in thoroughly.  You also might try infusing your spices into one of your carrier oils - easier to mix in and usually you get a more vibrant color.

And yes, if you want to get creative - don't change out your oils at the last minute!  But adding small amounts of honey or spices isn't unsafe.  It may make your process exciting and unpredictable, though.


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## Susie (Oct 13, 2014)

Blobs are paprika that has made blobs.  It happens when you add dry spices to liquids.  And they slip through the stick blender without getting broken up, especially if you did it during the rebatch.  

I hate to say this, because I hate to throw anything away, but I would toss the rebatch.  It is going to have those blobs, and I have yet to find any way to get rid of them.  And it is not suitable to make into laundry soap due to that, also.  If you just have to try to add dry spices to the soap when you are this new, try adding a small amount at the time into the melted oils and stick blending before you add the lye solution.

You will need to let us know how the other portion did, but I think it is going to be a problem also.  When you rebatch, you put everything that is in the mold into the pot for the rebatch. 

Now, how to avoid this in the future:

Soapmaking is both a science and an art.  The science part is the amount of oils to the amount of lye.  You put into the soap EXACTLY what you put into the lye calculator.  Period.  If you change an oil, you recalculate.  Every. Single. Time.  

The art part is that you can use infused oils in place of the oils in the recipe, i.e.  I infuse 28 gm of paprika into 180 gm of olive oil by simmering it in a double boiler set up, then pour the colored oil off and using that for part of the olive oil the recipe calls for.   How dark it is is determined by how much you use.(throw the paprika away, and only use the liquid oil)  

Or you can use micas to color soap, or many other methods.  You can make different colors and swirl, LOTS of art possibilities.   

But you can NOT improvise the recipe once you calculate it.  Not and know that you are going to get a good, safe, usable soap.

Learning how to make good soaps is just like learning any other new thing.  You start with the basics, then practice, practice, practice.  Start with no more than 4 oils, no scent, and no colors.  Then once you get a good bar of soap, you can start tweaking it.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Oct 13, 2014)

Aye, science is big part of soaping. 

Adventurous is fine, but like any good adventure you need to plan a little bit more or you stray in to foolhardiness.  Waking up one morning and deciding to walk to the South Pole that very same day will likely end badly.  Planning is needed to make sure all goes as well as it can and soaping is no different in this respect.

Plan what you are going to do and then stick to it.  If you can't stand the waiting without playing with it, try something else to distract you from just throwing things in or you will likely end up with similar issues again.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 14, 2014)

judymoody said:


> Hi and welcome!
> 
> There are many kinds of M&P base - you might want to try another brand and see if you like it better.  The ones sold at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby are generally not very good.
> 
> ...



Thank you for replying!

Unfortunately i've only found 3 suppliers of M&P soap in my country and they all sell the same brands. It's really, really expensive too! It's actually cheaper to buy it from the UK and pay £14 shipping fee...

Oh. Thanks for the advice. That never crossed my mind. I thought it was safer to make a smaller batch, in case i ruined it. 

I'll get back to you with pictures!


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 14, 2014)

Susie said:


> Blobs are paprika that has made blobs.  It happens when you add dry spices to liquids.  And they slip through the stick blender without getting broken up, especially if you did it during the rebatch.
> 
> I hate to say this, because I hate to throw anything away, but I would toss the rebatch.  It is going to have those blobs, and I have yet to find any way to get rid of them.  And it is not suitable to make into laundry soap due to that, also.  If you just have to try to add dry spices to the soap when you are this new, try adding a small amount at the time into the melted oils and stick blending before you add the lye solution.
> 
> ...



Thank you for replying!

Oh. That's too bad. Could i save the rebatch for personal use or is it unsafe? The paprika blobs might sting if it's unsolved?

The other portion - the original CP that's still curing is not looking too well. I'm not really sure what it is supposed to look like though, but it's been 2.5 weeks and it's still really soft and mushy. Kind of like play-dough.

About infusing paprika: I tried adding it to a small amount of oil first, really just out of curiosity. It smelled horrible, kind of like vinegar. If i did an infusion would this smell be transferred to the finished soap?

I'll make a new batch tomorrow. I'll try my hardest to contain myself and stick to the recipe...


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 14, 2014)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Aye, science is big part of soaping.
> 
> Adventurous is fine, but like any good adventure you need to plan a little bit more or you stray in to foolhardiness.  Waking up one morning and deciding to walk to the South Pole that very same day will likely end badly.  Planning is needed to make sure all goes as well as it can and soaping is no different in this respect.
> 
> Plan what you are going to do and then stick to it.  If you can't stand the waiting without playing with it, try something else to distract you from just throwing things in or you will likely end up with similar issues again.



Thank you for your advice! I'll start over from scratch tomorrow. I'm looking for a good beginner's recipe right now. I managed to get ahold of some palm oil (there's one supplier in my country, impossible) so yes! I'm having a good feeling about this!


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## Susie (Oct 14, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> Thank you for replying!
> 
> Oh. That's too bad. Could i save the rebatch for personal use or is it unsafe? The paprika blobs might sting if it's unsolved?
> 
> ...



The paprika should not sting, but it is going to rub off on your skin.  Your choice, though.  The smell does not transfer to the soap.  How much paprika to how much oil did you use?  And how did you infuse it?


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 20, 2014)

Susie said:


> The paprika should not sting, but it is going to rub off on your skin.  Your choice, though.  The smell does not transfer to the soap.  How much paprika to how much oil did you use?  And how did you infuse it?



I decided to throw it out anyway, it didn't smell very good. 

I'm not quite sure, it was kind of an improvise. But it did figure out why the paprika did not color my soap. I bought it and thought that it was nice and powdery already - i did not process it further with a mortar and pestle. 

My first batch was really soft when i wrote here last, i thought i'd might have to throw it out. But just a day or two after it hardened. It looks OK now, it's not pretty but i think i might be able to use it. 

I've made some new soaps recently (only improvising on one recipe out of three) and i was wondering why it's been so hard to dissolve the lye and why it takes forever to trace - when the recipe says a couple of minutes with the stick blender. 

I realized today that the lye i've been using is not 100% NaOh. This is what it says on the label:
Sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride, Sodium stearate.

It does not say how much it is of each. I'm wondering how much this will affect my final product. What do you think? 

What if when i've measured up say 125g i get 100g of NaOh and 25g of the other chemical junk? This is so very annoying, all my soap may be with alot of excess oils in proportion to the amount of lye.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 20, 2014)

judymoody said:


> Hi and welcome!
> 
> There are many kinds of M&P base - you might want to try another brand and see if you like it better.  The ones sold at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby are generally not very good.
> 
> ...



Hello again! 

Here's the pictures. The brown one is my disgusting rebatch and the other picture is the original one. (I can't believe how hard it is to cut soap, they just get smaller and smaller)


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## navigator9 (Oct 20, 2014)

I'd say you learned a valuable lesson......save the curious and adventurous impulses for later. First, get yourself some 100% lye. You can't make soap if you don't know what you're working with. Then get some coconut, palm and olive oils. Go to soapcalc.net, and play with the percentages of each of the oils until you get something that looks good to you. Maybe that will satisfy your urges to experiment.  Then make some basic soap. Even basic handmade soap is amazing. (when made correctly) Practice the technique until you're comfortable. Once you have the basics down pat, then experiment to your hearts content. Try one variable at a time, then if something goes wrong, it's easy to figure out what it was that caused the problem. Soapmaking ingredients aren't cheap, you don't want to keep throwing your efforts in the trash. Good luck!


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## Susie (Oct 20, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> I decided to throw it out anyway, it didn't smell very good.
> 
> I'm not quite sure, it was kind of an improvise. But it did figure out why the paprika did not color my soap. I bought it and thought that it was nice and powdery already - i did not process it further with a mortar and pestle.
> 
> ...



We need some of the scientists to step in here, because I don't know what that other stuff is.  Just don't use the soap(or give it away) until you do hear from the sciency folks.


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## CaraBou (Oct 21, 2014)

Sodium chloride is ordinary table salt, and sodium stearate is the salt that is produced when stearic acid reacts with NaOH (such as occurs when palm oil  meets NaOH).  So neither of these two compounds will harm your soap.  But you're right Captain, there's no way to tell how much lye is present, and your soap will have more free oils than what you intended.  Look for pure NaOH in the drain cleaner aisle at a hardware store.  Just be very sure nothing else is listed on the ingredient label.  

Good luck to you, and I hope to see more of your soapy adventures here on the forum


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 21, 2014)

CaraBou said:


> Sodium chloride is ordinary table salt, and sodium stearate is the salt that is produced when stearic acid reacts with NaOH (such as occurs when palm oil  meets NaOH).  So neither of these two compounds will harm your soap.  But you're right Captain, there's no way to tell how much lye is present, and your soap will have more free oils than what you intended.  Look for pure NaOH in the drain cleaner aisle at a hardware store.  Just be very sure nothing else is listed on the ingredient label.
> 
> Good luck to you, and I hope to see more of your soapy adventures here on the forum



Thank you very much!

This explains why it's been so hard unmolding my soaps...
I've found pure NaOH which i'm going to try out today. My soapy adventures hasn't even started yet!! 

Although my kitchen is getting smaller. There's about 5kg of soap in my kitchen... I had to get rid of some china.


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## Susie (Oct 21, 2014)

OK, I have an adventure for you!  Go build you a soap curing rack that will hold at least that 5kg of soap per shelf, and at least 6 shelves.  I just know you are going to need that space if you are already getting rid of china! (someone is probably throwing a hissy fit about the china!)


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## Captain_Potbelly (Oct 21, 2014)

Susie said:


> OK, I have an adventure for you!  Go build you a soap curing rack that will hold at least that 5kg of soap per shelf, and at least 6 shelves.  I just know you are going to need that space if you are already getting rid of china! (someone is probably throwing a hissy fit about the china!)



Oh dear lord. That's quite an adventure... I cannot build anything. But I'm actually wondering what i'm going to use, because now i'm curing my soap on metal racks - and one turned out to be aluminum. This wasn't one of my brightest ideas.

Here I go with some questions again!

I just recieved a parcel from Asia. I found really cheap EO on ebay and was really pleased with this bargain. When i smelled them they all smell like fabric softener, except the coconut one which smells like burned cookies.

I'm thinking these aren't real essential oils, but some chep kind of fragrance. Is there any way to test this?


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## marilynmac (Oct 21, 2014)

The fabric softener-like scents are probably Fragrance Oils (FO), not Essential Oils (EO).    You can still use them in soap if you don't mind the smell.  That will be an adventure for you, because some FOs can cause a riot in your soap batch.

eta:  the test?  you did it.  With some, you just know that they are artificial.


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## dixiedragon (Oct 21, 2014)

I ran your recipe through the lye calculator - it looks fine. In the future, though, always run the recipe through a lye calculator!

I think the orange blobs are probably either honey, milk or coconut milk. these ingredients can react oddly with lye, and they can get hot and carmelize. I'm not sure if the amount of milk you added is okay - I'm confused because your recipe says "powdered milk" then you mentioned "coconut milk"? What kind of milk was your powdered milk.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 13, 2014)

Hello again everyone and thank you for helping me out. :wave:

I've been soaping alot since the last time i checked in here and i'm back with a whole bunch of new knowledge but also an equal amount of questions... 

Let's start out here: 
So, as anyone might be able to figure out there has been alot of experiments. I mean ALOT. First of all: I'm so inpatient at times that i make myself angry. I want to try an additive, so i try it. In a new recipe. In a new mold. With a new fragrance. And four new colours. I'll get to that in a while.

First question: I decided to try a soap made of 100% coconut (20% overfat). I also wanted to give swirling a go. The batter turned quite thick (no surprise there) but i managed to handle it pretty well. It turned out far better than expected and i was kind of happy with it. I made 1000g and used blue aquamarine and black iron oxide.

So, i decided to do another batch. This time i had only 915 grams of coconut oil. I used the same EO, but chromium green for color. I poured it in the same mold as the first one and covered it with the same lid as the first one.
This time i only blended until it emulsified, because it got so thick the last time i figured it would buy me some extra time. 

I went to unmold it about 3-4h later - wise from the first one, but i couldn't.  I noticed that the parts with the darkest green looked a bit grainy/bubbly.
I managed to unmold it eventually, but i couldn't really cut it. As i was trying i could basically see the soda ash appear before my eyes. It's really mean and it's deep. 

I could cut it about 1,5 days later. Today it's hard as a brick. The soda ash is so deep i can't get it off even with cutting. 

Did i not mix properly? Oils and lye were combined at approx. the same temperatures.

The first batch that i was so happy with - noticed today that it stains. The lather is sligthly dark, it doesn't stain cloths but it does stain the sink.  

I have alot more of questions and thoughts, but i think i'll stop here for now. 

Thanks in advance!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Nov 14, 2014)

Pictures will help a great deal. What you describe as bubbly and grainy might be pictured totally different by someone else, so it is better to see it ourselves. 

When you used the lower amount of co, did you also lower the lye to keep the same superfat level?

Eta -  but as you seem to gather, it's harder to troubleshoot when you change so many different variables in one go!


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## Susie (Nov 14, 2014)

You tried to unmold too soon.  I give mine at least 18-24 hours.

And you are changing way too many things at once.  But you seem determined to do that despite repeated warnings not to.  So, what exactly did you expect?


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## CaraBou (Nov 14, 2014)

I have not made a 100% CO soap but I've read that they can get hard very quickly, and that thick ash can form on them (especially when air can contact the soap, like it can in a mold that is covered but is not filled to the brim with batter). So what you are experiencing may be very normal.  Pure CO soaps can also get quite hot, which may have caused the grainy/bubbly texture.  Pics will help tell.  I should ask, did you use salt in your soap?

There is also a chance that your fragrance caused the troubles, especially the ash.  You mentioned you thought you were buying EOs, but that they didn't seem quite right to you. That could mean they are fragrance oils (as marilynmac mentioned), and/or they may have other additives that play devil with your soap.  

Looking forward to seeing your pics.  I bet they will be lovely soaps even with the issues you mentioned.  Even if you are not confident about them, don't throw this batch out without giving people here a chance to figure out whether you have a serious issue or not.  Given everything you've said, chances are they will be fine and bring you much pleasure in the future


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## JustBeachy (Nov 14, 2014)

I love your adventurous spirit, but I have to agree with the others. Too many variables, all at once, will cloud the issue and just leave you with more questions than answers. 

I tend to experiment a lot with soaps, and now with lotions and hair products. My process is to first find one recipe that I know works, and use it as a base. Then I can change one thing in the recipe, mix it and then compare it to my "control" recipe. Then I can see the differences, if any, and recreate the effect if I like the results. At times, I may have to make the same batch multiple times to find the reason something went wrong. 

For example, your soda ash question.  You mention you changed the amount of CO, did you also adjust the lye concentration?  Was the superfat the same?  Did you use the same mold, if so the levels in the mold were different? Were either batch covered during the molding stage?  How did you mix in the green?  Just way too many variables, in my opinion. 

Don't lose the inquisitive nature, just learn to restrain it enough,  to find a recipe/process that you like. I agree with CaraBou, it's amazing how much stuff can go wrong with soap, yet it's still a functional product.  Besides if you don't throw it away, you can see how it cures over time.


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## marilynmac (Nov 14, 2014)

I had to ask myself WHY am I changing things?  It is because I want to find out what effect this different oil/additive has on the soap.   Then I figured out that if I changed 2 oils/additives, I didn't know which oil/additive made what change to the soap, and I wasn't getting anywhere.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 14, 2014)

*Let me explain myself...*

Hello again!

First i feel like I need to clarify:

The first part of my text where i described my adventure testing ALL the new stuff at once wasn't the case with the coconut soap. 

My chaos-soap (i call it that) has cured for 8 days and it's still not possible to cut it. I should say that i learned my lesson. I've made 2 soaps after that one and i've only added 1 new thing to each of them. Let me repeat: one. 

Kind of proud. 

Since i do now know how to quote more than one at the time i'll just keep answering everyone in different posts...


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## JustBeachy (Nov 14, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> Hello again!
> 
> First i feel like I need to clarify:
> 
> ...



Good deal, you should be proud.

See the little "button" next to  the quote button? The one with the little " on it. Hit that on each post  you want to multi quote, then on the last one, hit quote. It will bring  up all of the posts you want to respond on. Just respond to the bottom  of each quote, without messing up the syntax of the the quote. 

Hope that helps.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 14, 2014)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Pictures will help a great deal. What you describe as bubbly and grainy might be pictured totally different by someone else, so it is better to see it ourselves.
> 
> When you used the lower amount of co, did you also lower the lye to keep the same superfat level?
> 
> Eta -  but as you seem to gather, it's harder to troubleshoot when you change so many different variables in one go!





Susie said:


> You tried to unmold too soon.  I give mine at least 18-24 hours.
> 
> And you are changing way too many things at once.  But you seem determined to do that despite repeated warnings not to.  So, what exactly did you expect?





CaraBou said:


> I have not made a 100% CO soap but I've read that they can get hard very quickly, and that thick ash can form on them (especially when air can contact the soap, like it can in a mold that is covered but is not filled to the brim with batter). So what you are experiencing may be very normal.  Pure CO soaps can also get quite hot, which may have caused the grainy/bubbly texture.  Pics will help tell.  I should ask, did you use salt in your soap?
> 
> There is also a chance that your fragrance caused the troubles, especially the ash.  You mentioned you thought you were buying EOs, but that they didn't seem quite right to you. That could mean they are fragrance oils (as marilynmac mentioned), and/or they may have other additives that play devil with your soap.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing your pics.  I bet they will be lovely soaps even with the issues you mentioned.  Even if you are not confident about them, don't throw this batch out without giving people here a chance to figure out whether you have a serious issue or not.  Given everything you've said, chances are they will be fine and bring you much pleasure in the future





JustBeachy said:


> I love your adventurous spirit, but I have to agree with the others. Too many variables, all at once, will cloud the issue and just leave you with more questions than answers.
> 
> I tend to experiment a lot with soaps, and now with lotions and hair products. My process is to first find one recipe that I know works, and use it as a base. Then I can change one thing in the recipe, mix it and then compare it to my "control" recipe. Then I can see the differences, if any, and recreate the effect if I like the results. At times, I may have to make the same batch multiple times to find the reason something went wrong.
> 
> ...



*Well what do you know, i figured it out!*

In my coconut soap i recalculated the recipe so that the superfat would be the same. The only thing that I changed in the CO soap (except the amount of oil and lye) were the colours. I used chromium green instead of ultramarine and iron oxide. Since my first batch went better than i had expected, i did not want to mess things up. 

Oh, i had completely missed the part about coconut soap being prone to soda ash. I did not however use any salt. 

I used the same EO in both soaps, which i have tried out before and know it works well. I used the same mold, with the same kind of lining and the same lid. The levels in the mold were in fact different, since i had a hard time getting everything in the mold with the green batch it got a bit thinner, if you understand? I had a hard time because the batter didn't behave as i had expected.
First batch: 1000 grams (oils) right in to the mold.
Second batch: about 800 grams (oils) in to the same mold and the rest into a smaller one.

... I'll post my pictures in the next post. I'm struggling here.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 14, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> Good deal, you should be proud.
> 
> See the little "button" next to  the quote button? The one with the little " on it. Hit that on each post  you want to multi quote, then on the last one, hit quote. It will bring  up all of the posts you want to respond on. Just respond to the bottom  of each quote, without messing up the syntax of the the quote.
> 
> Hope that helps.



Thank you very much! 

Now pictures.

First there's the mold with my first batch, what it looked like straight out of cutting and then what it looked like after shaving. Unfortunately there are some holes, since it was very thick when i attempted my swirl. But it's ok!

Same again with the green in the mold. Then there's a picture of the bubbly stuff. Next there's a picture of a round soap - just to show that this started showing up before my eyes while i was cutting.
Next picture is what it looked like after a couple of days.

I've been "shaving" this one too, it looks better, but it's still ashy. It's deep.


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## JustBeachy (Nov 14, 2014)

Yeah, that's some doozie of a ash on the green. haha.

How are you processing in the mold?  Insulated, Freezer?  Are you covering with Saran Wrap?  I just did an experiment last weekend with some batches. The uncovered, insulated soap ashed over just about as bad as your green.

Oh, by the way, those are some good looking swirls.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 14, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> Yeah, that's some doozie of a ash on the green. haha.
> 
> How are you processing in the mold?  Insulated, Freezer?  Are you covering with Saran Wrap?  I just did an experiment last weekend with some batches. The uncovered, insulated soap ashed over just about as bad as your green.
> 
> Oh, by the way, those are some good looking swirls.



Oh yes, it's mean.

I'm not 100% sure i understand your question. I do not cover with Saran Wrap, i find it too hard. I just mess up the surface of the soap. I use towels and when possible a lid. I'm wondering if my room temperature can have something to do with all this, because i've been struggling with ash more and more lately. My kitchen is about 60 F. I found that when i use deep molds and completely cover them with lids i get the least amount of soda ash. Last soap i made i used old milk cartons with a screw cap. Screwed on the cap and covered with lid. No ash at all. 

I think i might have been a wee bit too serious there because one of the two got a bit over heated, lost all scent and got some weird looking (fragrance?) blobs on one side. Cut them off, Ph-tested, smiled alot, everything's ok!


----------



## JustBeachy (Nov 14, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> Oh yes, it's mean.
> 
> I'm not 100% sure i understand your question. I do not cover with Saran Wrap, i find it too hard. I just mess up the surface of the soap. I use towels and when possible a lid. I'm wondering if my room temperature can have something to do with all this, because i've been struggling with ash more and more lately. My kitchen is about 60 F. I found that when i use deep molds and completely cover them with lids i get the least amount of soda ash. Last soap i made i used old milk cartons with a screw cap. Screwed on the cap and covered with lid. No ash at all.
> 
> I think i might have been a wee bit too serious there because one of the two got a bit over heated, lost all scent and got some weird looking (fragrance?) blobs on one side. Cut them off, Ph-tested, smiled alot, everything's ok!



While I would say it was far from being the definitive experiment on the creation of soda ash, this experiment did lend some credence to the fact that uncovered soap, any air allowed, tends to ash. 

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=50006

Since you're using a flat mold, instead of loaf molds, I can see where it might be a problem without messing with your swirl. Only thing I could suggest is, to try to get the saran wrap tight on one side of the mold, maybe even taped down, then pull it tight and bring it down over the mold. Then tape it down to the other side before it can droop. 

I use mainly just loaf molds and don't run into that problem, but I bet someone on here uses those molds and might chime in with some advice.   On a different note, The Freezer tests, didn't get any ash, covered or uncovered. Might be worth a try for you.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 14, 2014)

*So... i'm sitting here and planning my next soapy adventure and since i just recieved a lecture i thought i should maybe ask for some opinions before i go and ruin a new batch.* 

I'm experimenting with the soapcalc lye calculator, and i'd really like to make a soap with cocoa butter. I kept changing the numbers back and forth and then i hit some kind of (imaginary?) sweet spot. 

As far as i can tell it's showing me some pretty good numbers, but i'm a bit worried about the *high percentage of hard oils*. What do you think about this recipe?

Coconut oil 25%
Palm oil 20%
Cocoa butter 15%
Shea butter 10%
Olive oil 25%
Castor oil 5%

I realize that it's going to move really fast. What i'm really wondering here:
*Is it a bad idea?*


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 14, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> While I would say it was far from being the definitive experiment on the creation of soda ash, this experiment did lend some credence to the fact that uncovered soap, any air allowed, tends to ash.
> 
> http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=50006
> 
> ...



I'm using loaf molds too, haven't thought it much but since a smaller surface of the soap gets in contact with the air it should reduce the amouth of ash. 

I've just recently started making notes about the what soap went into what mold. Didn't think this made any difference before, but i'm starting to realize that now.

What do you mean with the freezer test? Did you put the fresh soap in the freezer? Right after pouring? For how long?

*Edit: Sorry, didn't see the link you posted first. Nevermind the dumb questions and thanks alot! *


----------



## JustBeachy (Nov 14, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> I'm using loaf molds too, haven't thought it much but since a smaller surface of the soap gets in contact with the air it should reduce the amouth of ash.
> 
> I've just recently started making notes about the what soap went into what mold. Didn't think this made any difference before, but i'm starting to realize that now.
> 
> What do you mean with the freezer test? Did you put the fresh soap in the freezer? Right after pouring? For how long?



Yeah, some people like to prevent the "gel" stage. So they put the soap directly into the freezer or fridge after pouring. I left my test soap in the Freezer for 3 hours then pulled it out and let it set. No ash on the covered or uncovered pours. 

Notes are one of the most important parts, in my opinion, of the entire soaping process. A well documented recipe, process, and evaluation can save you tons of time and money by preventing repeating mistakes.


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## Susie (Nov 15, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> *So... i'm sitting here and planning my next soapy adventure and since i just recieved a lecture i thought i should maybe ask for some opinions before i go and ruin a new batch.*
> 
> I'm experimenting with the soapcalc lye calculator, and i'd really like to make a soap with cocoa butter. I kept changing the numbers back and forth and then i hit some kind of (imaginary?) sweet spot.
> 
> ...



Thank you for clarifying what you changed, etc.  My apologies for misunderstanding.  Let's delve into the soda ash issue first, because we need to figure out what went wrong with that before changing the basic recipe.  What kind of water are you using?  Distilled, tap water, filtered tap water?  I am not sure this is the cause, but let's rule out one thing at the time.  

What JustBeachy said about the plastic wrap is true.  It should, theoretically at least, help a great deal with soda ash.  I think most people lightly spray the top with 91% alcohol before laying the plastic wrap down.  Just be sure to secure the one edge first and lay it down from that edge across the top of the soap to prevent air bubbles.  You might want to make a slightly smaller batch so that the soap does not come all the way to the top of the mold.  This will help prevent the soap from mashing against a lid as it goes through gel.  Had this happen to me this week.  Learned my lesson.  And those are gorgeous swirls, so we don't want to mess them up!(I have no artistic ability, so I am living vicariously through everyone's pictures.)

Now, onto the new recipe.  This is one of those you are changing too many variables at once.  If I were you, I would do the following:

CO- 20%(you might find more drying to your skin)
Castor oil-5%
Palm oil-40%
Olive oil-25%
Sugar-1 tablespoon PPO

Then, choose ONE butter.  Butters can inhibit lather at higher concentrations.  Use no more than 10% to start, then increase 5% at the time until you get a good idea of what effect that is going to have on your soap.  When you figure that out, then swap to the other butter at 10% and repeat the increase.  Decrease your palm oil whatever amount you increase the butter.  I would add sugar to increase the bubbles, to help combat the butter.  Print or write out the recipe, take really good notes on EVERYTHING.  What EOs/colorants from which companies in which amounts, everything.  Keep this in a binder, or import it into a folder on your computer.  Make a batch tag with the name of the soap and the date made to keep with the batch until it is all gone.  That way you can cross reference it in case you get DOS or something.  Remember that sugar is a heating element.  You need to watch it closely for a few hours, or stick it in the freezer/fridge to prevent volcano.  That is what happened to my soap this last week.  Too much heat with the sugar, so it started growing.

I would not try to get super fancy with the butter batches until you see how fast it is going to move.  Getting a bubble free batch is the goal, so get it to emulsification before coloring, and then a very light trace before pouring into the mold.  Then try whatever swirls and such, but have a plan and do it quickly before spraying and covering. Use the same EOs/FOs with each batch so as not to increase the number of variables. 

Hope this helps!


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 15, 2014)

Susie said:


> Thank you for clarifying what you changed, etc.  My apologies for misunderstanding.  Let's delve into the soda ash issue first, because we need to figure out what went wrong with that before changing the basic recipe.  What kind of water are you using?  Distilled, tap water, filtered tap water?  I am not sure this is the cause, but let's rule out one thing at the time.
> 
> What JustBeachy said about the plastic wrap is true.  It should, theoretically at least, help a great deal with soda ash.  I think most people lightly spray the top with 91% alcohol before laying the plastic wrap down.  Just be sure to secure the one edge first and lay it down from that edge across the top of the soap to prevent air bubbles.  You might want to make a slightly smaller batch so that the soap does not come all the way to the top of the mold.  This will help prevent the soap from mashing against a lid as it goes through gel.  Had this happen to me this week.  Learned my lesson.  And those are gorgeous swirls, so we don't want to mess them up!(I have no artistic ability, so I am living vicariously through everyone's pictures.)
> 
> ...



Hello and thank you very much! This was very helpful. Maybe that's my problem... Instead of sticking to a base recipe and changing little by little each time i create a new recipe from scratch. My god. That's kinda stupid. 

I just create a recipe. Watch what happens, decide that that was a good/bad recipe and then move on to a completely new one. Haha, why...

I've used shea butter in nearly all my batches so far and different amounts, none of them have finished curing though. So... well. Shea butter is kind of expensive. I should contain myself. It's so hard though. I want to try everything and learn everything at once! I'm a very curious person and always eager to learn things. Fast.

For both of these batches i used tap water. The water here is really soft, so i figured that using distilled water wasn't really necessary.  

I've tested spraying with alcohol and had some really bad experiences. I think i might have spritzed it on too early though. Maybe I should wait for a little while and not do it immediately after pouring. I'll practice putting Saran wrap on an empty mold.  

I'm really trying to keep notes of everything but i missed a bunch in the beginning, i didn't realize how important it is to take notes of what mold, brand of EO and so on. I'm doing this now though.

I've seen recipes with sugar before but i'm a bit scared. I'm not sure i'm brave enough to handle a volcano just yet...

Thank you again! You're all so very nice here and i've learned alot thanks to you.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Nov 15, 2014)

Oh god. I feel so stupid. When people have told me not to add so many things at once i somehow just thought this applied to additives like pigments, clays, EO/FO etc. 

Haha. I don't even...


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## Susie (Nov 15, 2014)

Don't feel stupid.  It shows how eager you are to learn this.  You just need to slow down and act like a scientist for a bit.  One step at the time.  I have a challenge for you, though.  Make a batch of soap using this recipe to see how you like soap without butters.  I think you may be surprised. 

CO-20%
Castor Oil-5%
Olive oil-25%
Lard/palm/tallow-50%
Sugar- 1 tablespoon PPO
Superfat-5%

I don't recall if you have an issue with lard or tallow, if you do, just use the palm.  But if you have nothing against using animal fats, you really should try lard.  It yields an amazing soap. This should give you a good, well behaved soap that is easy to use as a comparison for every other soap.  

The reason I say to record where your EO/FO came from is that some scents from some manufacturers are notorious for misbehaving.  Then you can get much the same scent from another source that is perfectly well behaved.  Sources make a difference.  And you are making soap so fast, that you are going to go through quite a bit.  If I were you, I would even keep a list of badly behaved scents in your soaping binder or computer file.  Add new ones as you run across them.  That way, when you go to order more, you know what to avoid.  Here's a link to a googledocs document from the Fragrance Oil Reviews forum.  

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...UVFTXY5M2o4MVRMZm4wdFE&authkey=CMTEtswL#gid=0

Speaking of recording what goes wrong, be sure to keep all your less than stellar recipes as well as your successes.  You will learn quite a bit, and won't repeat those.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Nov 15, 2014)

It's a good point (also why I don't use butters in my soaps) is that in a blind test by a fairly committed butter-user, they realised it didn't actually make that much difference at all, apart from adding to the cost and having to be carefully played with to stop the lather issue.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 7, 2014)

Susie said:


> Don't feel stupid.  It shows how eager you are to learn this.  You just need to slow down and act like a scientist for a bit.  One step at the time.  I have a challenge for you, though.  Make a batch of soap using this recipe to see how you like soap without butters.  I think you may be surprised.
> 
> CO-20%
> Castor Oil-5%
> ...





The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> It's a good point (also why I don't use butters in my soaps) is that in a blind test by a fairly committed butter-user, they realised it didn't actually make that much difference at all, apart from adding to the cost and having to be carefully played with to stop the lather issue.



Hello again and thank you so much for replying!

I don't get on this forum nearly as often as i'd like to. Things get in the way.

Thank you for the recipe, i'll be sure to try it. At what point should I add the sugar? In the lye-water before dissolving the lye? 

I'll keep that in mind. So far i haven't had any bad experiences with EO/FO, other than that some have lost the scent. On the other hand I use very very little. About .25 - .5% instead of the recommended 3%.

I've learned a whole lot lately, mostly because i've changed my soaping style quite a bit.

I basically have two recipes now. One that I tweak a LITTLE bit each time and another one that i use when i'm testing additives or experimenting with water discounts.

Thank you all for pointing me in the right direction. I'm so very eager to learn, try and experiment. Haha

My soap making have improved alot, things have been working kind of well... until a couple of days ago. 

I decided that i was going to try a new fragrance and things ran along so smoothly i started to get suspicious. I brought the batter to a pretty thick trace - thinking that i'm going to try doing a mica top, but nothing else so that doesn't matter. As I put away the stick blender i accidentally hit my container with pre-mixed mica, which of course got everywhere. 

As the soap was setting up in the pot I decided that i'd deal with that mess in a while - I have to pour my soap. Said and done. Feeling happy about things working out anyway I looked to my left and realized that i had forgotten to add the fragrance. I panicked and poured it into the mold...

I realized pretty soon that this was a bad idea, but nothing to do about it now - right? When i finished i thought i'd give the mold a really good slam since i'd probably stirred in alot of bubbles. I slammed it so good that this little fountain of soap hit me in the head. At the same time I apparently decided that now would be a good time to lose some hair. 

As I was trying to fish out the long strand of hair I had dropped into the mold I dropped my safety glasses in the soap. 

Today I had very carefully planned out a soap design, where i'd pour it in two layers and then try to make swirled hearts. Pink at the bottom, white on top, pink hearts.

I poured the white one first. Panicked, poured half the pink and then threw in some black iron oxide - which gave the soap a lovely brown-grey-purple-ish color... Lovely indeed. 

After that my squirt bottle basically exploded in my face. Soap everywhere. Thank god for safety glasses...

OH WELL.


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## Susie (Dec 7, 2014)

Welcome to the world of soap gremlins.  I swear they hit every time I think I have things under control.  This, too, shall pass.


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## JustBeachy (Dec 7, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> Hello again and thank you so much for replying!
> 
> I don't get on this forum nearly as often as i'd like to. Things get in the way.
> 
> ...



Hahaha, that was the best read I've had in a while. I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you. You are laughing, aren't you?  

Sounds like just one of those days. It happens.

Only thing I would say is, just slow down and relax. Don't try to over think the process. It seems like you're getting so much going on, then it starts moving quickly and .....well stuff happens. Try and lay stuff out in order, so you don't forget anything, like fragrance. But I have to admit, I've done that one before. 
It, unfortunately,  won't help with falling hair and exploding squeeze bottles. What's life without some curve balls. 


It's good to see though that you have a sense of humor, and you're sticking with it. Clean it up, wait for the cut and lets get ready for round 6. The fight has just begun.


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## Jstar (Dec 8, 2014)

I too LOL'd...because some of those things have happened to me...seems like when it goes wrong, it brings friends 

Glad you are sticking with it...its a challenge, but it's sooooo fun and addicting


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 13, 2014)

Thank you!

I felt a bit frustrated at the point, but i find it quite funny. I'm quite butter-fingered and clumsy so this is nothing new. Thank god I know this and therefore take quite extreme precautions when soaping. 

My father, who is using NaOh and other mean chemicals in his daily job, is laughing his buttocks off at my safety gear.

I managed to buy NaOh from a pharmaceutical company around here and also managed to get some protective gear with it. So, super thick chemical resistant gloves - two pairs, a gigantic gas mask with a combination of filters, safety glasses and thick protective clothing (i'd love a hazmat suit).

They also gave me some kind of solution in case of lye spillage on any surface or on the skin. 

I keep telling him better safe than sorry! 

On another note. I've had some weird reactions and i've been googling myself insane. Maybe someone around here could help me (again)?

1, When I made my first batch with the new brand of lye my soap developed salt-like crystals on the top after a few days of curing. I've found a couple of forum threads about this phenomenon, but no answers. The thing we all have in common is that the soap is the first batch with a new kind of lye. 

I did not dare to zap test, but i tried using ph-paper - which showed colours that did not exist of the chart. I decided to cut this part off and let it cure for a couple of days and see if any new crystals would form. 

Got a new kind of Ph-paper, and checked a few days later. PH 10, no crystals. Can't find any other signs that it is lye heavy. 

I'm 100% sure all the lye got dissolved, but i was wondering if lye can somehow "fall out" of the solution and re-crystalize? 
I used a 2:1 (water:lye) solution, so that doesn't really seem plausible. 

2, I find it really hard to tell if my soap has gelled or not. How do i know for sure if i don't see it happen?

Some are obvious due to partial gel or just lighter corners. Two of my gelled soaps have formed  transluscent spots that i cannot find an explanation for. The first one I had this happen to hade these spots along the outer edges, but the other one hade them scattered all over the soap. 

I've been testning them both extensively and this is a purely cosmetic issue. Really nice soap, except for this. It doesn't bother me, but i hate not knowing. 

3, the second soap with spots was blotchy when unmoulding. About half was Cream-colored and the other half dark brown. But it darkened and turned dark Brown all over (yay!) after a couple of days. I'm very fascinated by this. What causes the colour to darken when exposed to air? 
(Lye solution in this case was prepared with coffee). Again. Nothing wrong with the soap, just curious. 

I'll attach some photos in another post.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 13, 2014)

The black/grey one is the one with crystals.

The white cheese-looking soap is the first one where i encountered the weird spots. Just the outer layer, easily cut off. The pink soap is the same batch, i just separeted out a part of it and colored it. 

Then there's the Brown one. Weird spots, not as many, but scattered all through. Unfortunately i did not have anymore pictures of the spots on this one, but i can get some if anyone would like to see. You can also ser how ugly it was when i had just taken it out of the mold.

Last picture is a couple of days later when it hade changed color.

There's an apparent partial gel in this one and my best theory is that both of these soaps have gott en slightly overheated. 

I've found a couple of forum threads about this stuff, but no answer. 

Any ideas?


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## JustBeachy (Dec 13, 2014)

Captain, just one word for ya. Pictures!

If you post some pics of the problems and/or the soaps, it makes it a lot easier to help you out. The crystals on top sound like soda ash, but without seeing them, it's just guessing. 

I'm not advocating not using safety equipment at all here, but you might try getting you some thinner gloves at the least. Those big heavy gloves make it hard to manipulate little things and can lead to more accidents than they prevent. In my opinion. I'm probably more like your dad, and rarely use any equipment. Just been messing with dangerous stuff for so long it's gotten to be a bad habit. You keep safe and like I've said before, I'll hold down the idiot fort over here by myself.

Edit : And then I see your pics, so now I'm holding down the blind idiots fort.


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## JustBeachy (Dec 13, 2014)

Looks like you have some uneven, overheating going on. Some air pockets, glycerin rivers, could be some additive/colorant not completely mixed. But if they're not zapping, you should be fine using them. 

What are you using for a mold?  A milk carton?

I'll pop back on and look at them a little closer in a bit. I'm running around the house like a crazy man today.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Dec 13, 2014)

As scary (or crazy!? As it may sound, zap testing is the best way to tell if your soap is skin safe. I do the '3-stage super safe zap test' :

Wet your fingers and get some of the soap on there. If no tingle then.......

......dab the soapy finger on the tip of the tongue. If no zap then........

......touch the soap to the tongue. 

That way you're not putting an unknown object directly on the tongue, but gauging for some zap before hand. 

PH just doesn't tell you the important piece of information - if your soap is safe. A soap can have a pH and be unsafe while another can have a higher pH and be safe.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 13, 2014)

Beachy, I would like to ask you to wear some eye protection if nothing else. At least something like regular eye glasses if not safety goggles. Please? 

I don't know if you have worked in the chemical industry, but I have ... and eye injuries from chemical burns are some of the ugliest and saddest accidents to deal with. 

It only takes a few precious seconds and just a drop of lye to cause permanent eye damage, especially with the lye concentrations we use for making soap. If you want to burn your hide off, well, okay, that's your choice. But you only have 2 eyes and lye is so very aggressive. 

I hafta say that a guy who can cook as well as you say you do ... as well as make soap ... and all ... well, I'd hate to see those beautiful baby blues (or browns) injured in any way.


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## boyago (Dec 13, 2014)

DeeAnna said:


> Beachy, I would like to ask you to wear some eye protection if nothing else. At least something like regular eye glasses if not safety goggles. Please?
> 
> I don't know if you have worked in the chemical industry, but I have ... and eye injuries from chemical burns are some of the ugliest and saddest accidents to deal with.
> 
> ...



Yeah.


This was actually the morning after soaping while cleaning up.  I must have picked up a lye bead or piece of active soap and rubbed my eye.  The scary part was that I didn't feel a thing. My eye just started watering like crazy.  I imagine if this was a lye splash while mixing I would have taken a trip to the ER.  Though a life of piracy has it's appeal I'd like to fake the eye patch thing.


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## JustBeachy (Dec 13, 2014)

DeeAnna said:


> Beachy, I would like to ask you to wear some eye protection if nothing else. At least something like regular eye glasses if not safety goggles. Please?
> 
> I don't know if you have worked in the chemical industry, but I have ... and eye injuries from chemical burns are some of the ugliest and saddest accidents to deal with.
> 
> ...



Well, I did finally have to start wearing glasses for reading and watching TV/Movies, so I have my bifocals on. There's something.  

I hear you DeeAnn, and the more I joke about it, the more I know you're right. I was always the wild child, fast cars, motorcycles. Finding the highest thing to jump off of into the water, etc.  People who knew me as a teenager and young adult almost always say the same thing when we meet again."Wow, I figured you'd be dead by now".   

I've had some decent eye injury's before. Like a iron shaving that got embedded, but I thought it was just a scratch. 12 hours later it's rusting in my eye and they're drilling it out. No fun. 

I promise, I'll get me some decent goggles at the least. 



boyago said:


> Yeah.
> 
> This was actually the morning after soaping while cleaning up.  I must have picked up a lye bead or piece of active soap and rubbed my eye.  The scary part was that I didn't feel a thing. My eye just started watering like crazy.  I imagine if this was a lye splash while mixing I would have taken a trip to the ER.  Though a life of piracy has it's appeal I'd like to fake the eye patch thing.



Ouch!  Yeah, I've always had this thought of retiring to a "Captain Jack" kind of thing, but it was more about the sailboat cruising the Caribbean than the eye patch.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 14, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> Looks like you have some uneven, overheating going on. Some air pockets, glycerin rivers, could be some additive/colorant not completely mixed. But if they're not zapping, you should be fine using them.
> 
> What are you using for a mold?  A milk carton?
> 
> I'll pop back on and look at them a little closer in a bit. I'm running around the house like a crazy man today.



I forgot to mention that i'm pretty sure the yellow one overheated. Some of the spots on that one were hard and waxy and it had lost all scent. The rest of the spots were just translucent as shown in the brown soap.

Yup, they were all made in milk cartons. Standing milk cartons with screw cap. I thought that this might be causing the problem - no heat what so ever is allowed to escape, so i've been using milk cartons in a lying down fashion since then. I'm thinking that i should recreate any - or both - of these soaps in another mold (yay! notes!) and see what would happen.

Do you think the transluscent bubbles are glycerin rivers? That would explain alot. But i thought that it was highly unlikely that they would show up if one hadn't used titanium dioxide. 

Regarding the safety equipment: As soon as the soap has traced i usually take off a pair of gloves 



The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> As scary (or crazy!? As it may sound, zap testing is the best way to tell if your soap is skin safe. I do the '3-stage super safe zap test' :
> 
> Wet your fingers and get some of the soap on there. If no tingle then.......
> 
> ...



I did my first (and so far only) zap test a couple of weeks ago. I was so proud and told my friend about it. He thought i had gone completely mad. I now feel like a real soaper! 

I'll give your zap method a try. At this point i'm mostly "testing" them with my hands. This would be far, far worse if the soap would be lye-heavy. But i don't know. I just get so scared when i'm about to zap test. Haha



boyago said:


> Yeah.
> View attachment 11062
> 
> This was actually the morning after soaping while cleaning up.  I must have picked up a lye bead or piece of active soap and rubbed my eye.  The scary part was that I didn't feel a thing. My eye just started watering like crazy.  I imagine if this was a lye splash while mixing I would have taken a trip to the ER.  Though a life of piracy has it's appeal I'd like to fake the eye patch thing.



Oh my goodness. Lye is scary that way. If you get it on the skin, the first sign is a slippery feeling, a while later it'll start itching. Soon after that the burn is a fact and at that point it's really hard to wash it off.

Many years ago i was handling lye and got some on my hand. Didn't notice a thing until it started itching. At that point my hand was red and by the time i started washing it had already burned away some skin. 

This small patch of skin stayed rough and patchy for like 8 years. Crazy stuff. 

I hope you are ok. Did you seek medical attention?


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 14, 2014)

Oh. About re-creating the soap. I've decided to not make anymore soap now until i've had the chance to test at least one bar of each batch.

What's the point in tweaking a recipe a couple of days a week (i'm insane) when you don't even know if the first one you made is any good? :crazy:


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## Susie (Dec 14, 2014)

Exactly.  Find out whether you love or hate what you have already done.  Then tweak.


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 14, 2014)

Susie said:


> Exactly.  Find out whether you love or hate what you have already done.  Then tweak.



But soap making is soooo much fuuuuun! I can't stop! 

I've actually tried a few, but not as much as needed. I need to get another hobby. Maybe i'll start knitting. Give it a month and i've made 42 sweaters and 12 pairs of socks.


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## JustBeachy (Dec 14, 2014)

Yeah , the milk cartons could be messing with the sides of your soap. Some are coated with wax, which shouldn't be a problem, but some are coated in a type of paint. Might be reacting with the lye. 

Glycerin rivers/spots are supposedly caused more by high water percentages, more so than by heat. 

Good job on the notes, It's really what will help you out more than anything. You can re make the exact batch in a different mold and see the differing results.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 14, 2014)

Thanks for giving it some thought, Beachy!


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## Susie (Dec 14, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> But soap making is soooo much fuuuuun! I can't stop!
> 
> I've actually tried a few, but not as much as needed. I need to get another hobby. Maybe i'll start knitting. Give it a month and i've made 42 sweaters and 12 pairs of socks.



YouTube University is out there with lovely tutorials on all kinds of hobbies!

Crocheting is much easier than knitting for me.  And you can make so many soap related products- washcloths and soap savers make excellent newbie projects!

Or loom knitting!  It is fun, fast, and easy!

And have you thought about painting?.....


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 16, 2014)

Susie said:


> YouTube University is out there with lovely tutorials on all kinds of hobbies!
> 
> Crocheting is much easier than knitting for me.  And you can make so many soap related products- washcloths and soap savers make excellent newbie projects!
> 
> ...



I do actually knit from time to time. It's been a while now, though. Knee-high socks made with really thin yarn is an excellent way of combatting restlessness. It takes forever. 

I cannot seem to figure out crocheting though. I've tried and tried, but i'm just too stupid. 

I've never before heard of loom knitting, i'll be sure to look it up.

Yup. I've been painting too. Ceramics and on paper/canvas. I have had alot of hobbies.

Most of the time i find something interesting, then i devote my life to it for a short while. I eat, breathe and live my hobby.
That's until i feel like i've figured it out and tried the interesting stuff... then i get bored and unfulfilled.

That's what i love so much about soaping. Even though i've learned a whole lot of things about colorants, additives, ingredients etc etc i still feel like if i keep up my experiments at this pace i might have "figured it out" in about 5-10 years or so. (I actually have a note book filled with ideas for upcoming experiments, just working through this would take me a couple of years.)

I want to know every reaction, every cause of the reaction, every combination, every... everything! 

This won't ever happen.

But yes. 

Now i'll google loom knitting! Thank you for the idea!


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## Captain_Potbelly (Dec 16, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> Yeah , the milk cartons could be messing with the sides of your soap. Some are coated with wax, which shouldn't be a problem, but some are coated in a type of paint. Might be reacting with the lye.
> 
> Glycerin rivers/spots are supposedly caused more by high water percentages, more so than by heat.
> 
> Good job on the notes, It's really what will help you out more than anything. You can re make the exact batch in a different mold and see the differing results.



I'm sorry, but i seem to have missed your post. 

I actually thought at first that i might have failed to clean the carton properly. That the spots on the cheesy-soap were actually milk proteins. I don't think it's the wax or any kind of paint, because i've been using the same kind of milk cartons after that. There were no such reactions when i cut it open and used it as a horizontal mold. 

You're an endless source of help and i'm so very grateful! I hope i will be able to offer something back some day in the future


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## JustBeachy (Dec 16, 2014)

Captain_Potbelly said:


> I'm sorry, but i seem to have missed your post.
> 
> I actually thought at first that i might have failed to clean the carton properly. That the spots on the cheesy-soap were actually milk proteins. I don't think it's the wax or any kind of paint, because i've been using the same kind of milk cartons after that. There were no such reactions when i cut it open and used it as a horizontal mold.
> 
> You're an endless source of help and i'm so very grateful! I hope i will be able to offer something back some day in the future



You are more than welcome. 

I bet as you move along with your soaping, the results are going to get better everytime. You're doing good, keep it up.


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