100% coconut oil soap

[Bubli]

I had only made 1 large batch of 100% coconut oil soap sf'd at 20%. That batch lasted well over a year and I think I used coconut milk as my liquid and no other additives. All went as expected. Last night I made my 2nd 100%co batch(though I have made many,many other soaps)and tried 25% sf, and the small amount of ROE. This time, and this may be a normal reaction, I don't know....but look at this
Burnt orange color. Scared the poop out of me. Not knowing what to do with a bad batch at midnight I just kept stirring thinking it would get better or kill me .
Withen a few minutes it began to lighten up.
And by the time I was ready to pour, it was a tannish color. Well I cpop'd the batch and it cooled a beautiful Snow White and hard as a rock. Turned out very normal. But my 1st batch did not go orange,it stayed a very light cream color. Only differences; different water company, used essential depo food grade lye instead of brambleberry, same grocery store cooking coconut oil, used roe this time, used sea salt minute amount) this time,used 38% water this time verses 1.5:1 w:l ratio. But any of thees things I can not imagine causing this reaction and then for it to go Snow White in the end. Has this happened to anyone before? I'm wondering maybe if the the water was not distilled even though the jug says it was. Because all the other ingredients had been used in previous batches of soap only days before. Any input would be appreciated. Though I am confident the soap is safe, no zap, hard as a rock and super bubbly.....I'm just trying to understand what happened.

 

[Cindy2428]

If I add too much lye to my frozen coco milk at a time, it will temporarily turn orange. Also remember full water will soap hotter; that may have contributed as well. I've not used ROE.

 

[Bubli]

Thanks. I totally forgot about full water soaping hotter. I was so blown away by the color. Strange though how it ended up perfectly white. What about the water though, what if it actually were not distilled, could the minerals and what ever else is in regular water cause this?

 

[Bubli]

I forgot the pic of the finished soap.
Just an experiment, but 25% vrs 20% seems to work fine. When I unmolded the soap from its silicone mold, the soap was some what oily(ok....A LOT oil)but within a few hours the excess oil seemed to have reabsorbed back into the bars.

 

[DeeAnna]

I ~think~ it's the ROE, Bubli. Not sure, but that's a strong suspicion.

I have been trying ROE in my oils lately. I am seeing a strong flush of color right after I add the lye to the fats -- the batter will change almost instantly to a rather alarming purple-y orange (if that makes any sense) and then fade quickly to orange. By the time it's in the mold, it's more yellowish.

I made a soap -- 70% CO, 30% lard, plain water, non discoloring FO -- a week ago and got this color shift, but the finished soap was nicely white just like yours.

The ROE I have been using is a couple of years old, and I've been wondering if deterioration due to age has anything to do with this. Until I use the fats up with this ROE in it, I won't be able to try my new ROE and see if I get the same reaction, so the jury is still out on this idea.

 

[MorpheusPA]

ROE sounds likely.

I get something like the same thing when I use a great deal of honey. In the pot before the lye, normal color. Add lye, it turns pumpkin orange. Let sit overnight, and it's tan with an orange undertone.

After a week or so of curing, the orange is completely gone and the soap is whatever color I made it.

I just had that again tonight. My lemon-vanilla is currently much more orange than one would expect. It'll calm down in a few days and go yellow.