A Painful Task

[John Harris]

I joined this group in September of 2019 and at the time I launched into a soapmaking spree. I didn't stop soaping til I got into the 200+ bars of soap. Then a switch in my head was tripped and I stopped making soap altogether. Then I just lived off the fat of the land and was also very generous to my friends and family. In these soaps, I only used EOs.

Just recently, it was brought out at work that I am a soap maker. People were very interested so I brought a bunch of it to work and let them choose what they liked.

In recent days, I had an idea in my head that I was afraid to bring up, but I spoke of it tonight with a friend. She confirmed my fear - most of those old bars had gone rancid. The smell was quite noticeable. So, I had to throw out about 30 - 40 bars. Ouch! Yet, some of the bars from back then still smelled fine. And VERY strangely, some bars that I made 18 years ago still smelled fine.

I feel I should go back to my co-workers and replace the rancid soap I gave them. I wonder how many of them have picked up on the stench and were just too polite to say anything.

 

[gww]

If it was not rancid when you gave it to them and they did not use it before it got rancid, then they probably would not use the new. Saying that, everybody likes free stuff and if you don't care to give, they probably would be happy to receive. If you don't know for sure what you gave them, It probably does not matter now. If your intention would be to build a market, then asking and giving replacement would give them another bite at the apple and chance to learn they really do like it.
I have no ideal if there is an answer in my response but just typed what I thought cause you ask. Either way, it was very nice of you to think of them in the first place rather then just making room for more by using a trash can. I can relate to getting on binges when doing new and interesting things. I liked your green and white bars you posted recently.
Cheers
gww

 

[TheGecko]

You could ask around if anyone still has any of those old bars because you had discovered that there were some that had turned.

 

[John Harris]

@TheGecko I have an incomplete list of who ordered what. I can approach them and a few others. All of my new soaps are swirled, and, I have to say, beautiful! They will be surprised to get such upgraded replacements. (My old soap bars are all just plain ol' tan.)

 

[ResolvableOwl]

(As a tangent, I don't quite get why you posted this into the “aromatherapy” section – because of the rancidity “aroma” that your soaps caught while ageing?)

One point that would worry me: why the soaps turned rancid at all. Two years are quite some time, but as you have noticed from your 9 times as old soaps, this isn't synonymous with inevitable rancidity. Something wasn't right back then. Some bad/inappropriate ingredients, storage conditions, unbalanced recipe? St. Joseph angry?
Carefully crawl through your notes to find out what has happened. Before you promise replacement – just to find out that the new soaps would go bad just the same.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

So, I had to throw out about 30 - 40 bars. Ouch!

YIKES! A painful lesson to be learned indeed. I would be mortified.

If you don't know for sure what you gave them, It probably does not matter now. If your intention would be to build a market, then asking and giving replacement would give them another bite at the apple and chance to learn they really do like it.

Two thumbs up!

 

[John Harris]

@ResolvableOwl The thing is, not all of them from that time period went rancid. Say I made a dozen batches during that time, they all would have been made with the same recipe. The only variable would be the essential oil. Storage conditions would have been the same. The ingredients would have all been recently purchased. Yet, maybe only 4 or 5 of the dozen batches went rancid.

I didn't take any notes for that time period. (Yes! I know! I know! I have plenty of notes for this round of soap making.) So it remains a mystery to me.

(I couldn't figure out where to put this post. It didn't seem to fit any of the categories. But when the word "aroma" jumped out at me, I figured I'd put it there.)

 

[soapmaker]

@ResolvableOwl The thing is, not all of them from that time period went rancid. Say I made a dozen batches during that time, they all would have been made with the same recipe. The only variable would be the essential oil. Storage conditions would have been the same. The ingredients would have all been recently purchased. Yet, maybe only 4 or 5 of the dozen batches went rancid.

Any soap with peppermint or lavender essential oil in it, I have to use ROE as those soaps will be rancid in 4 months or so.
I second the idea of @TheGecko

 

[John Harris]

Any soap with peppermint or lavender essential oil in it, I have to use ROE as those soaps will be rancid in 4 months or so.
I second the idea of @TheGecko

Lavender is the worst one! Peppermint not so much. Eucalyptus is also bad. My soap tester says the patchouli is also bad but I don't smell it. She also says the peppermint is bad, but again, I don't smell it. The other 5 or 6 scents I have left are all fine. They were all made around the same time period and the only variable was the essential oils.

 

[soapmaker]

Yes I have had patchouli go bad too, but not quickly. You're right, lavender is the worst offender.

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

I don't smell it.

I feel like I need to confess something. I'm terrible at smelling rancid oils. My mother has tried to show me the difference over the years, with oats, nuts, etc, but I could NEVER tell the difference! It's weird because I'm so sensitive to MOST, if not all other, smells! My brother's Old Spice, my dad's farts, my mother's feet; all oh so terrible and no one else smells it as much as I can. But rancid oils? Nothing!