Another disaster

[penelopejane]

Hi,

Please help me solve my latest disaster.

I made this soap. Normal recipe but I added goats milk.
I mixed 1/2 water with the Lye and soaped at 110 degrees F.
I melted the shea butter and mixed the oils and the other 1/2 goats milk (instead of water), I added 2 tsp of salt and stick blended them well before I added the lye.

I then separated 350g of plain batter for the top and added colour and 1 tsp of vanilla bean to the bottom bit.

Are the spots on the soap from the goats milk or the salt? If I am adding salt to harden the bar should I be adding it to the water component?

You will see that the spots are in the plain batter and the coloured so it can't be the vanilla bean.

Of course the soap feels great (solid), the sides are straight (thanks to Lee Bussy) and I like the pattern and now this happens. :cry:

Thank you very much

 

[Arimara]

Salt isn't known for dissolving in oil and is better added to the water before you add the lye to it. That said, I don't think it's goat milk.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with dissolving the salt in your water before adding your lye. As for the spots it looks like maybe you solid oils/butter solidified. Maybe not warm enough when mixed.

 

[penelopejane]

I agree with dissolving the salt in your water before adding your lye. As for the spots it looks like maybe you solid oils/butter solidified. Maybe not warm enough when mixed.

I mixed at 110* F. It looks too perfect to be unsolidified shea butter (the only hard oil I used). It's all through the soap perfectly distributed. I have had that happen before and it's usually big globules.

I will try melting the salt with the water today and see how it goes. I didn't know that is what you were supposed to do if you just want it to harden the soap. At least if it works melted I will know how to create spots should I want them

Thank you so much to both of you for your quick replies. I am about to attempt the challenge soap and didn't want to start before I had some idea of what caused this.

 

[Arimara]

Since you're using shea butter, maybe you should give your oils a good stir once everything is liquid.

 

[Obsidian]

Yep, its from the salt. I've actually done this on purpose, I like the speckled look.

 

[penelopejane]

Yep, its from the salt. I've actually done this on purpose, I like the speckled look.

Thank you Obsidian.

Thanks Arimara and SHunt. I wish I had read your post about putting the salt in the water before the lye

I lost the post because they've put it in recipe feedback. It's not really recipe feedback is it?

 

[Steve85569]

Don't tell anyone that it's a mistake. Nice looking to me.

Add salt to water at less than 25% of the water weight. More will NOT go in to solution and you'll get speckles - just like those.

 

[penelopejane]

Don't tell anyone that it's a mistake. Nice looking to me.

Add salt to water at less than 25% of the water weight. More will NOT go in to solution and you'll get speckles - just like those.

Steve I didn't know you were supposed to add it to the water! I added it to the batter

 

[lsg]

Looks like salt pockets to me. Next time dissolve the salt in your lye water.

 

[Steve85569]

Steve I didn't know you were supposed to add it to the water! I added it to the batter

The worst thing you MIGHT get is a bar that's a little scratchy, but I doubt that will be the case after even just a few days of cure time.

It's a nice affect even though it's not what you wanted. It's still soap.

I had a batch yesterday that I poured at what I thought was thin trace. It came right back out of emulsion about 20 minutes after I molded it. Mistakes happen. At least yours set and will be soap. Remember we're here to learn a craft and the science that goes with it. I would rather learn by reading what others have done but every now and then I have to have a plan blow up in order to provide the lesson to others.

I'll quit foaming at the mouth now.

Steve

 

[penelopejane]

This next batch was more like what I was aiming for.

I say "more like" because I forgot to add the FO to this one :cry:

 

[KristaY]

That's SO pretty! I'm sorry you forgot the FO but it's got lovely contrasting colors and a great pencil line. Just give it to people that don't like scented soap because they deserve pretty soap too! (and don't tell them you forgot it, tell them you meant to do it, lol!)

 

[shunt2011]

That turned out very pretty! I agree, not everyone likes scented soap but still likes pretty soap.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

I understand the feeling when you make an effort and then forget to add something. But this is a really beautifull piece of soap that look so clean and fresh, great job!
Some people are allergic to anything with fragrance in it, so now you at least have a beautifull alternative for those people