Answer or suggestions really appreciated!!!

[nanzclaire]

Dear All,

Hi every one, I am new to this forum and I found that I am as into soap as I would like to join a community of all of you soap lovers! And I also encountered some issues along the way of learning, I would truly appreciate if anyone can give me answer or solutions on the following :

1, I have made two batches of soap last Nov and it yet still looks gooey in the inside , I did sliced them up after molded, I am unsure why it's now 11months since and it's still soft in he inside as if it's not cured ? Maybe it's my formula which went wrong? The exact recipe I have lost it since we moved recently, but would love to learn any possibilities that made this softy soap?

2, I then started to try melt and pour, found the recipe through SoapQueen, I succeeded with rose clay and charcoal mix, although they didn't stay layers , rather fallen into half and half single soaps! Then the disaster occurred with Himalayan pink salt melt and pour, I added some cocoa butter as super fat , and I added the fine pink salt after the base melted... The disaster moment comes with the soap suddenly paste up and thickened up... I was barely able to stir it .. It's that hard.. I remelt it and added some distilled water, was better but the finished one crumbled... Why is that!? And how shall I add the salt differently ?

3,same issue occurred with salt in my first liquid soap ! I made my first batch with Coconut oil, palm kernel oil, ev olive oil, sweet almond, in same percentage ! Then mixed with KoH and distilled water. It took 5 hours in low to cook to translucent but not like golden transparent. I tested 1 ounce with 2 ounces water , it was clear and pH in 9.2. I felt great as I succeeded. Then the disaster came after I diluted the soap and added HEC for thickening agent. Pink Salt was added for the exfoliation factor! It kind of shocked me as my thickened clear soap (even have a slight bubble top) then became milky and liquid... I was frightened and I kept on mixing , hoping it will be thickened again.. I don't know what went wrong and every time is the PINK SALT!! I left it covered for a night and I checked, it now a thick tensed milky white foam on the top and kind of clear soap underneath.. Now my questions are why is it like this after added salt as exfoliation? I added Eo before this step. Then how come it created a foam top that thick and tensed ? What can I do to save this batch!!!?

It is rather a long topic I created ! Thanks for your time reading and commenting back to me !

Happy soaping !!!


Nanz

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome Nanz!

Dear All,

1, I have made two batches of soap last Nov and it yet still looks gooey in the inside , I did sliced them up after molded, I am unsure why it's now 11months since and it's still soft in he inside as if it's not cured ? Maybe it's my formula which went wrong? The exact recipe I have lost it since we moved recently, but would love to learn any possibilities that made this softy soap?

I'd love to be able to give you a definitive answer for this question, but unfortunately, without your list of ingredients and method used, it's impossible to say with 100% certainty what might be the cause of the gooiness.

The best I can do is offer some possible causes:

-an excess of additives such as sugar (to enhance bubbly lather);
-an excess superfat or not enough lye, or perhaps using lye with too many impurities;
-using the wrong kind of lye (KOH instead of NaOH)

2, I then started to try melt and pour, found the recipe through SoapQueen, I succeeded with rose clay and charcoal mix, although they didn't stay layers , rather fallen into half and half single soaps! Then the disaster occurred with Himalayan pink salt melt and pour, I added some cocoa butter as super fat , and I added the fine pink salt after the base melted... The disaster moment comes with the soap suddenly paste up and thickened up... I was barely able to stir it .. It's that hard.. I remelt it and added some distilled water, was better but the finished one crumbled... Why is that!? And how shall I add the salt differently ?

It's been awhile since I've done melt & pour, but to get my layers to adhere to each other, I would spray the top of each layer with isopropyl alcohol right before pouring on the next layer. It always worked like a charm for me to keep my layers from separating.

I have no answer to offer in regard to the M&P salt soap since I have never tried to make an M&P salt soap (I make CP salt soap all the time, though). Hopefully someone else will be able to chime in on that one.

3,same issue occurred with salt in my first liquid soap ! I made my first batch with Coconut oil, palm kernel oil, ev olive oil, sweet almond, in same percentage ! Then mixed with KoH and distilled water. It took 5 hours in low to cook to translucent but not like golden transparent. I tested 1 ounce with 2 ounces water , it was clear and pH in 9.2. I felt great as I succeeded. Then the disaster came after I diluted the soap and added HEC for thickening agent. Pink Salt was added for the exfoliation factor! It kind of shocked me as my thickened clear soap (even have a slight bubble top) then became milky and liquid... I was frightened and I kept on mixing , hoping it will be thickened again.. I don't know what went wrong and every time is the PINK SALT!! I left it covered for a night and I checked, it now a thick tensed milky white foam on the top and kind of clear soap underneath.. Now my questions are why is it like this after added salt as exfoliation? I added Eo before this step. Then how come it created a foam top that thick and tensed ? What can I do to save this batch!!!?

Although I make liquid soap, too, I make it using a different method (the glycerin method) and I have never needed to use HEC to thicken, and I've never salt as an exfoliator in liquid soap, so hopefully someone else will be able to answer that.

The one thing that I do know about salt and liquid soap is that it is often used to thicken up liquid soaps that are too thin. I honestly don't know how adding salt as an exfoliator would work in liquid soap, seeing as how liquid soap is water-based, and salt is water soluble. In other words, how would it stay in a solid state?


IrishLass

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Welcome!

Have you had success when making soap with out the additives? It might be an idea to get back to basics and come back to these additives after you know more about how the recipes will react in general

 

[nanzclaire]

Thanks IrishLass and The E.G for your response.

Firstly, I have started three brand new batches for CP soap and it is in cure time. So I will update again how it goes and if the same situation happens( this time I would have the exact recipe to rely on)


Secondly, I have the problem with the salt in M&P not making the melt and pour soap base. So I am still confused;(

And about the Liquid soap- I have tested it before I added anything, so I did manage to make a Ls without any additives. But you raise a great point as I would like to know if there is a list of additives that can be added and when shall individually be added in?


Btw IrishLass , your point on salt makes sense. I didn't think deep enough, I just thought I would love so exfoliators inside, then I added the salt. It didn't make my soap thickened... I am just wondering if the foam is formed due to not enough water in dilution?

Thanks again !

 

[nanzclaire]

By the way, for the the old batch of been oil CP soaps, can I rebatch or remelt it to something else ?

And a lot of people said you can correct your soap by reheating etc, what if you already added EO or preservatives ? Can you still reheat? If you could, do you need to re-add EO or preservatives again???

Thanks millions and bear with this newbie