Brown spots in HP soap?

[HerthElde]

So, last night I did another HP batch - 3 lbs oils in a ratio of 70:20:10 (olive:coconutalm) - this has been my "staple" recipe, I made about 5 lbs of it 2 years ago and it has gotten me through until now (hence, my recent interest in doing soap again) - it makes a beautiful bar, but I've always done cold process before - and I didn't want to try ITMHP because I wanted to add some scent and color after cooking.

So, I started about 11PM (not sure why I waited so long, just putzing around in the kitchen till then) and since the kids were in bed decided not to wake them up with the stick blender but to do it by hand. Well, I don't think the soap even went through trace (if it did, it separated right away), but seemed to almost go to trace, then right to "champagne bubbles" It stayed at that separated phase for quite a while - then two hours after starting the process, things finally started to come together. I think it cooked for a total of about 2.5 hours, then I tried putting it into silicon mini muffin tins (didn't settle properly at the bottom, I was going to use it for testers now not sure what I'll do with those - about 2 dozen for a pound of the soap), then put the rest into a 2 lb mold. The ones in the 2 lb mold look okay, but the top doesn't look rustic so much as ugly, so I'll be trimming.

But the bars have a few brown spots in them. I did a tongue test, they seem fine, I think they might be burnt soap. Is that what they are? I'll try to post a pic tonight, we just got a new digital camera so I still have to figure out how to upload pictures.

Of course, I made these specifically to sell :roll: I'm opening a store on hyenacart.com in September and am trying to get all my stock together - soap won't be my main product, but I'd hoped to at least have some If they're safe, I guess I could sell at a discount . . .

 

[Guest]

Yea i need to see a picture.

It skipped trace because your oils were very hot as well as the lye, its ok. Mine has done that before.. scared the HEAP out of me lol..

Brown spots? what kind of FO did you use?

Color? etc.. additives?

Let me know..

 

[HerthElde]

Fragrance was a combination of vanilla cream FO (from Well Naturally), Peppermint EO and Lavender EO (1:1:1), I added 2-3/4 tsp. Color was ultramarine blue, 3/4tsp dissolved in 2tbsp glycerin. 6% superfat recipe. I'll try and get a pic soon here, I've figured out the camera.
I've done the recipe before exactly the same a few times, just never as HP (which is very new to me - actually when I was soaping a lot a few years ago, it was exclusively HP, and the two batches I've done in the past two nights were both HP - the goat milk one turned out extremely well, at least )

 

[HerthElde]

Okay, I can't get the camera to focus in enough to get a pic that looks like anything. But if I were to describe the spots, I'd say they look like little broken off pieces of cardboard.

 

[HerthElde]

I think I figured it out . . . I think they're bits of wooden spoon

 

[HerthElde]

Think I can market it as ultra-organic soap? :roll:

 

[Tabitha]

Maybe you could pass the wood of as an exfoliant? :roll:

Can you shred it up & pick out the bad spots to make soap balls? Rebatch?

Bummer about the batch!

 

[soapbuddy]

I would just save those for yourself. You wouldn't want someone to get a splinter in their skin.

Irena

 

[Guest]

i agree with soapbuddy... keep it for yourself.

it will blend in because your FO will discolor to a brown anyway.. but keep it for yourself..

use Stainless Steel spoons..

 

[HerthElde]

Heehee, yeah, stainless steel in the future 8)

I'll decide later what to do, after I get a closer look. The wood didn't splinter, it's more like a fine sawdust consistency and there's hardly any of it. Considering the crowd I'm selling to, it wouldn't be an issue if I just sold it at a deep discount with full disclosure of what happened