Bummer....My first screwed up soap

[jennyannlowe]

Last night I planned an very ambitious colorful swirl soap. I went over the slow moving recipes I had...nailed now the oils I wanted to use. Looked into the possible adverse reactions of the additives I wanted to use...discoloring or speeding up trace. I thought I had it all planned out.

Until I decided to make some last minute adjustments to my plan, and add some more colors. Thats where I went wrong. I am bad about 'over doing it' in just about every scenario. The phrase "less is more?" Yeah, I have trouble with that.

So I end up dividing my batch into even more colors. I had originally planned to leave out the sugar for lather cause I didnt want it to heat up and discolor the soap. But I added it anyway. My order of sodium lactate hasnt come in, so I added salt for hardness. I added bentonite clay. I may have too many additives there. But thats not where I messed up.

I keep trying to decide on a safe fragrance oil. I had several picked out. Then when it came time to add it.... My brain must have seized up or took lunch break or I dont know what, But I end up adding banana nut bread FO.

As Im thinking how nice it smells....hold up...that smells like vanilla. Nooooooooo!!!! Too late. I MUST order some vanilla stabelizer for emergencies such as that. I know the stablizer doesnt really work over time but I might have used it last night.

So this morning I peeked at my soap....yuck. Its red pink orange yellow green blue purple DULL colored ugly soap.

My first disaster. I cant wait to get off work and run home and do it over again to PROVE I CAN!

But I will try to retrain myself from adding every color in the universe and too many additives. I cant put all the wonders of soap making into one bar. ( I need to put that on the wall of my soap room so I can see it!)

 

[TBandCW]

It may be your first disaster, but it won't be your last! :-?

 

[Arimara]

... Pictures? For reference at least.

 

[lsg]

Yep, mistakes are all part of the learning curve.

 

[jennyannlowe]

I think it looks worse in reality. I think the camera flash made it look a little brighter than it really does. I'll cut it and see if there is any improvement.

 

[cmzaha]

Save your money on Vanilla Stabilizer, it will not work long enough to make a big difference. It is better to embrace the brown and work with it

 

[burnandgroom]

I...I like it. But like you said, maybe the camera is making it look snazzier.

 

[Soapsavvy]

It's the mistakes just like that, that I think are our best lesson's. Keep at it and you'll get it right!!

 

[Soapsavvy]

I personally don't think it looks that bad, but then I'm a newbie too. Here's a link that may be helpful for the next time.

Soap trouble shooter:

http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-troubleshooting-guide.html

 

[dixiedragon]

I think it looks pretty neat. I hope you update this thread; i'd like to see what effect the vanilla has on it.

 

[Kamahido]

I personally don't think it is that bad.

 

[snappyllama]

Depending on the percentage of vanillin, you might just end up with your colors going darker, or they could go entirely brown. Even FOs that smell nothing like vanilla can have vanillin, so it's best to read lots of reviews and test.

I totally agree with Carolyn, CP vanilla stabilizer is a total waste of money. If you get lucky and it doesn't morph the FO into permanently smelling like gasoline (yay - my soap no longer smells like a nascar race), the brown will eventually return (boo - I had the fun of buying something that made my soap briefly smell like a nascar race and 6 months later it's brown anyway).

If it does go brown, no worries. Banana Bread is tan in color. It matches the scent.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

I know how you feel, and also I think your soap have a fun personality!!
After making 100 or more batches of soap (only been doing this for a year now, so still considering myself as a noob;-)) I have learned one thing:
Soap needs time to "develop". Just as a photography can`t be rushed, neither can a piece of soap.

Sometimes you will make a soap that makes you roll your eyes so hard you can see your own brain, while thinking to yourself: "what on earth did I make here!?" But give it time and see how it fares and turn out after cure.

And keep detailed notes of additives, time you made it, how colors reacted when added to soapbatter, fragranceweight you ended up using (more/less than recommended amount) etc. Nothing worse than making something awesome that you can`t duplicate.

I`ll bet after you cut it up in proper bars, clean up the edges and let it sitt for 6-8 weeks you may be surprized at how it feels and looks, even if it turns browner. Soap can surprize you.

If not happy still, you have at least learned that making soap is something that is evolving as you do it, and you actually learn from every single mistake you make!

Besides...

I cant put all the wonders of soap making into one bar.

Well, I am afraid that is something we all in here try to do from time to time...:mrgreen:
I know I do. Even if I have developed my go-to recipes that I love and adore and get praises from friends and family - I just can`t help myself from trying something new here and there.

 

[cmzaha]

I am just curious, is that a glass dish you poured your soap in? If so how do you get it out?

 

[jennyannlowe]

No not a glass dish. Glad peel and stick and a shoebox top.

Here's the pics from after the cut. The colors are almost brown. I don't hate it...But I have some ideas...I've done some painting before I started soap. I'm wondering how would they look with some "painting". Make tiny amount of slow moving soap, make color palette with mica. Take paint brush and take some ideas from some of my past paintings...hmm...might just do some experimenting today.

 

[jennyannlowe]

Maybe I'll use some abstract ideas to. "Paint" soap. I know not to make the mica too thick. I'd probably just use enough to give the tops some interesting effects.

 

[Rusti]

I don't know. I don't think they're awful looking even discolored. They remind me of brickwork on buildings and houses with the dark red, reddish brown and brown swirling.

 

[cmzaha]

No not a glass dish. Glad peel and stick and a shoebox top.

Here's the pics from after the cut. The colors are almost brown. I don't hate it...But I have some ideas...I've done some painting before I started soap. I'm wondering how would they look with some "painting". Make tiny amount of slow moving soap, make color palette with mica. Take paint brush and take some ideas from some of my past paintings...hmm...might just do some experimenting today.

I was just curious, looked like a glass dish in the other pic. Your soaps really do not look bad at all. In fact they are colors that I happen to like. Look up Ebru art, you probably know what it is being an artist. It is the method many soapmakers use to make the painted look. Takes a very fluid batter to make it work, but can turn out gorgeous. I am also sure you could make the painting work, think I would make a slightly smaller than normal batch color, swirl etc what you would like let it set up while making up a very slow tracing small batch to use for colors then paint them on the set soap. Could turn out gorgeous

 

[Seawolfe]

I quite like the look of those soaps, they look very organic and woodsy. Not what you were looking for, but certainly not a bad soap

 

[Steve85569]

The soap may not be what you had planned but you learned about vanilla. Sooner or later we all have to get that lesson.
The big "A" is for acceleration and can change plans as much as vanilla.
As far as any one else knows you planned to make different shades of tan / brown soap to resemble brick. Looks good when put that way.
I have learned to always read and search for the amount of vanilla in a FO and to read several of the reviews on them.:think:
The soap is still soap and will work and smell good doing it.

Just my thoughts.