I made confetti soap a few days ago. Both soaps in the pix were poured out of the same bowl of batter within minutes of each other. Why did the stone soap stay so white, while the bar soap (cut from a loaf mold) has darkened to a light tan?
Can anyone explain this?
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I would guess the bar has went through gel which can affect color sometimes.
Sounds like a good guess, @Obsidian . The loaf did gel, but the bars in the stone mold did not.
Do I need to prevent gel to keep my white bars white?
Either prevent gel or use titanium dioxide and make sure your FO doesn't discolor
I did use TD in this batch. The FO is Nurture's Star Showers, which is non-discoloring. Soap base was OO, palm, coconut, shea butter, and castor.
I thought gel was helpful for brightening colors. I didn't realize it might darken my whites.
I thought gel was helpful for brightening colors. I didn't realize it might darken my whites.
I agree it was gel. But they are both gorgeous, even if not what what you were going for. If you use TD when gelling I find it tends to get glycerine rivers too, so watch out for that. I also find that my non-gelled soap tends to get soada ash - so it might be worth polishing up those stones to see if any ash comes off, and then the colour may be more even between the two?
Gel is the only difference between the two (beside the mold, of course), so that must be it.
I built a box made of foam to support the sides of my T&S mold that really holds in the heat. The mold is still warm when I take it out of the box the next morning! Maybe I need to find a different way to hold in the sides of my T&S mold when I want a bright white soap...
I built a box made of foam to support the sides of my T&S mold that really holds in the heat. The mold is still warm when I take it out of the box the next morning! Maybe I need to find a different way to hold in the sides of my T&S mold when I want a bright white soap...
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
Sometimes a bar from a silicone mould develops soda ash in the mould or just after unmoulding. Or (related to gelling/not gelling via temperature), it's stearic spots. Depending how deep you want to dig into it, it'd be good to cut open the “stone” and look if it's only the surface, or also in the bulk.
That said, I must confess that I like the bar MUCH more than the stone – at least in their current state. The stone looks “dirty” and you don't realise the confetti twist that is awaiting the innocent users
. The bar shouts at you “I'm happy & colourful!”. I don't think that forced gel brings much for confetti colours – they're usually finished soap, with not much excess water there to brighten up the appearance.
tl;dr: IMHO, stay with the loaf mould, and don't put effort into forcing gel.
ETA: You might also consider to sprinkle some salt into the batter. Silver Dapple: Bespoke Soap
That said, I must confess that I like the bar MUCH more than the stone – at least in their current state. The stone looks “dirty” and you don't realise the confetti twist that is awaiting the innocent users
. The bar shouts at you “I'm happy & colourful!”. I don't think that forced gel brings much for confetti colours – they're usually finished soap, with not much excess water there to brighten up the appearance.tl;dr: IMHO, stay with the loaf mould, and don't put effort into forcing gel.
ETA: You might also consider to sprinkle some salt into the batter. Silver Dapple: Bespoke Soap
I agree with you, @ResolvableOwl, about the bars being the better looking soaps. I didn't know how much soap I'd end up with after adding the confetti shreds. I filled my mold and then used the extra batter to make 2 soap stones. They were the "spare parts" not the intention.
I don't see any signs of soda ash on either bar (at least not yet). The stones certainly don't look as happy and festive as the bars, but maybe the confetti will be a happy surprise as they get used. Or maybe the "dirty" look will make them look more like real stones (haha).
I wasn't particularly intending to force gel, but my support box insulates so well, it gels for sure. To not gel, I'd have to find another way to support the sides of my T&S mold.
BTW, The dappled bars are pretty. I need to remember that idea for sometime. I wonder if the salt is scratchy?
I don't see any signs of soda ash on either bar (at least not yet). The stones certainly don't look as happy and festive as the bars, but maybe the confetti will be a happy surprise as they get used. Or maybe the "dirty" look will make them look more like real stones (haha).
I wasn't particularly intending to force gel, but my support box insulates so well, it gels for sure. To not gel, I'd have to find another way to support the sides of my T&S mold.
BTW, The dappled bars are pretty. I need to remember that idea for sometime. I wonder if the salt is scratchy?
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
Idk, it shouldn't make much of a difference. I'd go the soleseife route (dissolve salt in batch water, add concentrated lye solution → salt precipitates out as a fine “snow”). Plus I'd guess that salt and soap dissolve with about the same speed when the bar is used.
Soleseife, salt bar and ZNSC users are constantly lamenting how the salt ruins their main batter colouration. Here you could take advantage out of that
.
Soleseife, salt bar and ZNSC users are constantly lamenting how the salt ruins their main batter colouration. Here you could take advantage out of that
.
I've done 'spare parts' of my confetti soap before and hubby said they looked like bits of blue cheese in the soap.
The tan base works well with the particular confetti color scheme In your soap, just like you planned it that way.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to like the stone soap. It immediately reminded me of stone beaches along the north shore of Long Island (NY). The stones were left there when the last glacier retreated.
photo from: Orient Point, NY; June 12, 2018 (Beachcombing series No.88) – Jennifer Steen Booher
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to like the stone soap. It immediately reminded me of stone beaches along the north shore of Long Island (NY). The stones were left there when the last glacier retreated.
photo from: Orient Point, NY; June 12, 2018 (Beachcombing series No.88) – Jennifer Steen Booher
Both look great! My first guess was the stone had soda ash. I pour my leftover batter into single-cavity molds. I'm used to unmolding my loaf after 24 hours so I initally did the same for the single cavities. However, soda ash would develop on all sides that are excposed to air. I've learned to wait 5-7 days before unmolding to prevent soda ash.
@Mobjack Bay Thanks for the different perspective on the stone soap. One of the stones in your photo looks just like it. I suspect they will look pretty as they get used and different layers keep coming through.
I'm happy with the tan of the bar soap. Just couldn't figure out why the two soaps came out looking so different. No matter how much soap I make, there's always new surprises! Part of the fun that keeps me always excited to see the next batch!
I'm happy with the tan of the bar soap. Just couldn't figure out why the two soaps came out looking so different. No matter how much soap I make, there's always new surprises! Part of the fun that keeps me always excited to see the next batch!
Thanks, @Zing . No soda ash I can see on these babies, but I can't imagine having the patience to wait 5-7 days before unmolding! How do you do it??? Sometimes I find excuses to leave the house just so I can wait at least 24 hours to unmold. Patience has never been my strength
A few months ago I had an FO turn green. It was advertised as discoloring to tan. I made the soap at a high lye concentration and put the mold on a heating pad. I don’t know if my methods affected the outcome, but I love the FO and will try it again, planning for green in advance
That's funny. Last week I used Hello Spring (light green) mica in a batch with EOs. It morphed to tan!
Wow! Very pretty soap!
Right there with ya girlfriend!Thanks, @Zing . No soda ash I can see on these babies, but I can't imagine having the patience to wait 5-7 days before unmolding! How do you do it??? Sometimes I find excuses to leave the house just so I can wait at least 24 hours to unmold. Patience has never been my strength
Thanks, @Zing . No soda ash I can see on these babies, but I can't imagine having the patience to wait 5-7 days before unmolding! How do you do it??? Sometimes I find excuses to leave the house just so I can wait at least 24 hours to unmold. Patience has never been my strength
Um, because I am the paragon of self-control?
Is it 5:00 yet? Can I have my evening cocktail now?No, seriously, my main designing efforts go into my loaf molds which I'm super impatient about unmolding. I use my single cavity molds for the leftover batter and frequently add in other scraps and odds and ends for home use only so the reveal isn't as exciting as unmolding and cutting the main event.
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