Can You Over Freeze Your GM CP Soap?

[melonie]

Hi All,

I find that freezing your GM soap really helps prevent gelling. However, my last batch looked a little different after I cut into it. There were little white specs in the middle of it, not really noticeable, but I wonder what caused this effect. I only used bits of green tea for additive and peppermint EO (nothing white in the ingredients. The only thing I did differently this time was that I froze this batch a little it longer than the previous ones. So, could this be freezer burn? I don't have a picture, but can post one tomorrow. Did anybody experience the same thing? Please let me know. I would appreciate your feedback on this.

Thanks,

Melonie

 

[carebear]

I've put soaps in the freezer - never had that happen.

I'd suspect little chunks of milk, or of one of your hard oils, or maybe bubbles. I don't believe the freezer would cause that.

Freezer burn, on pork chops anyway, happens on edges and corners and surfaces - not in the middle.

 

[melonie]

Hi Carebear,

Thanks for the information. I used the same oils before, but never had this effect in the middle. I'll post a picture tomorrow for all to see what I mean. I'm just baffled :?

Melonie

 

[melonie]

Hello Everyone,

Okay, here's a pic of my soap. I'm sorry, but I don't have a very good camera. So, I hope you could see the white specs. The brown spots are from the tea leaves, but there is nothing else for additives to create these white spots. Hope someone could solve this mystery for me. Thank you in advance for all your help.
Melonie

[/img]

 

[krissy]

it almost looks like milk fats to me. i am not sure though. have you zap tested one of the spots to see if it's lye?

 

[melonie]

Hi Krissy,

Thank you for the information. So, you think it's milk curds? What can I do to prevent this? This never occurred before. What did I do wrong? I haven't done the zap test yet. So, you think that it could be the lye that caused the white spots? Did I not mix it through enough? Please let me know.

Thanks,

Melonie

 

[krissy]

i don't normally do milk soaps. just once or twice. to me they look like milk fat. i cant tell you for sure. But if it doesn't zap and everything else looks fine, then i'd still say they are a success.

 

[melonie]

Hi Krissy,

I just did the zap test, and it's not lye heavy. And, if it's milk curds, what can I do to prevent this? Please let me know.

Thanks,

Melonie

 

[phpworm]

Could it maybe be ricing? Did you use a water discount?

 

[melonie]

Hi PHPWorm,

Ricing? That's a new terminology for me. Doest this occur when you do water discount? I didn't do any water discount. I just used the exact amount that the soap calc suggested.

Melonie

 

[Rosey]

I freeze mine all the time. Are you using powdered gm? If you are, it may be that not all of it got dissolved. I SB mine to make sure and haven't had issues since that.

 

[melonie]

Hi Rosey,

Thank you for your input. No, I use GM in liquid form. What does SB mean? I keep coming across new terminologies all the time.

Thanks,

Melonie

 

[KD]

GM soap

Goat's milk is the only kind of cp soap I make, and I have never stuck it in the freezer. Can I ask why you want to avoid gelling it? I prefer the texture of soap that has gone through a gel phase - harder, smoother. I freeze the goat's milk before adding the lye or add ice cubes to refrigerated goat's milk before adding it.

 

[Rosey]

Melonie, SB is stick blender .

I'm not sure. I'd say ricing too which is basically when you're mixing your stuff you'll see what looks like grains of rice. Some FOs can cause it.

KD: gelling a soap is a preference and I like to prevent gel on my GM soaps because they look creamier. It's purely for looks. I haven't noticed a texture difference. They will take longer to harden though, I have noticed that so I cure them longer.

I do my goat's milk soap room temp. Let the oils and lye almost completely cool down (usually at 80F). I slushy the GM (i use gm powder) and then I mix.