Charcoal Soap CP HELP

[dalsignum]

Lately i made charcoal soap in sa 6 cavity mold... each mold has 100g of soap...

I have a problem making charcoal soap because after i unmold it the soap is very crumbly...

my other recipes didn't crumble using 6 x 100g cavity mold. Only my charcoal soap gets crumbly and grainy.

 

[Catastrophe]

How much charcoal are you using?

 

[Steve85569]

Charcoal loves water too.
When I do use charcoal I use a "full water" recipe just for the AC.

 

[cmzaha]

I use a 30% lye concentration with my charcoal bars and I have no crumbling

 

[dalsignum]

How much charcoal are you using?

I use about 1 tsp not Tsp per 1 pound of oil.. this is what it looks like... i used 33% lye conc.

 

[dixiedragon]

no advise but what a gorgeous swirl!

 

[kchaystack]

What is your recipe? We need to know that before we can really judge.

 

[dalsignum]

What is your recipe? We need to know that before we can really judge.

for that recipe
40% lard
20% palm oil
15% coconut oil
25% olive oil

33% lye conc.
5% superfat
no EO or FO
no extra additives just activated charcoal

 

[Viore]

I'm having the same problem with a high lard recipe, but I didn't use AC. I'm eager to hear responses!

 

[shunt2011]

I've never had a problem with charcoal. I use 1/2-1 tsp ppo depending on the depth of black I want. It looks really dry and cracking on the tops though hard to tell. Is it lye heavy? Did you zap test them? How long did they sit in the mold? Your recipe in weights would help as well instead of %

 

[Gerry]

I've actually had ash form inside bars in single silicone molds a couple times a long time ago. I'm not sure why. But they had a dry looking texture and really crumbly. Impossible to plane neatly.

 

[dalsignum]

I've never had a problem with charcoal. I use 1/2-1 tsp ppo depending on the depth of black I want. It looks really dry and cracking on the tops though hard to tell. Is it lye heavy? Did you zap test them? How long did they sit in the mold? Your recipe in weights would help as well instead of %

2 days in the mold still no progress...do you think ill ad more water for this recipe?

 

[christost7]

For what it is worth, i used a boatload of AC on my high (50%) lard recipe and it came out fine.

 

[earlene]

The surface reminds me of the parched surface of the ground after it was very wet then dried out too fast from excessive heat, or a dry muddy riverbed. Did you CPOP these soaps? Or did you spray a lot of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol on the soap? Did you use any salt in the recipe? All these could have an effect on the how fast the surface of the soap dries out and that can cause cracks when the inside is still wet if the surface dries at a much faster rate.

Your swirl is very pretty and the cracks make for an interesting effect. But of course if you plane the surface to smooth it out, you end up with less soap.

 

[Arimara]

Is all Activated charcoal equal? My thoughts were going towards the AC itself.

 

[dalsignum]

how much % of water did you guys put in your AC soap?

 

[christost7]

how much % of water did you guys put in your AC soap?

I always use 30% lye concentration for my black AC soap.

 

[Saipan]

Just curious, where are you, and what is the average temperature and humidity? I've had crumbly soap in the winter, here in Iowa.

 

[cmzaha]

I forgot to mention I do not measure my charcoal, just add it in until I get a shiny deep black. I add mine directly to my soap batter. I always end up with tracing problems when I make it into a slurry with my soap liquid or if I add it into my fragrance oil for wetting first. This is the one I buy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PT3MT8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[penelopejane]

Is all Activated charcoal equal? My thoughts were going towards the AC itself.

If you look at the soap close up you will see it has all over crazing which has nothing to do with the AC. The problem is either with the ingredients or the method.