Color changing soap?

[SoapAddict415]

I don't know what happened but I think it's cool! This is a CP goats milk soap made with powered goat milk I made it on the stove in a SS pot instead of my little crock pot. It has a strawberry FO & it was a troubled batch. By that I mean that it began overheating & wouldn't stop separating even after I put the pot in a sink full of cold water. I stick blended & stirred like crazy! Everytime I'd get it to a smooth consistency, it would begin to overheat & separate again. Finally I just poured it into my mold, shoved it in the freezer & hoped for the best! I removed it from the freezer a few hours later, unmolded it 24 hours after that & I sliced a small piece off the end last night to see if there were any oil pockets from the overheating. It was pink & white & I thought "rebatch". I left the room & when I came back, it was all pink! I thought I was seeing things so I sliced another piece off & watched it change before my eyes! If anybody knows or has an opinion as to what is causing this, I'd love to hear it! Thanks in advance.
[attachment=0:3d7m6zu7]IMG_20121108_200536.jpg[/attachment:3d7m6zu7][attachment=1:3d7m6zu7]IMG_20121108_200758.jpg[/attachment:3d7m6zu7]

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

It's probably just oxidizing...like if you cut a loaf that has a darker edge and lighter center, after being exposed to the air, the center will darken up to match the outside.
I'm glad you were able to beat it into submission to mold it :wink:

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thanks Shawnee! I never considered oxidation, that makes sense! It's nice to know that when I experience something new, that I can come to the forum for answers & advice!

 

[MooreThanBags]

Something similar happened to be with my last batch of goat milk soap. I used my usual recipe and was so proud when it turned out a very light cream color. After we unmolded it and put it on racks to dry it began to darken. After a week it is now the color of milk chocolate. Any ideas of what would cause the color change? All my other soap pretty well stayed whatever color it was un-molded.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Something similar happened to be with my last batch of goat milk soap. I used my usual recipe and was so proud when it turned out a very light cream color. After we unmolded it and put it on racks to dry it began to darken. After a week it is now the color of milk chocolate. Any ideas of what would cause the color change? All my other soap pretty well stayed whatever color it was un-molded.

Did you use any fragrance oils? FOs with high Vanillin content are notorious for darkening soap. I don't personally soap with GM, so not sure...but possibly overheating could cause it to darken from the sugar content in the milk. If a soap is going to darken, it usually happens soon after cutting and exposure to the air (oxidation) and gradually gets darker.

 

[MooreThanBags]

I used a FO called butter cream. I kept my lye/goat milk mixture cool in an ice bath and it never exceeded 115 degrees.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Yeah, it's the FO.
They do sell a color stabilizer for high Vanillin FOs, but I haven't used it, so can't tell you how well or if it works :?
http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Pr ... ers+Choice™+Vanilla+Color+Stabilizer+-+CP+Soap

 

[Hazel]

Good save! I think the soap looks great!

I had this happen to a batch I made with a vanilla FO. When I first cut it, the outside was dark brown and the inside was an off-white. It looked just like an Almond Joy candy bar. It gradually turned completely brown. I was told the same thing which Alchemy&Ashes already mentioned - exposure to air (oxidizing).

I've used WSP's color stabilizer for CP and my batch still discolored. When I called WSP and told them it didn't work, I was told to use twice the recommended amount. Huh? :shock: At that price, I don't think so! I learned to accept that FOs with a high vanillin content will turn brown. Of course, this was a few years ago so they may have reformulated it to improve its ability to prevent discoloration.

 

[MooreThanBags]

Thanks for all the input. Guess Iwill just call it "chocolate" soap and mark it up to experience. Does the same thing happen when using Essential oils?

 

[SoapAddict415]

I think that only happens with FOs that have a high vanillin content. Some websites like natures garden & WSP list the vanillin content of their FOs so you'll know what to expect in advance.

 

[judymoody]

Essential oils tend not to discolor other than the color they naturally are. So, for example folded orange which is bright orange in the bottle will impart an orange tone to your soap. I tend to get very minor discoloration from EOs. As for FOs, I've learned to embrace the brown.

 

[MooreThanBags]

I may have to do that myself considering the cost of essential oils. Most of the batches i have been a beautiful caramel color.

 

[green soap]

Patchouli EO discolors a little (light tan depending how much you use), orange EO does too, just to a light orange color. Bay rum EO also seems to discolor to a tan.

None of these come close to vanilla FO, or even some of the chocolate, coffee, or dragon blood types FOs. My favorite vanilla FO discolors to a DARK DARK brown. Ebony? dark mahogany? it is crazy dark.

I have been making soap in swirls, and only add the discoloring FO to half the batter, but at double the concentration. Since I use FOs much below 50% the maximum recommended usage I can do this. Double for me is still below the recommended usage.