Decisions

[Neve]

You effed up a batch you were excited about... new fragrance (in my case, vanilla and wanted to do swirls with colour top but it went from liquid to solid in 0-10 seconds - and to top it off a partial gel and no sign of attempted swirls).

Do you:

a) Try it again right away, and try to get it right
b) Say screw that and move onto the next fragrance/batch you had planned
c) Both of the above, and at the same time

 

[lenarenee]

Do you want a second chance?

Post your recipe, fragrance and what swirl you want, and I bet someone will be able to help you come up with a plan that can give your idea a chance to succeed.

I was helping someone make 10 pounds of soap in 4 molds. She got everything all set up - micas mixed in oils, lots of plastic bowls, spatulas, fragrances all set up. Made the matter, then spilled eo's and fo's all over table and floor. We spent 20 minutes cleaning up (fragrance oils ate through the plastic table cloth to wood table underneath).

However, because of the recipe - she had time to re-plan her fragrances and do 4 different swirls (she's actually a new soaper) and was happy with how things turned out.

 

[Neve]

It's my regular recipe. Just new fragrance. Last time I did it no gel at all.

Na I more want to know what you all would do soaping again tomorrow.

 

[luebella]

If I wanted that fragrance I'd do a simple soap that u can work with thick. I wouldn't try it with swirls again

 

[CaraBou]

Me, I'd be right back there again, showing that *%#! frag who's boss. And proving it!

 

[Susie]

^Same as CaraBou. I have a huge stubborn streak.

 

[IrishLass]

What FO was it and where did you buy it?

If it were me, I would try looking it up on the review sites before soaping it again in order to see whether or not others had the same accelerating experience with it. If you find out that it's a known accelerator, I would either use full water the next time or else HP it.

And if it happens that I couldn't find it on any of the review sites but I still really wanted to soap it, I'd definitely go about it differently than what was done the first time, such as what I mentioned above, i.e., HPing it instead of CPing it, or else using full water..... oh, and not attempting any swirls if CPing with more water until I'm certain of how it will behave in the same. No sense going to the trouble of coloring it if my efforts and colorants are just going to be wasted.


IrishLass

 

[navigator9]

I'm with Irish Lass. I'd be working on identifying the cause of the problem, so that whatever it is, I don't do it again.

 

[Orchidgirl]

b) screw it and move on.

I don't like to revisit my mistakes immediately. However, I do eventually get back to my old recipes/attempts that didn't work out and try again. Sometimes a little distance (in time) from the first try works wonders as far as troubleshooting or figuring out a better way is concerned.

I'm currently eying a loaf I cut last night that was supposed to be a fresh spring green swirled with a darker blue from powdered indigo...the areas that were supposed to be blue-ish from the indigo look brown, with a sort of camo-pattern going on. NOT what I intended. Plus, the green top swirls are waaay too bright...my husband says it looks like Slimer from Ghostbusters exploded all over the soap. So, yeah, I feel your pain...I shall revisit those two colorants at a later date...I don't really want to look at anything green for a while, LOL!

 

[Neve]

b) screw it and move on.



I don't like to revisit my mistakes immediately. However, I do eventually get back to my old recipes/attempts that didn't work out and try again. Sometimes a little distance (in time) from the first try works wonders as far as troubleshooting or figuring out a better way is concerned.



I'm currently eying a loaf I cut last night that was supposed to be a fresh spring green swirled with a darker blue from powdered indigo...the areas that were supposed to be blue-ish from the indigo look brown, with a sort of camo-pattern going on. NOT what I intended. Plus, the green top swirls are waaay too bright...my husband says it looks like Slimer from Ghostbusters exploded all over the soap. So, yeah, I feel your pain...I shall revisit those two colorants at a later date...I don't really want to look at anything green for a while, LOL!

Lol. I'm usually in the screw it and move on camp too

 

[OliveOil2]

I had one FO that was so fast that I just had to do it again to prove it could be done, it didn't even smell that good. WSP Goat Milk & Honey. It was like a science experiment for me, I added some bubble wrap for design, watching the whole think was so strange, poured and within 3 minutes there was a gel spot covering the middle of my mold. I gel anyway, but this was like nothing I have ever seen. It did take me a few days to get the courage to do it again, and then I gave the bottle to my friend that makes lotion.

 

[Neve]

I decided on c. Since I now have more than one mold.

I also changed my recipe to full water and did the swirls, and have put it outside (outdoor freezer!). I'm going to stick with full water from now on I think, because my recipe always thickens faster than I'd like.

 

[CaraBou]

Great comeback! Did you change the fragrance?