Difference in setting time

[Rhiannon]

Hi, I just made some lard and soybean oil soap, when it got to trace I separated a bit and colores with some activated charcoal, the one I didn’t colored set much faster than the colored one and when I demolded, the bottom part was hard and difficult to cut, what could be the cause?

 

[DeeAnna]

You don't give much information about how you made this soap, so it may be difficult to give good advice.

How did you use the activated charcoal? Did you mix it into a liquid first, such as water?

Did you give the white soap batter a good stir before you poured it into the mold? I bet you were working with the dark soap, while letting the white soap sit. Sometimes soap batter will get thicker as it sits, but it will loosen up a bit if you stir it gently with a spatula.

As far as the hardness at the bottom, it could be that the lye might have separated a little from the fats, and the soap at the bottom is a bit lye heavy. I am guessing this is not the case here, but it's a possibility.

Or you let the soap sit too long before cutting it. When it is best for cutting, soap should feel like a colby or mild cheddar cheese fresh from the refrigerator. It should not be hard like Parmesan cheese, and it should not be soft like cream cheese.

Or you used a knife to cut it rather than a wire or a flat blade. Knives have a triangular shape and as the knife blade gets close to the bottom, a brittle soap will often break apart rather than cut cleanly.

Or all of the above.

 

[Rhiannon]

You don't give much information about how you made this soap, so it may be difficult to give good advice.

How did you use the activated charcoal? Did you mix it into a liquid first, such as water?

Did you give the white soap batter a good stir before you poured it into the mold? I bet you were working with the dark soap, while letting the white soap sit. Sometimes soap batter will get thicker as it sits, but it will loosen up a bit if you stir it gently with a spatula.

As far as the hardness at the bottom, it could be that the lye might have separated a little from the fats, and the soap at the bottom is a bit lye heavy. I am guessing this is not the case here, but it's a possibility.

Or you let the soap sit too long before cutting it. When it is best for cutting, soap should feel like a colby or mild cheddar cheese fresh from the refrigerator. It should not be hard like Parmesan cheese, and it should not be soft like cream cheese.

Or you used a knife to cut it rather than a wire or a flat blade. Knives have a triangular shape and as the knife blade gets close to the bottom, a brittle soap will often break apart rather than cut cleanly.

Or all of the above.

I gave the white batter a stir before pouring it, and I mixed the charcoal with a tablespoon of oil before adding it to the mix, the soap was a bit to hard at the bottom and softer at the top, I demolded it as soon as the grey part had set (about 4 hours after making the soap) the grey/middle part of the soap was fine but at that point the bottom white part was completely set and hard (like a store bought soap).
Could the reason be that the bottom of the soap got cold faster? The mold was a plastic container and I didn’t wrapt In anything.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Did you use cocoa butter? I find that can cause a brittle soap at times, especially if you don't gel.

 

[Rhiannon]

Did you use cocoa butter? I find that can cause a brittle soap at times, especially if you don't gel.

No i didn’t, only lard and soybean oil

 

[KiwiMoose]

Pues... yo no se. I suspect the mixing the charcoal with the oil may have made the grey softer, due to the additional liquid oil in that part of the soap - and then as @DeeAnna says, the bottom of the soap is harder to cut with a knife.