does this soap look usable?

[beckylinley]

Hi there,

I'm new to soapmaking, and had some issues with my second batch.

I used two pringles cans as molds, lined with freezer paper. (I now know that pringles cans aren't good for CP because of the aluminum.)

Anyway: When I tried pulling the soap out of the molds 24 hours later, they were pretty soft. When I cut it up, the top slice looked good, but then the rest seemed discolored and were darker. It seems like the majority of the soap didn't harden correctly. Since it seemed pretty soft, I waited two more days to remove the soap from the second pringles can. When I did, it had kind of a foul smell. It's been about 5 weeks now and it all smells nice, but most of it still has a dark color. You can see in the photo- the bar on the left was from the top of the mold. Any thoughts on why this happened? Was it because the mold was too deep? Is it safe to use the soap?

Here's the recipe I used:

olive oil 16 oz
coconut oil 8 oz
shea butter 4.8 oz
avocado oil 3.2 oz
water 12.16 oz
sodium hydroxide 4.44 oz

plus I added .5 oz each of lavender EO and tea tree EO. And 2 oz of ground dried lavender and 2 oz of ground toasted oats.

Thank you for any advice! Still figuring out the basics.

Moved form CP

 

[OHello]

I had the same thing (minus the smell) happen with my coconut milk soap. The soap has gelled, which can effect the colour. The middle gets hotter than the outside, which is why you get the "ring" in the middle.

Apparently the soap is still usable, assuming that you zap tested etc.. The colour is just a cosmetic thing.

 

[Nobellius]

I don't see a photo :/ lol

 

[beckylinley]

I had the same thing (minus the smell) happen with my coconut milk soap. The soap has gelled, which can effect the colour. The middle gets hotter than the outside, which is why you get the "ring" in the middle.

Apparently the soap is still usable, assuming that you zap tested etc.. The colour is just a cosmetic thing.

Great; thank you!

 

[hoegarden]

Hi becky, did you cut the soap immediately after removing from the can? or do you wait a further few more days before cutting?

Did your soap goes into a false trace before you put it into the mold?

 

[pamielynn]

You have partial gel. Exactly what OHello said. The one on the right looks like a perfect, fully-gelled soap. The one on the left looks ungelled and the one in the middle has partial gel. If you don't want to gel your soaps, you need to keep the molded soap cooler. If you DO want to gel, wrap the molded soap in blankets so you get gel all the way through the batch. Soap wants to heat up -so you just need to decide how you want to soap - gelled or ungelled.

 

[judymoody]

There's nothing wrong with the Pringles cans if you line them.

However, some level of gel is pretty unavoidable in a cylindrical mold. There is not enough surface area for the heat from the chemical reaction to escape. If you don't want to gel, try a loaf, slab, or individual cavity molds. Personally, I prefer gelled soap but either is fine.

Sometimes soap can smell a bit funky in the early stages, especially if you use milk or some liquid other than water. Give it time; it will probably go away as it cures.

As you get more experienced, you may want to reduce the amount of water you use and your soap will firm up quicker.

I think your soap looks very nice, congratulations!

 

[beckylinley]

Thank you everyone! Very helpful info!

 

[beckylinley]

Hi becky, did you cut the soap immediately after removing from the can? or do you wait a further few more days before cutting?

Did your soap goes into a false trace before you put it into the mold?

The first can I cut up immediately and it was a little squishy. The second can I unmolded and then left for a couple days before cutting.

Not sure about the false trace...?

 

[soapguy]

I would test the center on the one with the soft spot with litmus paper. If the pH is very high, dark blue on litmus paper, then consider re-batching. Good luck. Also, you could just make flakes out of them and use them for making detergent.

 

[pamielynn]

I just had a very stinky Gardener's soap. Don't know why - happens sometimes with the goat milk. But - peee-uuuu, ammonia heaven. Went away; smells fine now.

 

[kazmi]

You just have various stages of gell. The softness is the amount of water. It'll harden up. Nice job on your second batch!