First batch... is this mold?

[AshleyS]

So, I made my first batch of CP last night. 2 loaves of oatmeal lavender, which seems to have turned out great, and 1 loaf of grapefruit. The grapefruit seems to have had some problems. It appears to have a swirl in the middle and the surface is bubbling oil. The outside edges also have an ooze that appears slightly like mold. I would greatly appreciate anyone who can tell me what this stuff is and what I can do about it. Thanks in advance.
Oatmeal Lavender

Grapefruit

 

[Bigmoose]

Would you be kind enough to share your recipe on the grapefruit soap to better get a possible idea to what went wrong? Also did you use a stick blender when making them?

Bruce

 

[AshleyS]

I used the 'Wal-Mart' recipe I found in this forum. It consisted of
30% Coconut Oil
25% Crisco
23% Olive Oil
10% Canola Oil
7% Safflower Oil
5% Castor Oil

I used a stick blender, combined oils and lye solution at approximately 105-110 degrees, and added less than 1% grapefruit EO after they were well mixed (not confident about 'trace'). Mixed the EO and soap solution for another minute or two and poured in mold. The grapefruit mold was not as well insulated as the oatmeal lavender molds overnight either. Not sure if this is related. Thanks again!

 

[Deda]

It's your mold. Never ever use aluminum when you are making CP soap. The aluminum reacts with the lye. Bad combo. Sorry.

 

[AshleyS]

Thanks Deda. So, can I just shave off the affected areas or are these loaves bad? Was the reaction compromised? What can I do to salvage what I have here? Sorry for the newbness and thanks again for the help!

 

[carebear]

I don't know if the soap is safe or not, but I'd personally throw it away. Actually I'd take it out of the mold, wash the mold carefully, then throw both away. The lye chemically reacts with the aluminum and can eat right through it.

 

[Lindy]

I made that mistake but with some old jelly molds which I thought were stainless but were aluminum. You should have seen them bubble - it looked like a volcano. I threw the entire batch out because of what that reaction looked like. Mind you since I was there and saw it happening everything ended up in the sink with water - no vinegar because I don't know exactly what was occurring in that reaction and didn't want to create more problems.

Cheers

 

[mandolyn]

:cry: that you used the aluminum. I would not use the soap. I don't think trimming will do the trick. Better to be safe ya know?

 

[Soapmaker Man]

I'm surprised you did not smell the gas produced by the mixture, which is explosive when concentrated enough. Toss it!

Paul