First big mistake

[Shazzer]

I've been lucky so far and the first 4 soaps I made turned out really well. A wee bit of soda ash on the first one, and some small cosmetic imperfections due to difficulty fully blending TD in the third one, but otherwise really great batches.

I always used EOs so far, and today I tried my first FO. It did say 'be prepared to work a bit faster' but HOLY MOLY! This is my first time experiencing seizing. I had a nice drop swirl design planned, but within seconds of adding the FO, it was nearly solid! I raced to shovel big glops is soap into the mold so disappointed!! And that loaf used up 2 of my main ingredients, so no second tries until I re-order materials now...

 

[lsg]

Sorry for your disappointment. I always check the reviews for FOs before buying. A reputable supplier will furnish reviews that report trouble with seizing, discoloring, etc.

 

[KimW]

Oh no, what a bummer! So, you've learned a new "telltale" phrase for FOs that accelerate: "be prepared to work a bit faster". Ugh! Still, even if it won't be the beautiful soap you envisioned, it will at least still be soap...

 

[TheGecko]

This is why I have a couple of 4" Square Silicone Molds so I can do a test batch when it comes to new things...new recipe, new scent, new colorant, new additive.

 

[Shazzer]

Oh no, what a bummer! So, you've learned a new "telltale" phrase for FOs that accelerate: "be prepared to work a bit faster". Ugh! Still, even if it won't be the beautiful soap you envisioned, it will at least still be soap...

Exactly, lesson one: when they say 'be prepared' they MEAN be prepared

This is why I have a couple of 4" Square Silicone Molds so I can do a test batch when it comes to new things...new recipe, new scent, new colorant, new additive.

Yes, it was a one lb batch so it was not huge, luckily I'm not at the stage that I'm making like 5 lbs in one go or something. And, as was mentioned above, whatever it looks like, it will still be soap!

 

[hlee]

I still panic when I get a difficult FO and I have been making soap for years.
All that design planning, preparing colors, etc. out the window!
Plop it in and breathe a sigh of relief if you can accomplish that!

 

[Shazzer]

I still panic when I get a difficult FO and I have been making soap for years.
All that design planning, preparing colors, etc. out the window!
Plop it in and breathe a sigh of relief if you can accomplish that!

I think I managed to get it in there fast enough so it will be.... Something haha!

But now I'm thinking: I guess it will set up much faster than usual. I usually cut around 20-24 hours, should I check this one already at, say, 8 or 10 hours to see how far along it is?

 

[Mels]

This happened to me twice. I was so disappointed but the fragrances were so amazing and the soap still came out very nice just not the designed that I planned so much for. I added my FO at light to medium trace, next time I will try adding at very light trace and see if I at least have a millisecond before it seizes.

 

[MonicaT73]

I totally understand your disappointment: I also had a fair amount of luck with my first 4-5 batches and today, upon unmolding and cutting my latest soap, I discovered that the heavenly “birthday cake fragrance” I used was gone! Like, completely!! The soap actually had a weird not so pleasant smell! I honestly don’t know what I did wrong. Like in my previous batches I used the FO in 3% concentration. Only difference was that I used a “vanilla color stabilizer”. Could it be the culprit? I am already looking at videos on how to “rebatch a failed soap”!

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I totally understand your disappointment: I also had a fair amount of luck with my first 4-5 batches and today, upon unmolding and cutting my latest soap, I discovered that the heavenly “birthday cake fragrance” I used was gone! Like, completely!! The soap actually had a weird not so pleasant smell! I honestly don’t know what I did wrong. Like in my previous batches I used the FO in 3% concentration. Only difference was that I used a “vanilla color stabilizer”. Could it be the culprit? I am already looking at videos on how to “rebatch a failed soap”!

Let it sit and cure for awhile. You may find that once it cures the scent will change back.

 

[Shazzer]

Update: cut it this morning and it wasn't a total disaster! A lot of bubbles unfortunately and not the pretty drop swirl I had planned but really not half Bad and smells amazing!!

 

[Babyshoes]

That's still quite pretty. No one needs to know it wasn't planned!

 

[AliOop]

It's very pretty!

You said "a lot of bubbles unfortunately"? Did you mean NOT a lot of bubbles? If so, fresh CP soap generally doesn't lather very welll. Give it at least two weeks of curing time, and then start testing it weekly. Depending on your recipe, it should have better lather around 4-6 weeks. If it is a high lard, high butter, or high OO recipe, it might take a few months to lather well. Salt bars can take even longer.

 

[Shazzer]

It's very pretty!

You said "a lot of bubbles unfortunately"? Did you mean NOT a lot of bubbles? If so, fresh CP soap generally doesn't lather very welll. Give it at least two weeks of curing time, and then start testing it weekly. Depending on your recipe, it should have better lather around 4-6 weeks. If it is a high lard, high butter, or high OO recipe, it might take a few months to lather well. Salt bars can take even longer.

I meant air bubbles in the batter because it was so thick I couldn't bang them all out anymore :/