First Ever Batch - What's the white layer?

[GreenDragon]

So I made my first ever batch of soap two weeks ago just as an experiment to see if I could make something useful out of used frying oil. The batch was 80% used peanut oil and 20% coconut oil, cold process. Unfortunately our hand mixer had died the week before so I hand stirred the batch for 45 minutes, first using a wood spoon, then switching to a whisk. Added some sandalwood and lemon EO, but there was still a detectable "frying oil" smell, so I used the nuclear option and added a good splash of Tea Tree Oil. I poured the batch into a bread pan I had lined with parchment paper. After two weeks of curing I can't detect any fry smell and it has a pleasant Tea Tree odor.

My question is, after the first week the top 1 millimeter of the bars turned white. Any ideas?

(Ignore the orange spots - on a whim I tried to add some orange gel food coloring to brighten the color up, but it just broke into globs and never mixed in. Added some turmeric instead and got a neat tan color.)

 

[earlene]

Soda ash most likely. Does it wash off with water?

 

[cmzaha]

Probably ash. You need to line the rack you have your soap sitting on, or you may end up getting spots of dos. I line all racks my soaps sit on, even long cured soaps.

 

[Kittish]

Congratulations on your soap! I hope it turns out to be a nice one. Do you know about zap testing? Have you done so yet? It's a great idea to learn how to do so safely (see the sticky thread here about how- http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=63199).

If your coating rubs off easily with water, then soda ash. If it's waxy feeling and doesn't come off easy, it's probably soap (still usually called soda ash, though, even though it isn't). These first two issues are purely cosmetic, they don't affect the using the soap. If it's really hard and very crumbly, be careful, it might be lye. Doubt it's lye, though, looks like it cut cleanly.

 

[ibct1969]

Nice soap! I love the color! I think it may be soda ash as well. Google that and you'll find lots of information about it (how to prevent it, how to clean it off etc). Also, if you haven't watched some videos about basic soap making, I'd encourage you to do that too Have fun!

 

[lenarenee]

Just a note; if you test the soda ash theory by rinsing with water...some soda ash is thick or stubborn enough that it won't rinse completely off the first - or even second time.

 

[penelopejane]

My question is, after the first week the top 1 millimeter of the bars turned white. Any ideas?

If you have a steam iron it will get rid of the ash.

You can prevent it by spraying your soap with isopropyl alcohol and covering your soap in the mold for 18-24 hours.

 

[kchaystack]

You can prevent it by spraying your soap with isopropyl alcohol and covering your soap in the mold for 18-24 hours.

This is not a 100% foolproof method for preventing ash. Several people on the forum, myself included have had this not work.

 

[GreenDragon]

Thanks Everyone

Thank you all for your replies. Definitely soda ash - rinsed right off. Used it in the bath last night and proved to be a great bar of soap. Not very bubbly but cleaned well and didn't dry my skin out, so I'm pretty happy with it. And I love the Tea Tree Oil smell.

 

[BattleGnome]

Your soap is still super young. 4-6 weeks is generally the shortest amount of time anyone will suggest to cure (I know how super hard it is to wait). There's just something magical about the changes a bar of soap goes through during a cure. The small amount of bubbles you have now may grow in a few weeks. Hold off the rest of the batch (if you can) and evaluate later. If you have super patience, wait even longer and try a bar at 6 months. It's magic I tell ya!

 

[Kittish]

What BattleGnome said. Don't be surprised if this first bar vanishes pretty quick in the bath.

And keep notes! Make good notes about how the soap feels now, and how long this first bar lasts. Follow up for bars in the batch that get to cure longer, all the way up to the end of the batch if you can. You'll be able to go back and see just how the soap changes over time. Also keep a note of the recipe you used, and the actual amounts of each ingredient that you weigh out, including water and lye.

And congrats on your batch!