Gifting/donating soap with DOS

[Bree]

Hi there! I am still sort of a beginner, as I've been making soap for about a year now. Anyway, I have some soap that I think has some DOS. I say "think" because it's a darker colored soap, and the discoloration is not in the shapes of round dots. It's more of a general discoloration on the top that is a bit of an orange cast. I believe it's due to this particular batch not being stored correctly while curing. Anyway, my question is:

Isn't this soap still okay to use, in theory? I don't want to sell it since I believe it's started going rancid, but it still smells pretty good (maybe just less strong). I thought about donating it to those in need and also gifting it to family/friends that I could be transparent with and say that it was a learning curve batch and isn't 100% up to my standards. Is this weird? I just got the idea to donate to those in need that would appreciate a good soap to bathe with, but then part of me feels bad like I don't want it to be like "heres this rancid soap!" But I thought gifting and donating would be better than throwing away or letting it sit and get even more rancid. I'll reiterate that it doesn't stink or anything, I just don't want to chance selling it and giving my company/other soap makers a bad name.

Thanks!!

 

[Elise]

Can you cut the top of your soap to get rid of all the orange bits ? If so, I would say you could donate them (or at least I would feel comfortable doing so), but they are probably soaps to be used ASAP and not store for longer.

I should still mention that I have only soaped for a year and haven't seen DOS with my own eyes yet (nor smell it ) so I actually don't know how repulsing it is or if the soap become too different for being used normally. But just like you, I've read many times, here and on other places on the internet, that DOS is not dangerous to use.

 

[AliOop]

Can you post a picture of the soap, both the discolored spots and the non-discolored spots?

 

[Ephemerella]

I just got the idea to donate to those in need that would appreciate a good soap to bathe with, but then part of me feels bad like I don't want it to be like "heres this rancid soap!" But I thought gifting and donating would be better than throwing away or letting it sit and get even more rancid. I'll reiterate that it doesn't stink or anything, I just don't want to chance selling it and giving my company/other soap makers a bad name.

So, here's my opinion... all soapers, regardless of skill and knowledge... are ambassadors of "handmade soap".

Whether you sell what you make or give it away, all recipients can potentially judge the entire universe of handmade soap based on their single experience with you.

Think of it this way: Imagine you have never eaten a fresh blueberry in your life. Then someone, a family member or friend, gives you a fresh blueberry, and it's sour or mushy. Would you ever want to eat a fresh blueberry again? Would you ever reach into your pocket and spend your money on blueberries? Those who eat blueberries regularly know that blueberries, on the whole, shouldn't be judged by the odd sour one... but those who don't, simply don't.

There is always the possibility that someone can use a bar of questionable soap they received from a friend and their spouse (etc) will say "ugh, that smells weird", and then go to the office and be chatting with friends, someone went to a farmers market and bought soap and was raving about it, and this person says, "well, my spouse came home with some from a friend, and it smelled like old mushrooms and felt slimy..." everyone overhearing the conversation that have never used handmade soap might have their opinion colored

I either keep and use all my bad batches for myself, send them to Ecosoap Bank, or discard them. Full disclosure: The one time I had DOS, I discarded it.

 

[AliOop]

I agree @Ephemerella. I'm just not sure what they have is really DOS. It could be worth cutting off the tops and then waiting to see what happens with the rest of the bar before making the decision.

 

[2lilboots]

Toss it, lesson learned

 

[FrozenPeas]

Can you cut the top of your soap to get rid of all the orange bits ? If so, I would say you could donate them (or at least I would feel comfortable doing so), but they are probably soaps to be used ASAP and not store for longer.

I should still mention that I have only soaped for a year and haven't seen DOS with my own eyes yet (nor smell it ) so I actually don't know how repulsing it is or if the soap become too different for being used normally. But just like you, I've read many times, here and on other places on the internet, that DOS is not dangerous to use.

I make laundry soap out of scrap cp soap. No waste, clean clothes.

 

[cmzaha]

I make laundry soap out of scrap cp soap. No waste, clean clothes.

Not really true with superfatted soaps.

 

[Dee Jones]

Hi there! I am still sort of a beginner, as I've been making soap for about a year now. Anyway, I have some soap that I think has some DOS. I say "think" because it's a darker colored soap, and the discoloration is not in the shapes of round dots. It's more of a general discoloration on the top that is a bit of an orange cast. I believe it's due to this particular batch not being stored correctly while curing. Anyway, my question is:

Isn't this soap still okay to use, in theory? I don't want to sell it since I believe it's started going rancid, but it still smells pretty good (maybe just less strong). I thought about donating it to those in need and also gifting it to family/friends that I could be transparent with and say that it was a learning curve batch and isn't 100% up to my standards. Is this weird? I just got the idea to donate to those in need that would appreciate a good soap to bathe with, but then part of me feels bad like I don't want it to be like "heres this rancid soap!" But I thought gifting and donating would be better than throwing away or letting it sit and get even more rancid. I'll reiterate that it doesn't stink or anything, I just don't want to chance selling it and giving my company/other soap makers a bad name.

Thanks!!

Rancid is one thing. Less than optimal visual quality is another. If you really think it’s rancid throw it away.

 

[Becky1024]

If that happened to my soap, I would cut the tops off - if it is truly DOS it will continue to spread if you don't cut it off. I would donate most of it, but tell the charity to use it quickly. The rest I would save tor personal use. FYI ... I donate unsellable soap to my local food pantry. It's soap that is still good, but has problems like it crumbled when cut or is a poor seller and is getting old or DOS spots are starting to develop (but not rancid yet). They are always SO thankful. Many clients have skin problems and use the cheapest soap they can find. They also use the bars at the pantry by the sinks, which saves them a little money.

 

[Bree]

Thank you all for the replies. I will do a smell test again and make sure it doesnt smell bad. And we can use it up for our personal stash and I think I will cut the tops off a couple of bars as an expirement and see what happens. Maybe I'll keep a couple bars as is to observe over the next few months too. Thanks again!

Can you post a picture of the soap, both the discolored spots and the non-discolored spots?

I will try to snap a couple pictures and upload here if i can! Thank you!

 

[Zuleika]

I peel my soaps with DOS to see how deep the DOS goes then throw them. You would think DOS is on the surface but sometimes it can go inside the soap. I've used DOS soap for washing equipment and it just makes the whole experience icky since the foam smell rancid too.

I'll say if it smells, throw. Even without obvious orange spots, the whole bar could have deteriorated into early stages of rancidity.