Glycerin or...?

KatyP · Oct 8, 2015

I cut my lavender swirl soap yesterday. Now it appears to be "sweating". Any idea what this is? My thought is glycerin, but could it be lye or something else? I'm tempted to give it a zap test but that might not be the best idea.

My recipe is below, just in case that is the problem. I originally was going to use less EVOO and more Avocado, but I was short on that particular oil so I had to adjust.

CO 2.3 oz (6.44%)
Castor Oil 1.4 oz (3.92%)
EVOO 24.5 oz (68.63%)
Avocado Oil 7.5 oz (21.01%)

7% superfat
titanium dioxide
matte lavender oxide
lavender EO

DeeAnna · Oct 8, 2015

I would give it a few days and see what happens. Sometimes soap can weep droplets of liquid -- and yes they are sometimes very zappy! Don't touch unless you're wearing gloves -- just give it some time.

If the rack that your soap is resting on is metal, have you given some thought to putting the soap on something safer? Metal can sometimes trigger DOS (dreaded orange spots or rancidity). I always keep "naked" soap on well washed old cotton toweling. Others may have suggestions about what they use -- I know toweling isn't the only thing used.

KatyP · Oct 8, 2015

Thank you DeeAnna! The rack is metal (with a powder coat finish). I was actually wondering this morning if that would be an issue, but at the same time I wanted good air circulation. I suppose covering the rack with with a tea towel or cheesecloth would still allow some airflow (along with turning the bars). Thanks for the advice!

commoncenz · Oct 9, 2015

I use a powder coated metal rack to cure my soaps. I cover the racks with shelf liners like this:

k2-_1d735912-9ce9-4dca-83c8-f5a39ca9d971.v1.jpg

I get them at the Dollar Store (smaller size than shown), but they can be found at Walmart, Kmart, etc.

notapantsday · Oct 9, 2015

You could try to pick up some droplets and put them on a piece of aluminum foil. If it's (concentrated) lye, it will start bubbling after a while, although that doesn't necessarily happen with weaker lye.