Help troubleshooting please

[SOR Sam]

Hello,

I am working on making a good Castillo soap. It works well and it is nice and creamy. But the bars have developed a weird white layer. Can anyone give me some advide on what I am doing wrong? I used soapcalc to get the recipe right, then blended the heck out of it with an immersion blender. Seems to trace fine and came out of the mold looking good, but over the next 3 months, the white layer formed as shown in the picture. And also, what are the brown streaks?
i appreciate any guidance.

Regards,

Sam

 

[TheGecko]

That's soap ash. It won't hurt the soap...just plane it off later.

 

[SOR Sam]

How do you avoid it?

 

[artemis]

How do you avoid it?

If you search the forum for soda ash, you will find lots of advice on this

 

[shunt2011]

It’s ash. It’s only cosmetic. You can wash it off or steam it off. Gelling your soap and keeping it covered until ready to cut will help.

 

[atiz]

Yes, there is a lot on the forum about this. But it is a merely cosmetic issue, so the soap should be good.

 

[TheGecko]

How do you avoid it?

After pouring my batter into the molds, I heavily spray the tops with 99% alcohol. Then I spray them a second time about an hour later.

 

[SOR Sam]

After pouring my batter into the molds, I heavily spray the tops with 99% alcohol. Then I spray them a second time about an hour later.

Thank you

 

[linne1gi]

Hello,

I am working on making a good Castillo soap. It works well and it is nice and creamy. But the bars have developed a weird white layer. Can anyone give me some advide on what I am doing wrong? I used soapcalc to get the recipe right, then blended the heck out of it with an immersion blender. Seems to trace fine and came out of the mold looking good, but over the next 3 months, the white layer formed as shown in the picture. And also, what are the brown streaks?
i appreciate any guidance.

Regards,

Sam
View attachment 48084View attachment 48084

Hello,

I am working on making a good Castillo soap. It works well and it is nice and creamy. But the bars have developed a weird white layer. Can anyone give me some advide on what I am doing wrong? I used soapcalc to get the recipe right, then blended the heck out of it with an immersion blender. Seems to trace fine and came out of the mold looking good, but over the next 3 months, the white layer formed as shown in the picture. And also, what are the brown streaks?
i appreciate any guidance.

Regards,

Sam
View attachment 48084View attachment 48084

Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is from the unreacted lye (NaOH) reacting with the carbon dioxide in the air (CO2). Ways to prevent it: 1-Lower your water, 2-Pour at a thicker trace, 3-Cover the soap until it has fully saponified, up to 48 hours.

 

[SOR Sam]

Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is from the unreacted lye (NaOH) reacting with the carbon dioxide in the air (CO2). Ways to prevent it: 1-Lower your water, 2-Pour at a thicker trace, 3-Cover the soap until it has fully saponified, up to 48 hours.

Thank you for the helpful reply! I will try the next batch this weekend. I am an olive oil producer and am trying to find a way to use my excess oil...

 

[linne1gi]

Thank you for the helpful reply! I will try the next batch this weekend. I am an olive oil producer and am trying to find a way to use my excess oil...

I’m jealous!