Honey Spots

[jblaney]

I never soap with honey, but I thought I would make a loaf for my parents. I have read on this forum about the spots and how to prevent them...after I made the stupid soap. I did read to put the warm honey in at light trace and this is exactly what I did. I can't find anything that says how the soap will perform. Will it have hard bits of honey in it and be abrasive? Will the soap be a sticky mess? They are very tiny orange spots over the entire soap. I may toss the whole thing if that is the case since my parents are SUPER picky and will not like it. I'm so annoyed right now....

 

[IrishLass]

Please don't toss it! The honey spots are nothing to worry about. Unsightly though they may be, they are harmless and won't cause abrasions or anything like that. I used to get them all the time until I started adding my honey to my cooled lye solution (a tip from a fellow soaper named Soapbuddy). For what it's worth, my honey-spotted soaps never became sticky messes or anything like that, and they performed just as wonderfully as my non-spotted soaps do- smooth, bubbly and hydrating. I love honey in soap.


IrishLass

 

[jblaney]

Thank you Irishlass! I can always count on you for a quick informative response.

I'm so glad it's not going to be weird or anything. I don't mind the look of it at all, just did not want any problems with performance. It took about 2 years before my parents actually started to ask for my soap and I don't want them to be turned off by it.

 

[candicec003]

Please don't toss it! The honey spots are nothing to worry about. Unsightly though they may be, they are harmless and won't cause abrasions or anything like that. I used to get them all the time until I started adding my honey to my cooled lye solution (a tip from a fellow soaper named Soapbuddy). For what it's worth, my honey-spotted soaps never became sticky messes or anything like that, and they performed just as wonderfully as my non-spotted soaps do- smooth, bubbly and hydrating. I love honey in soap.


IrishLass

I am researching honey soaps. I was going to just add honey to a bit of warm water to mix and then add it to my soap at light trace. But now I've been reading about honey spots and I don't want those. So adding honey to room temp lye solution is a way to avoid this? Does it still accelerate trace if you add it this way?

 

[Todd Ziegler]

You might consider using honey powder. I use it and stick blend it in to my hot oils.

 

[Catscankim]

Please don't toss it! The honey spots are nothing to worry about. Unsightly though they may be, they are harmless and won't cause abrasions or anything like that. I used to get them all the time until I started adding my honey to my cooled lye solution (a tip from a fellow soaper named Soapbuddy). For what it's worth, my honey-spotted soaps never became sticky messes or anything like that, and they performed just as wonderfully as my non-spotted soaps do- smooth, bubbly and hydrating. I love honey in soap.


IrishLass

I have made several batches with honey using this process...learned from here, so i guess its SoapBuddy’s technique. I have never had spots, and tbh i never even knew that honey spots was a thing until this post.

Can someone post a picture of what it looks like? Do they resemble DOS?

 

[AliOop]

Honey speckles, in all their glory. Bonus: what happens to soap by removing it from intricate cavity molds before learning the freezer trick, ha!

 

[Catscankim]

Honey speckles, in all their glory. Bonus: what happens to soap by removing it from intricate cavity molds before learning the freezer trick, ha!

View attachment 50253

So is that pure honey in those spots?

 

[AliOop]

Yup. Besides all the smaller specks throughout the bars, that particular bar had the biggest honey spot on the side. The reason I have a picture of it was that I emailed Ashlee Green of Ultimate Guide to Soap to ask her if this was safe to use (it was one of my first tries at HTFHP). She said yes, don't worry about it, and she was right. But that one bar with the particularly big honey splotch on the side did attract fruit flies.

ETA: I guess some of those spots could have been mistaken for DOS. But they showed up immediately as the soap cooled, whereas DOS usually takes at least a couple of weeks. I did have a batch once that went DOS-ey within days, or maybe even hours? It's been a long time so it is hard to remember. I had intentionally used rancid oil under the mistaken belief that the lye and the cooking (it was HP) would cancel out the rancidity. That's how I first learned about DOS, when I asked in a soap group, "What are these spots?"

 

[Catscankim]

Yup. Besides all the smaller specks throughout the bars, that particular bar had the biggest honey spot on the side. The reason I have a picture of it was that I emailed Ashlee Green of Ultimate Guide to Soap to ask her if this was safe to use. She said yes, don't worry about it, and she was right. But that one bar with the particularly big honey splotch on the side did attract fruit flies.

ETA: I guess some of those spots could have been mistaken for DOS. But they showed up immediately as the soap cooled, whereas DOS usually takes at least a couple of weeks. I did have a batch once that went DOS-ey within days, or maybe even hours? It's been a long time so it is hard to remember. I had intentionally used rancid oil under the mistaken belief that the lye and the cooking (it was HP) would cancel out the rancidity. That's how I first learned about DOS, when I asked in a soap group, "What are these spots?"

If thats pure honey, you can probably use that as some sort of label appeal .

also i have those placemats in green and black. Dont throw them in the washer lol

 

[AliOop]

@Catscankim Lemme guess.... you now have some tie-dyed green and black undies

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I was going to just add honey to a bit of warm water to mix and then add it to my soap at light trace.

I know "Soapbuddy" and "Bunny" from the first forum I ever joined in 2004. Great mentors! I mentioned Bunny because she taught me to warm 1 tablespoon of honey to a tablespoon of water and add it after the cook (HP). I still do that to this day except that, for CP, I add it to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution. Works for me. Like all heaters, it accelerates trace.

@AliOop That soap looks delicious! I want to eat it!

 

[IrishLass]

I know "Soapbuddy" and "Bunny" from the first forum I ever joined in 2004. Great mentors! I mentioned Bunny because she taught me to warm 1 tablespoon of honey to a tablespoon of water and add it after the cook (HP). I still do that to this day except that, for CP, I add it to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution. Works for me. Like all heaters, it accelerates trace.

@AliOop That soap looks delicious! I want to eat it!

I remember Bunny, too! Wonderful mentor!


IrishLass

 

[MommaSoaper]

Hi all, I'm a little confused about adding water to honey and then adding at trace. Does that mean I'd lessen water in lye solution since I'm adding water to the honey too? Or is it such a small amount of water that it doesn't affect anything? I've been adding honey to batter and mixing it but I don't think it's fully incorporating as I've had a few soaps with brown spots. Thank you all for help!

 

[Deadgroovy]

I make a beeswax and honey soap, I heat the honey with the beeswax in a pot in a pan of boiling water the add it to the hot oils. Never had any problems. Just got to watch while it's gelling and get ready to put in the fridge .... it gets hot!!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Hi all, I'm a little confused about adding water to honey and then adding at trace. Does that mean I'd lessen water in lye solution since I'm adding water to the honey too? Or is it such a small amount of water that it doesn't affect anything?

Yes. Any time you add liquid to the batch, you need to deduct that amount from the water used to make the lye solution, altho you can likely get by just fine if it's a small amount and you discount the water to make the lye solution. (Clear as mud, eh? LOL) Instead of adding at trace (CP) or at the end of the cook (HP) you can try addiing it to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution, stir/SB for one full minute to make sure it's fully incorproated.

TIP: When you have a moment, please go to the Introduction Forum and tell us as much as you care to share about yourself, but especially about your soap making experience. This will help us to help you when questions or problems arise.

 

[MommaSoaper]

Yes. Any time you add liquid to the batch, you need to deduct that amount from the water used to make the lye solution, altho you can likely get by just fine if it's a small amount and you discount the water to make the lye solution. (Clear as mud, eh? LOL) Instead of adding at trace (CP) or at the end of the cook (HP) you can try addiing it to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution, stir/SB for one full minute to make sure it's fully incorproated.

TIP: When you have a moment, please go to the Introduction Forum and tell us as much as you care to share about yourself, but especially about your soap making experience. This will help us to help you when questions or problems arise.

Thank you for your feedback I'm going to try what you said and add honey water to the oils before the lye and see how that turns out. So far it hasn't been a huge issue but I'd like to avoid spotted bars if possible. Will look for the Introduction forum too Thank you!!!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

You're welcome.