HP Embed Separated

[Anasia]

I've been doing hot process for some time now. I decided it was time to branch out and experiment with some embeds. The recipe for both the embed and base were the same except for the additives. One had Spirulina and Rosemary EO and was made 3 days in advanced. The main part of the soap had Lemongrass EO and Poppy Seeds.

I cut the Spirulina cylinder in 1/2, placed it at the bottom of my mold and then I unknowingly KILLED my soap. I spritz it with Alcohol thinking that it would help the old soap adhere to the new soap... WRONG! The very next day the soaps separated and had an obvious burn mark.

WHAT HAPPENED?!
I would love to make this soap again but do not wish to make the same mistake twice. How can I prevent this from happening again :?: Was it the alcohol? The Temperature? The Additives?

 

[Rowan]

I've never tried embeds in HP, but I've given it a go a few times in CP. I've found its better to drop the embeds in water briefly and then leave them to drain for 30 minutes before I use them. It makes the outside slightly sticky and this helps it stay together. I've also had a bit of difficulty with larger embeds sticking. It may be worth trying a recipe with harder oils, so there's not such a big difference between the softer new soap and older/harder embeds, which makes cutting them easier.

I love the smoothness of your white poppy seed soap. I've never had such smooth HP!

 

[Anasia]

I've never tried embeds in HP, but I've given it a go a few times in CP. I've found its better to drop the embeds in water briefly and then leave them to drain for 30 minutes before I use them. It makes the outside slightly sticky and this helps it stay together. I've also had a bit of difficulty with larger embeds sticking. It may be worth trying a recipe with harder oils, so there's not such a big difference between the softer new soap and older/harder embeds, which makes cutting them easier.

I love the smoothness of your white poppy seed soap. I've never had such smooth HP!

Thank you Rowan. I usually subtract 2oz of water from lye and dissolve 1tbs of white sugar at room temperature so that it doesn't caramelize. I add this to my 2lb base oils at the same time as my Lye Solution. It smooths out the end product w/o making it watery.

Maybe the sugar was the problem. roblem: I'll try the a harder soap base like you suggested. Grrrr. - Must find Solution.

 

[cmzaha]

I find that embeds do not stick well in hp, even if they do at first they will end up falling out when the soap is being used. Alcohol will not help. When I use embeds in cp I use fairly fresh soap embeds and I soap a little warmer than usual and this is one of the few times I gel my soap. I think it helps the embeds adhere better, but that is just my opinion and I do not fool around with a lot of embeds.

 

[Anasia]

I find that embeds do not stick well in hp, even if they do at first they will end up falling out when the soap is being used. Alcohol will not help. When I use embeds in cp I use fairly fresh soap embeds and I soap a little warmer than usual and this is one of the few times I gel my soap. I think it helps the embeds adhere better, but that is just my opinion and I do not fool around with a lot of embeds.

Thanks Carolyn,

I figured. It's no coincidence I don't see too many HP Soaps w/ embeds around. I can't even seem to find any web pages that discuss this topic.

I've seen ppl embed cubes in HP Soap w/ no problem. I guess the size of the embed has something to do w it.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyOcW1yl8SQ[/ame]

 

[Rowan]

Thanks for the tip with the sugar. I'm looking forward to trying it out. Your two tone brown and cream soap is really lovely.

Good luck with your embeds. If there is a solution then someone on here will know.