Is this mould?

[bookworm]

I made a colourful batch of soap as favours for an Indian themed pre wedding function.
These were poured during the first week of November.Last week I placed them in plastic bags (it was 5 weeks cured by then) Today I went to heat seal and saw one lot has what looks like mold! Please advise. Is it mold and do I need to throw the purples out? I am so upset! And absolutely terrified that the others will turn out the same. The other colours look fine at the moment.I need to deliver in the next few days. I have never wrapped soap this quickly and usually wait at least 6 weeks before wrapping.

I use a 33% lye concentration.
I have used this fragrance before without issues.

Thank you so much

 

[KiwiMoose]

It does look like it doesn't it? Very hard to tell from the pictures. Can you scrape a bit off with your fingernail to determine colour and smell?

What was the recipe - in particular, did you use any additives than could cause mould? I don't like the idea of putting curing soap in plastic at all, although i know many people do. It does seem likely that if it is still losing water that the plastic would cause condensation, which in turn could cause mold.

 

[BWt]

Wowsa what gorgeous soaps! Agree with @KiwiMoose. Take a small wash cloth and gently rub off the area you think may be mold. Then smell the cloth away from the soap. Clear your sense of smell by smelling coffee if you have some.
Also consider viewing with a magnifier.

 

[lsg]

Could it just be soda ash?

 

[AliOop]

Did you use any botanical or food additives in the recipe? Also, what was your SF?

Probably best to give us the whole recipe including all additives.

 

[TheGecko]

Did you use Cocoa Butter? Sometimes cocoa butter can 'bloom'. Mold is typically 'fuzzy'...like a sweater is fuzzy.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Gorgeous soap! Do you still have the bag? I would smell that instead of the soap.

 

[bookworm]

Thank you everyone for your help.
I have attached the recipe , at 5% SF.As mentioned previously, the other colours are fine.I have used this recipe many times before.As well as this fragrance.I must add that the other colours have different fragrances , it makes me wonder if the fragrance is the problem here.I have used cocoa butter, same batch in all the colours.I used aloe powder X 200 diluted per ratio, and a little kaolin clay which I always use.The mold didn't look fuzzy, the soap and the bags smell fine. It's as though the spots are etched into the soap if that makes sense.I tried steaming them to see if it is soda ash. I'll check on them later today again.I have removed the other colours from the bags and will be just boxing them.

 

[AliOop]

Honestly, I've never seen mold on soap. I am sure it could happen if you had large bits of organic matter in the mix, but you don't.

Also, I've had bars get spots like this, and was pretty sure they were either soda ash, big stearic spots, silicone rash, cocoa bloom, or something harmless like that.

Speaking of silicone rash, do you see any spots on the flat bottoms of the bars, the parts that were originally facing up and not in contact with any surface of the mold?

 

[TheGecko]

Thank you everyone for your help.
I have attached the recipe , at 5% SF.As mentioned previously, the other colours are fine.I have used this recipe many times before.As well as this fragrance.I must add that the other colours have different fragrances , it makes me wonder if the fragrance is the problem here.I have used cocoa butter, same batch in all the colours.I used aloe powder X 200 diluted per ratio, and a little kaolin clay which I always use.The mold didn't look fuzzy, the soap and the bags smell fine. It's as though the spots are etched into the soap if that makes sense.I tried steaming them to see if it is soda ash. I'll check on them later today again.I have removed the other colours from the bags and will be just boxing them.

I see you are using Shea Butter...it often times needs to be tempered or it can bloom too.

Now whether I am making a batch from scratch or a master batch, I use residual heat to melt my Shea Butter. I typically melt my oils on the store...I start with my cocoa butter, then add palm and coconut oil and when they are mostly melted, I take the pan off the heat and add my shea butter in small chunks and occasionally stir while measuring out my soft oils.

 

[Dan9250]

I hope it is just a bloom and not mold, the soap is truly gorgeous.

 

[AliOop]

Yes, I should have said earlier, those soaps ARE truly gorgeous. You captured the Indian "feel" just perfectly with colors and accents. I don't think anyone will care about the spots, personally - my soaps often have stearic spots and no one complains (except me, and only to y'all here on SMF).

 

[Zing]

Just chiming in to say how beautiful these are. I've been zooming in and still not finding what you're talking about.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Just chiming in to say how beautiful these are. I've been zooming in and still not finding what you're talking about.

It's just the one in the first pic Zing. The other two pics are 'normal'.

 

[bookworm]

Hi all you kind caring sharing people,
Just appreciate your kindness souch , and have learnt a ton from this thread alone!

The spots appear to have disappeared or rather faded on some of the soaps after I steamed and dried them.

Some still have spots so I haven't packed the purples at all.
I don't think they are stereac spots , I've had those before.

I'm attaching the latest pic with one that still has spots and also the bottoms of some soap.
Thank you so much once again.

 

[AliOop]

Yup, definitely looks like soda ash to me. I get that often in my cavity molds unless I cover them quickly with cling wrap, and leave them covered in the mold for at least three days. That keeps them from contact with air until saponification is complete - which takes longer in cavity molds, probably due to the lesser amount of heat generated by the lower mass of soap in each cavity. What also helps for me is to gel them on a heating pad, but you could use an oven to CPOP if you prefer.

At this point, you could steam off those soap bottoms to remove some of that ash. But even if you don't, they look great as-is. The wedding guests will be delighted with these.

 

[Sandiebrown65]

I find if steaming doesn't remove the soda ash and it is in tricky corner parts of the soap then I use a paint brush and some alcohol to "brush" it off. Works like a charm.
Those are really stunning soaps!! The recipients will love them
My daughter is currently at an Indian wedding in Queensland. It goes for about a month!!! The photos so far are amazing.

 

[bookworm]

Thank you so much, will definitely give it a try.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Hey @bookworm - what I do with those cavity molds is tear off a piece of baking paper and sit it on top of the wet soap in the mold (you can smooth it across the tops so it gives and nice even finish) and then I cpop it. That stops the soda ash. i don't like cling wrap became it goes crinkly and y'know, more plastic...