Milk soap went moldy....
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Your pictures aren't really clear, but from what I can tell, I really don't think it's mold ... it's soda ash.
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I think I would need more info about what and how this soap was made. If it was made straight, with no additives, then I would say something is up. DeeAnna is right though- the pictures are a little out of focus.
And also a recipe and process, please, including how old the soap is and so on
coffeetime
Well-Known Member
Did you do HP or CP? To me, that looks like your wheat germ oil didn't get blended in well enough and went rancid. It has an extremely short shelf life. The white looks like ash to me.
I did a CP here.
The parts with those funny spots and colour do have a weird smell.
So I cut away those parts and check again. The soap without the spots and colour still smell okay.
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coffeetime
Well-Known Member
I would still suspect the wheat germ oil. It will go rancid if not refrigerated all the time, so not something I would use in soap.
Also, if you made those on June 15, and did not wrap them, technically they are still curing.
coffeetime
Well-Known Member
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I have milk soap that is well over 2 years so I don't think that is the cause. I've never actually heard of CP soap molding before, I've also never seen anyone use wheatgerm either. I would tend to agree that its most likely from the wheatgerm.
I agree with it likely being the wheatgerm. I have milk soaps 4+ years old and have never had any soap go moldy like that. That's just strange.
kchaystack
Supporting Member
I also do not think there is any mold. I think it is DOS and some soda ash.
I could easily see the wheat germ going rancid -- this soap has something like 20% to 25% superfat, and that's a LOT.
The new batch of pics and the recipe make things clearer. The white stuff still looks like ash to me, but the ring of dark splotches on the bars does look like mold, since there are no additives like oatmeal or coffee grounds or whatever. Maybe it's a combination of high superfat + high-water recipe (25% lye concentration) + milk solids = bug food.
The new batch of pics and the recipe make things clearer. The white stuff still looks like ash to me, but the ring of dark splotches on the bars does look like mold, since there are no additives like oatmeal or coffee grounds or whatever. Maybe it's a combination of high superfat + high-water recipe (25% lye concentration) + milk solids = bug food.
I think she/he used wheat germ itself. Not the wheat germ oil. In that case, I'd say that's what's causing the mold/rancidity. Personally, I do think that is mold and not soda ash.
Waaaait, just read the title was "additional oils" my bad. Still, I've read that wheat germ (oil and itself) goes bad very very quickly if not stored properly.
Waaaait, just read the title was "additional oils" my bad. Still, I've read that wheat germ (oil and itself) goes bad very very quickly if not stored properly.
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Okay, so maybe I'm still confused and off base, but I saw the heading "additional oil" and saw "wheat germ" and "jojoba" right below that, so I assumed "wheat germ" was shorthand for "wheat germ oil".
I thought the same thing. But, since she put wheatgerm in the soap I can totally see that it may grow mold. I actually had some OMH where I put whole oats on top and a couple grew a bit of mold on them so had to chop their heads off...
