I'm a newbie soaper, but I would like to find out what causes a dud batch so I can avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
I made a scented bar of soap. I used 30% coconut oil, 40% olive oil, 10% shea butter, 20% coco butter, and vanilla spice FO at a 5% SF. When I added my FO, the soap more or less came apart. I continued to mix with a SB until it appeared to come back together and hit trace. I put it into my mold, covered with cardboard, and wrapped in a blanket. The next day I uncovered the mold and found the soap had separated. It looked something between applesauce and cottage cheese, and liquids were floating on top and had also soaked through the freezer paper liner. So, I dumped it into a big pot and tried to rebatch. Unfortunately, I'm getting the same result on the rebatch.
I had used the exact same recipe for two other batches on the same day (one chocolate/coffee scented and the other lavender) and both of those other batches have come out perfectly.
I'm guessing then, that this is an issue with the FO? I saw somewhere on here that someone mentioned they have similar issues when they use spicy fragrances. I've also read issues with "overheating", but have no idea what this means. The oils and lye are both mixed at 100 degrees and after poured into a mold, they are wrapped in a blanket. I typically leave them wrapped over night (so ~ 18-24hrs). I have found that if I unwrap them sooner, I wind up with soap that's lighter around the outside and darker in the center.
If anyone has had a similar experience, or can offer some help, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance!
P.S. Sorry I don't have photos, I didn't think to take any.
I made a scented bar of soap. I used 30% coconut oil, 40% olive oil, 10% shea butter, 20% coco butter, and vanilla spice FO at a 5% SF. When I added my FO, the soap more or less came apart. I continued to mix with a SB until it appeared to come back together and hit trace. I put it into my mold, covered with cardboard, and wrapped in a blanket. The next day I uncovered the mold and found the soap had separated. It looked something between applesauce and cottage cheese, and liquids were floating on top and had also soaked through the freezer paper liner. So, I dumped it into a big pot and tried to rebatch. Unfortunately, I'm getting the same result on the rebatch.
I had used the exact same recipe for two other batches on the same day (one chocolate/coffee scented and the other lavender) and both of those other batches have come out perfectly.
I'm guessing then, that this is an issue with the FO? I saw somewhere on here that someone mentioned they have similar issues when they use spicy fragrances. I've also read issues with "overheating", but have no idea what this means. The oils and lye are both mixed at 100 degrees and after poured into a mold, they are wrapped in a blanket. I typically leave them wrapped over night (so ~ 18-24hrs). I have found that if I unwrap them sooner, I wind up with soap that's lighter around the outside and darker in the center.
If anyone has had a similar experience, or can offer some help, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance!
P.S. Sorry I don't have photos, I didn't think to take any.
