Olive Oil Soap Question

[FSowers]

I made soap Sunday.
Used the following.

Palm 12 oz
Coconut 10 oz
Canolia 9.6 oz
Olive Oil 9.6 oz
Shea Butter 3.6 oz
Cocoa Butter 3.6 oz

3 oz -Vanilla Stablizer
TD - 3 Teaspoons
3 oz - Fragrance Oil

What ever lye/water the soap calc required.
5 % lye discount. No water discount.

The soap is very soft. Would this be caused by the Olive oil, and will it finally harden enough to cut?

I'm dying to cut this soap.

It has my whole house smelling so good.

Blackberry Grapefruit

 

[Guest]

Hi Faye!

I use high amounts of OO in all of my soaps and can usually cut within hours so I doubt it is that. I will say though that it takes longer for my soaps with the vanilla stabilizer to get hard.

Do you usually use full water?

 

[FSowers]

Marr, I don't discount water, because I don't know how.

Wish I did.

It seems to be harden up a little, but still soft.

I'll try to cut a end tonight and see how it goes.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Guest]

Why did you add 3 ounces of vanilla stabalizer?

Was that considered extra or did you include it as part of your total liquids?



If it was considered extra and not considered part of your total liquids that might be the problem. That's a lot extra for liquid and it will take awhile for that extra liquid to evaporate. Which would explain why it's still soft.

Was this done HP or CP (or RTCP)

 

[FSowers]

I added the VS as extra liquid, and it is CP.

Now that you mention that.

I didn't discount for the FO or VS, bet that's the problem.

It was just barely hard enough to cut, but still very, very, very soft on the inside.

Could you put it in a gas oven that stays warm and dry it out some?

I'm scared to touch it to even take pictures.

 

[Shani]

Did your batch gel? From my experience with certain recipes, if the soap does NOT gel, it will take a few extra days to harden up enough to cut. Also, judging from your recipe, you used around about 3lbs of base oils-not including your sodium hydroxide solution-adding 3 oz of fragrance seems fine but the additional 3 ozs of vanilla stabilizer may also be the cause of the soft soap. Give it a few days and maybe it will start to harden as the extra moisture evaporates...

HTH...
Shani

 

[Lane]

Marr, I don't discount water, because I don't know how.

Wish I did.

This site has helped me TONS when trying to figure out how to discount water!! http://www.rivercitysoaps.com/dwcp/watercalc.php

Generally a discounted solution would be around 34% to 38%. (most lye calcs set the solution strength at 30%) But discounting water can cause certain FO's to move FAST! I only use a discount if I am doing RTCP.

 

[Guest]

Yeah - I think it may be no gel and VS. I have a heck of a time getting gel with the VS. I do a 50/50 lye and water ratio too. If you were using 3 oz VS I am assuming you are also using 3oz of FO - so that's six extra oz of liquid right there.

To discount your water - you can use the discount lye option on soapcalc. just set it to 40% etc and it will tell you how much water to use.

Unless I am using a problem FO - I use equal parts lye and liquid. So I run my oils through the calc and get the lye amount. Then just use that same amount in liquid. You just have to be sure the lye is fully dissolved. I haven't had a problem with it unless using milk for my liquids. I am using more liquids when it's mostly milk now.

The 50/50 lye/water ratio really reduces the time the soap is in the mold and the cure time as far as water evaporation. I can use the soap in 11/2-2 weeks w/o worries as it is hard as a rock. I still like them better at 4 weeks and longer as far as gentleness to the skin. Getting them out of the mold within hours is a HUGE plus though. ALMOST instant gratification and it helps free up my molds.

 

[FSowers]

Lane: Thank you so much for that link, I believe it will help a lot.

Shani/Marr: I really don't know for sure if it went through Gel or not.

It got really warm under the towels.

Most of the time I can tell if it is gelling, but this time I don't remember, if it did.

And I am a looker.

 

[FSowers]

Pic of cut soap.......Blackberry Grapefruit......smells GREAT!

NOT great pictures.

Does TD make your soap look like this?

 

[Lane]

Wow, they look frosty! I use TD in almost every batch I do, I have never had my soaps look like this tho... Hmmmmmm

 

[Guest]

That looks like ash and is more common in some climates if the soap doesn't gel.

 

[FSowers]

I don't think it's ash, it looks more like little bitty pin holes all over, kind of like air bubbles maybe.

Like sponge?

 

[Guest]

Oh! It looks fuzzy in the pics. Weird!

 

[FSowers]

Yeah, I was trying to take a close up pic, and I think, I my have gotten too close.

I made some more soap last night, haven't gotten it out of the mold yet, but used the TD again.

Not sure if I like this stuff or not. The soap came out really white, but I'll see after I unmold, if it has the small holes also.

Could be putting it up for sale.

 

[Neil]

It looks like it just came out of the freezer. Very strange effect, I thought only I could get strange things to happen to soap. I love the scent you picked, did you mix it? or does it come blackberry Grapefruit.

 

[FSowers]

Neil, I didn't mix it. Bought it from Candles and Supplies.

It smells SO GOOD.

I made another batch tonight, and did 50/50. It seized on me big time,
after I put the fo in.

The soap fairies have landed at my house.

3rd batch in a row, that has messed up.

Question? Can you fix (re batch or something) a CP that has way too much TD in it.

I used 3 teaspoons per pound, and that was way too much.

I don't like how TD makes the soap look.

 

[Lane]

Wow... I use about 1tsp of TD for about 2 pounds of oil... I am very curious as to why your soaps are taking on this effect..

 

[FSowers]

I've come to the conclusion, that the pink one was to thin at trace, and I didn't bang it on the counter to get the air bubbles out.

The white one has way too much TD in it, but it doesn't have holes.
It is harder and denser.