Predictably ruined first batch

[Jasperoony]

Hi all I'm new to the forum and CP soap making.

Tonight i made my first batch and managed to mess it up predictably.

I was careful not to over mix as this seems to be what alot of people warn about for starters

I managed to get what I thought was a beautiful looking loaf with high Hope's for a lovely looking bar once cut a 4 colour drop swirl.

Heres where the problem comes in as I was standing back admiring my lovely work it came to me that I had not added any fragrance oil so back in to a container and oil added.

I ended up with a muddy grey bar that smells marginally better . So was there anything else i could have done to save it other than what i did? I mean I wasnt keen on scent less and I cant think of another way I could have done it.

So frustrating

 

[runnerchicki]

Hi all I'm new to the forum and CP soap making.

Tonight i made my first batch and managed to mess it up predictably.

I was careful not to over mix as this seems to be what alot of people warn about for starters

I managed to get what I thought was a beautiful looking loaf with high Hope's for a lovely looking bar once cut a 4 colour drop swirl.

Heres where the problem comes in as I was standing back admiring my lovely work it came to me that I had not added any fragrance oil so back in to a container and oil added.

I ended up with a muddy grey bar that smells marginally better . So was there anything else i could have done to save it other than what i did? I mean I wasnt keen on scent less and I cant think of another way I could have done it.

So frustrating

Don’t consider it a failure. It’s a learning experience. Everyone forgets to add FO at some point or other. The decision will be whether to have a beautiful unscented soap - or a muddied color and a lovely scent. No biggie. The important thing on the first batch is whether or not the soap came out well. Congrats on your first cp soap!

 

[Jasperoony]

Haha thank you but I fear I spoke too soon on the problem with the loaf as it now seems to be cracking on the top? More research requires I think

Thank you

 

[Obsidian]

Cracking means its getting hot. You can pop the mold in the fridge to cool it down.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

ooooooooooooo sorry to hear you forgot the scent--I still do that sometimes. I found that if I put the scent in front of the color I am using on the counter I don't forget. now I just need to remember to put it there . I have left the soap unscented and I have mixed the scent in after the coloring--I am choosing to leave unscented from now on . and Obsidian knows what she is talking about with the cracking--and its really not the soaps issue. I choose to look at mistakes as learning curves also. start your soaping experience trying not to beat yourself up for the goofs you might not be as disappointed after the cut

 

[cmzaha]

It is better to put the mold on a rack for better airflow and put a fan on it. It would be the addition of the fragrance that most likely caused the heating problem. Fans work better than the fridge for cooling down quickly. I have to force gel in mine and sometimes they become too hot, so I use the fan method.

BTW, even us experienced soapmakers sometimes forget the scent. I just leave it unscented. It can be shredded and made in confetti soaps, by adding shreds to a new batch of soap, you will end up with more shreds than you need so just save them for future soap batches. I always let the soaps, I do not want, cure for 4 weeks then shred them up. That way I can just pour them in a large ziplock bag.

 

[Jasperoony]

Thank you all for the replies and encouragement I'm a little confused though I thought that heat was not necessarily a problem and that soaping temps varies depending on individual preference

I used my lye water hot and melted my oils and such using that heat.

I have popped it in the fridge I don't have high hopes but may well try to salvage somewhat by making embeds out of it to put in another batch, waste not want not and all that

 

[Jasperoony]

Sorry cmzaha you must have responded as I was typing there so I should remove from the fridge and cool down with a fan? I'll have to try to dig one out

 

[Kathymzr]

I’m a beginner too. Forgot FO 2nd batch. Now I set it right out in front of me. It takes these things to get your own system set up. No worries!

 

[earlene]

I second the rack for cooling via airflow. Even without a fan, I have seen the cracking stop as soon as the loaf was put on a rack raised above the counter top. Of course it also depends on the ambient temperature in the room, too.

I add my fragrance to the oils at the start to avoid forgetting, as was suggested here by a few soapers who found it to be the best way to deal with the 'oops, I forgot the FO again!' problem. One suggestion was to put the FO (in the measuring container) in the empty mold so that it won't be forgotten, which would work, too because you can't miss it when you go to pour the soap. But for multiple colors already mixed, it might be a little late at that point.

 

[Dawni]

Thank you all for the replies and encouragement I'm a little confused though I thought that heat was not necessarily a problem and that soaping temps varies depending on individual preference

I used my lye water hot and melted my oils and such using that heat.

I have popped it in the fridge I don't have high hopes but may well try to salvage somewhat by making embeds out of it to put in another batch, waste not want not and all that

I don't think it's solely personal preference.....

For example, it'll be difficult to do swirls with a high coconut oil soap if you're soaping warmer, coz it'll thicken up faster than if you were soaping cooler.

There's also ambient temps.. If it's cool or warm in general also slightly affects things and there's also the temp the soap generates while it's saponifying. It's tricky lol not something I want to fiddle with, so I HP hehehe

 

[lucycat]

As a beginner I started printing my recipe for my soap and then checking off every item as I mixed my oils and set up my lye solution, fragrance. It helps on not forgetting something. Better, it was my place to write my notes on temps, color and design and anything else that I thought went well or not. This helped me a lot when I was new but I still do it after 15 years. It helps me be able to repeat the same soap and have the look the same and to be prepared for any issues that I had the first time.

 

[Becky1024]

Since you are a beginning soap maker, I suggest keeping your batches simple and small. Start out with a few oils / butters, no scent or color. After you get comfortable with that then you can start making more complicated and larger batches. I do something similar to lucycat with checking off the recipe to make sure I don't forget something. Also when I get ready to make a batch, I get out all my raw materials (the example I will use is olive oil) and put them on the counter top. After I measure out what olive oil I need, I move the bottle of olive oil from the counter to the table. So once all of my raw materials are measured out there shouldn't be anything left on the counter. Then when I am ready to mix the lye water into the oils / butters, I put the jars with fragrance, colors, etc. next to the mixing vessel so they are ready to add and not forgotten. When I am ready to pour the soap into the molds I visually check to make sure all the jars are empty.