Small bubble issues in CP soap

[Silvergraylub]

Hi everyone!

Im a beginner soaper and learning how to soap as a hobby.

Yesterday, i made my soap and i found
Tiny bubbles on thr surface of the soap when i cut it.

Can someone help me what is causing this?

I used CPOP method, mixed lye and oil at 120 degree, and used generic recipe from online that used 5% of shea and castor and coconut, palm and olive oils.

And btw, does using cpop method fades fragrance more than the regular method? I barely smell anything ..: ( (used .7 oz per lb of oil)

I wpuld really appreciate if anyone can share their experience and knowledge for this poor newbie!

Thank you so much!

Jamie

 

[Silvergraylub]

This is the issue! Thank you

 

[DeeAnna]

I know you said your fats and lye solution were at 120 F, but were the fats fully melted and clear? The spots look more like "stearic spots" than they look like air bubbles. The usual advice for stearic spots is to make sure your fats are fully melted and transparent. That doesn't necessarily mean heating the fats to a higher temp -- the solution may be to hold them at a given temperature for longer.

You do want to use more fragrance for cold process than for hot process, but it's also true that some scents just don't do well in soap, even if added at high amounts to CP or used in HP. You didn't say what scent you used, so it's hard to say more.

 

[Silvergraylub]

I know you said your fats and lye solution were at 120 F, but were the fats fully melted and clear? The spots look more like "stearic spots" than they look like air bubbles. The usual advice for stearic spots is to make sure your fats are fully melted and transparent.

You do want to use more fragrance for cold process than for hot process, but it's also true that some scents just don't do well in soap, even if added at high amounts to CP or used in HP. You didn't say what scent you used, so it's hard to say more.

Thank you so so much!

Im still learning to do so.

For my fat, i melted in the microwave and it was transparent.

At 140 degree, it was all melted then i cooled it to 120 ( maybe i rushed?)


I w>ll do more research for the term "stearic spots"!

I used strawberry fragrance and i barely smell anything. It was quite pricey oil and pretty sad. : (


Anyways thank you again!!

 

[DeeAnna]

I added this to my previous post after you replied -- "...That doesn't necessarily mean heating the fats to a higher temp -- the solution may be to hold them at a given temperature for longer. ..."

I can't say whether you rushed things. Maybe you did just fine. It's hard to say without being right there when you made the soap. With more experience, this problem may go away, although stearic spots happen from time to time with all of us. They're not dangerous -- just unsightly.

Okay we're getting closer on the scent issue. Different manufacturers make strawberry scents, and you cant assume one strawberry fragrance oil is the same as another. In particular, it's important to check if a specific product is labeled as suitable for soap or not.

If you bought the scent at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or another craft store, it's likely meant for use in things like potpourri, wax melts, or maybe melt-and-pour soap. Or it was so diluted in the bottle -- some scents are diluted already for use in reed diffusers, etc. Anyways, most scents from these stores aren't going work for lye soap like you're making. In the future, look carefully at the labels -- some scents are not skin safe, some scents are destroyed by contact with lye, and some have both problems.

 

[lsg]

It looks like air bubbles to me. Have you tried burping the bell of your stick blender before mixing? You might also try pouring the lye water down the body of your stick blender when adding it to the oils.

https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/avoid-pesky-air-bubbles

 

[Silvergraylub]

I see. Thank you so much!! Im glad i posted. At least if it os just cosmetic, i can still use it. Made too much using the generic amazon loaf mold

 

[Silvergraylub]

It looks like air bubbles to me. Have you tried burping the bell of your stick blender before mixing? You might also try pouring the lye water down the body of your stick blender when adding it to the oils.

https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/avoid-pesky-air-bubbles

I think i have both issues? I tried to tilt the stick ad got the bubble out but i did notice some bubbles when i was making it. But when i tapped the mold to the floor it seemed they are all gone. Maybe it could be trapped air pockets?

Sigh. Soapmaking is def harder than i thought it would be

Thank you for your advice!

 

[BubblingBrooke]

I'm a little new to soaping as well, spent all of 2020 researching, learning and experimenting. I cannot say for certain, but both previous posters have plausible scenarios - either air bubbles or stearic spots. I've had both in my soaps and they're still completely safe to use, just not pristine in appearance. I have not used a strawberry fragrance yet, and I don't CPOP all of my soaps, just ones that I really want to enhance the colors. I have only tried fragrances from Bramble Berry, Wholesale Supplies Plus and Aztec Candle and Soap Supply. I read all the notes the sites leave as well as reviews. I also keep detailed notes so I can leave my own reviews to help out others looking at those fragrances (I despise the "works good" reviews - details please!)

I Soap at about 80-85 degrees, I have four kids, one being a newborn so I have to prep my stuff then soap later in the day (or the next day sometimes) so it gets really cool. The only soaps that didn't hold their fragrance we're ones I knew I wasn't quite adding enough for their low scent profiles. Without knowing the source of the fragrance oil and the notes on it I can't really guess as to why - but I don't believe it would've been due to CPOP.

 

[Kamahido]

Thank you so so much!

Im still learning to do so.

For my fat, i melted in the microwave and it was transparent.

At 140 degree, it was all melted then i cooled it to 120 ( maybe i rushed?)


I w>ll do more research for the term "stearic spots"!

I used strawberry fragrance and i barely smell anything. It was quite pricey oil and pretty sad. : (


Anyways thank you again!!

Was the Strawberry Fragrance Oil Cold Process stable?

 

[Silvergraylub]

Was the Strawberry Fragrance Oil Cold Process stable?

I dont know exactly but i bought it from wholesales supply plus and the scent was
"Wild strawberry" : ( was very excited for my second soap project and failed miserably! Lol.

Thank you all for helping!
I was bit hesitant to ask here but veru glad i did!


Jamie

 

[BubblingBrooke]

Was the Strawberry Fragrance Oil Cold Process stable?

So I just checked the website on the fragrance notes and ideally it should've worked fine. However, out of the 11 reviews, only a couple people used it in cold process soap and one of them complained that the fragrance disappeared on then as well. No one else really had anything useful to say about it. The usage rates was listed at 4%

 

[Silvergraylub]

So I just checked the website on the fragrance notes and ideally it should've worked fine. However, out of the 11 reviews, only a couple people used it in cold process soap and one of them complained that the fragrance disappeared on then as well. No one else really had anything useful to say about it. The usage rates was listed at 4%

Thank you.
Ive also checked it and maybe it is not a strong scent after all

Lesson learned! Thank you!!

 

[BubblingBrooke]

Thank you.
Ive also checked it and maybe it is not a strong scent after all

Lesson learned! Thank you!!

Of course - I've learned the hard way to read reviews as well as the company's notes. Acceleration without expecting it can be alarming, especially as a noob