Soap overheated - 6 hrs later

[SoapDaddy70]

Have a question about overheating. I made my 4th batch of soap yesterday and was determined to get a light trace and mess around with some colors and swirls. Lowered my lye concentration to 30% from my last batch which was 35%. Barely used the stick blender because it is a small batch (794g of oils to make 2.5lbs soap). Had to stop myself from overblending because the last batch went from emulsion to thick trace much quicker than I thought it would. I poured 3 different colors into the mold and I was somewhere between emulsion and a light trace. I probably could have used one or two more bursts of the stick blender but I know I was at least at emulsion because I do a lot of cooking and know what an emulsifcation looks like. Wrapped it in a couple of kitchen towels and placed it into an insulated shopping bag that I used when I was delivering for Instacart. Had to go back to work so it was left unattended for a few hours. I got home and the piece of freezer paper I had put on top was very oily but there was no visible oil on top of the soap. Looked smooth enough and the mold was still pretty warm to the touch and this was 5 hours after it went into the mold. An hour later I peeked again and the top had cracked open slightly and when I grabbed the bottom of the mold it was very loose and gooey to the touch. Threw it in the freezer for about 20 minutes and then took it out and placed it in front of a fan. This morning it looks like it set up fine and now just has an ugly looking top in the center. My question is does trace have anything to do with overheating? I know the more water there is the lower the temperature needed to enter gel phase but I am wondering why it took so long for the crack to appear (almost 6 hours after being put in the mold). Was it all about the high water content? I did not think 30% lye concentration was too much water. Sorry for the long post. You guys are probably sick of reading my long winded posts but there is so much to learn and this forum is chock full of very intelligent people that I have already learned so much from.

 

[Misschief]

It would be helpful to know your recipe.

Some recipes will overheat much more readily than others (i.e. those containing milk or sugars). Sometimes, it's your mold. I had a batch of Oatmeal Milk & Honey that almost volcanoed, even though I had a fan blowing on it; it contained milk and honey and was in a wooden mold. It cracked badly enough and overheated in the center, which is now spongy and unsellable. It will be rebatched once my busy season is over.

I don't usually insulate soaps that contain milk or high sugars.

Trace has nothing to do with overheating. It has more to do with ingredients and insulation.

 

[shunt2011]

I’m thinking you over insulated the soap and it overheated. I gel and insulate all my soap. I use silicone lined wood molds and lay 2 halved towels over the top. I make mostly milk soaps. I do check on them but haven’t had any issues with overheating in years. Trace has nothing to so with overheating in my experience. Recipes can affect overheating as well. High Co or a lot of added sugars.

 

[TheGecko]

My question is does trace have anything to do with overheating?

No. As noted by @Misschief, it's all about the ingredients and outside influences on the saponification process. Of which, depending on your recipe, can take 18 to 24 hours. I make a goat milk soap. Milk is high in fat and sugars. After my first GMS disaster, I refrigerate my GMS during the Spring/Summer and just toss it in garage during the Fall/Winter. For my Regular Soap, I insulate during the Winter, light cover in the Spring and Fall and go nude during the Summer.

You guys are probably sick of reading my long winded posts but there is so much to learn and this forum is chock full of very intelligent people that I have already learned so much from.

Not all. Speaking for myself, the more questions asked, the more information provide, the better I am at helping you find solutions. And speaking of solutions...get thee some one pound molds and cavity molds. I use them all the time for testing new colorants, scents, techniques, additives, etc. It's a lot easier on the soul and the wallet to toss 16 oz of batter, than 50 oz.

 

[SoapDaddy70]

It would be helpful to know your recipe.

Some recipes will overheat much more readily than others (i.e. those containing milk or sugars). Sometimes, it's your mold. I had a batch of Oatmeal Milk & Honey that almost volcanoed, even though I had a fan blowing on it; it contained milk and honey and was in a wooden mold. It cracked badly enough and overheated in the center, which is now spongy and unsellable. It will be rebatched once my busy season is over.

I don't usually insulate soaps that contain milk or high sugars.

Trace has nothing to do with overheating. It has more to do with ingredients and insulation.

Sorry. Here is the recipe. Did not list it at first because it is pretty standard but here it is. Went in a Crafters Choice Silicone Mold 1501

Olive Oil - 40%
Coconut Oil - 30%
Cocoa Butter - 15&
Sweet Almond Oil - 5%
Castor Oil - 5%
Tamanu Oil - 5%

794g Total Oils

30% Lye Concentration
5% Superfat

Smell the Rainbow FO from Nurture Soap - 45g

3 different micas from Nurture Soap - Wild Strawberry Enviroglitter (Pinkish), Jam Session (Purple) and Love and Sunshine (Yellow)

 

[Misschief]

Your recipe doesn't scream overheating danger. My guess is you over insulated. If you want to make sure your soap goes through gel, preheat your oven to about 170F. When your soap is in the mold, turn the oven off and put your mold in the oven. Leave it there overnight (depending on when you make your soap). The ambient heat will help it go through the gel phase without overheating it.

For my regular soaps (no added milk or sugars), I insulate using two wooden boxes a friend made for me, one inverted over the other. They were intended to be used as molds but are far too thick (he used 1" particle board, or whatever it's called... heavy!) and way too big (my regular mold fits into the box with room to spare), lined with a small folded towel or face cloth. It's hard to explain the set up but it leaves my oven free, an important thing around here as we both love cooking/baking.

Edited to add pictures:

 

[cmzaha]

Everyone answered your question so I will just give an example as to how you can never trust soap to do what you want. I use a floral fragrance once from Natures Garden, sorry I cannot remember at the moment which one senior moment, but I knew it would heat up so I put it in the freezer to stop gel then moved it into the refrigerator for a day, It was well set when I un-molded the end of the second day and happened to put it on a crate lid until I got around to cutting it which I was going to do the next day. Well, later that night that miserable 6 lb block decided to go into gel. Good thing I had it sitting on a plastic lid that could catch all the mess. It ended up in a crockpot and got cooked. I remember I never used that miserable FO again.

 

[Dawni]

For my Regular Soap, I insulate during the Winter, light cover in the Spring and Fall and go nude during the Summer.

Sorry, I just had to. That sounds like peoples, not soaps lmao

OK back to overheating....

**still giggling**

 

[SoapDaddy70]

Just cut the loaf from the above post and it was very tacky but I am pretty sure it is ok. Did a zap test with some shavings and did not feel any zap. Here are the pics. Sorry to any mods if I should have started a new thread in the media section.