Soap smells old?

[Jen74]

Hey all,

I made soap about three weeks ago ( hot process) using Palm kernel oil and palm oil basically as that is what my skin tolerates. Well I made it before and used the same exact ingredients. Well this time They have been curing for three weeks now and they have a stronger odor ( like an old oil smell is the best way I could describe it). The last soaps I had did not have such a strong odor. I do not add any fragrance to my soap because I am so sensitive. The only difference is that I made more this time around ( so made a bit more than usual so had to up the ingredients some. What could cause the stronger odor???

 

[AliOop]

Usually if it doesn't smell good, that means one of your oils was rancid, or that the soap may be getting DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots, or rancidity). Have the soaps been in the sunlight, in high heat, or in contact with any metal other than stainless steel?

Oh, and did you run the recipe back through the lye calculator when you upped the ingredients? That is always required because it doesn't always work just to multiply everything by 2, or 3.

 

[Anstarx]

The old oil smell is likely from either oil or soap overall went rancid. More description would be helpful such as what's your full recipe? How fresh are the oils? How did you store the soaps?
I had DOS spots, soap changing color on one side, but I also had soap that doesn't change color but oozing oil and smells like old oil. Some are from unstable oils like corn oil and some are from hot and humid environment.

 

[Jen74]

The recipe I used is as follows :
Water: 9.18 ounces
Lye: 4.52 ounces
oils: 32.00 ounces
This is from soapCalc.

The oils I use are Palm kernel oil and Palm oil since my skin tolerate that.

I have been curing them in my kitchen/dining room( we have the open concept). We have the AC on most of the time since it is summer here. I am not sure what could have made them smell this way. I did run it through the lye calculator when we changed the recipe too. I mean the oils smelled okay when we got them and the date was good. I cannot figure this out. What should I do to ensure this does not happen again. There are no orange spots on the soap at all. They look okay. I wonder if the palm oil just has that smell?? It just seems much stronger than before. How do you know if the oils are rancid? Not sure if I should try using this or toss it...?? Where is the best place to store them when they are curing? I left them in the open so they could cure better. Should I cover them?? I had my husband wash his hands with a bar of the soap. It did Not leave any odor on his hands. I am not sure what to think.

 

[Arimara]

Did you use distilled water? If not, what liquid did you use?

 

[Jen74]

Did you use distilled water? If not, what liquid did you use?

Yes, I used Distilled water...

 

[shunt2011]

What are you curing them on?

 

[Jen74]

What are you curing them on?

I have them sitting on a large serving plate (porcelain).

 

[Anstarx]

I wonder if it could be the smell of PKO itself? From your description it sounds like you used 100% PKO. I hadn't use PKO in that amount before but I've made Coconut 100% soap. There was one batch that just smelled like raw soap batter at first, 4 weeks later it turned a funky wet socks smell so I just left in on the shelf. Another 3 months past and I grabbed, it smelled just like commercial soap.

 

[Jen74]

I wonder if it could be the smell of PKO itself? From your description it sounds like you used 100% PKO. I hadn't use PKO in that amount before but I've made Coconut 100% soap. There was one batch that just smelled like raw soap batter at first, 4 weeks later it turned a funky wet socks smell so I just left in on the shelf. Another 3 months past and I grabbed, it smelled just like commercial soap.

I was thinking maybe it was just the smell of the PKO too. It does have an odd smell to it. I am hoping it will calm down after a while. It is just odd that my last two batches did not smell so strong like this one. The first two batches did have a very mild smell, but this one is much stronger it seems.

 

[cmzaha]

The only thing I can think of is a temperature or cook time difference between the two batches. I use PKO, which I purchase in 5-gallon buckets in all my soaps and never notice an off smell. A few times I have been given bags of PKO Flakes which are fully hydrogenated and noticed a bit of a smell but nothing that came through finished soap. Both PKO and Palm Oil have very long shelf lives, so I doubt the soap is going rancid. If you had it sitting on a metal rack I would say maybe. Might I suggest making a small batch of cp with the same batch of palm and pko to test if you get the same smell? Just do not overheat the palm and pko. CP is not hard to make, but will trace faster than a soap batter made with some liquid oils, but since you are not coloring or adding in fragrance it will work. Other than heat difference I have no answers.

 

[Jen74]

The only thing I can think of is a temperature or cook time difference between the two batches. I use PKO, which I purchase in 5-gallon buckets in all my soaps and never notice an off smell. A few times I have been given bags of PKO Flakes which are fully hydrogenated and noticed a bit of a smell but nothing that came through finished soap. Both PKO and Palm Oil have very long shelf lives, so I doubt the soap is going rancid. If you had it sitting on a metal rack I would say maybe. Might I suggest making a small batch of cp with the same batch of palm and pko to test if you get the same smell? Just do not overheat the palm and pko. CP is not hard to make, but will trace faster than a soap batter made with some liquid oils, but since you are not coloring or adding in fragrance it will work. Other than heat difference I have no answers.

Yes, I thought about doing this. It is just odd because the only thing I did different this time around was I upped the recipe and made more at one time. I did use the soapCalc though so used the right amount of ingredients. I have been making HP soap so far( this is where you cook it for several minutes right)? I did it this way the last two times and everything was fine. Just this last time I made more than I normally do. I might do as you suggested and make a small batch like I did the first two times of CP and make one with HP and see what happens. I am not sure if it is safe to use the soap that has the odor or not?

 

[penelopejane]

By the time it has cured you’ll know if it is just the scent of the PKO or if it is DOS.
If cmzaha is right then it will be fine to use regardless of the scent, which might have abated a bit anyway, after a good cure.