Soap Volcanoes are NOT fun!

[adoptapitbull]

I was HPing a peanut butter soap today. Thought I'd try something new by adding the PB to my buttercream pie scented soap. In theory, that's great. In reality, it burns.

I got the soap to trace, then turned on the heat to very low and stepped away for a few minutes. Walked back out into the kitchen to a soap volcano. Boiling hot soap was spewing everywhere! Managed to shut off the gas and take the pot over to the sink, where it continued to boil over. Finally stirred it down and it was OK. I was able to save the soap that landed on the counter, stove, and sink. Only a small amount went onto the floor and burner, so thankfully I didn't waste much.

I suppose the extra sugar from the PB is what caused it to heat up that quickly. Usually it takes much longer to do anything, let alone boil over like that.

My hands were burning as I was doing the clean up, but they're fine now. I think it was more the heat of the soap than the lye. Can't even feel any burns right now unless I wash in hot water.

Just thought I'd let you all know how fast a volcano can happen and how it could be very dangerous. So, moral of the story, don't leave your pot!!

 

[Soaplady22]

Goodness!!

I actually hadn't ever thought of soaping peanut butter .... what a concept!! How much do you use PPO, just for curiosity's sake??

 

[adoptapitbull]

I couldn't tell ya, to be honest. I eyeballed a "glob" and mixed it in at trace.

I'm really liking the soap so far. It's only a few hours old but I already like the feel of it. Too bad there are so many people with peanut allergies or else it'd be my staple Christmas gift for this year.

 

[Mouse]

I got a CP soap volcano once, with Baby Rose oil..it was a bummer as I used a higher % of cocoa butter than I normally would, and used OO I had been infusing with rose petals for months
Peanut butter sounds sooo intriguing!! Never occurred to me to try it. I wonder if the smell would come through if you soaped it without another fragrance?

 

[judymoody]

What kind of PB did you use? Many are full of additives.

You might try straight PB from a health food store, the kind you grind from the peanuts on the spot. No sugars added.

 

[adoptapitbull]

No, the scent did not come through. It's OK, though, because I had a "Buttercream Pie" fragrance so it still smells and looks like pie.

I just used plain old store bought PB. Didn't want to spend a lot of cash on something that might flop anyway.

So far I love the feel of the soap. I just made it HP last night and it's very bubbly (though I use low CO because I find it drying on my skin) and the lather is very creamy.