Soda ash

[not_ally]

I don’t know how I ended up on this video while on a youtube bing, but it is BB’s Anne Marie answering FAQs from viewers.

Almost all of it seemed very familiar, but she provided a long list of control factors for soda ash, so I (a) wanted to post them here for newbies and (b) ask if some of them (new to me) were well known to others. In order of her listing:

Preventing Soda Ash

• Cover with saran wrap w/plain topped loaves.
• Use thicker trace.
• Reduce water.
• Add sodium lactate.
• Add .5% beeswax
• Spray with 99% alcohol every 30 ms for first two hours after make.
• Force gel.

Dealing with soda ash:

• Use steamer
• Rub with pantyhose
• Use planer

Question: Have never heard of using beeswax or SL to prevent ash. Can anyone confirm that they help?

 

[Zing]

I routinely use sodium lactate and don't get soda ash -- BUT I'm not sure there is a causal relationship there. I add sodium lactate so that it firms up quicker so that I can unmold in 24 hours.

I got soda ash once using my loaf mold. Ever since, after pouring I spray once with alcohol, cover with plastic, then cardboard, then towels to gel. I haven't gotten soda ash since. I love Soap Queen but I'm not gonna muss around spraying alcohol every 30 minutes!

It's more common for me to get soda ash when using single cavity molds. I've learned to unmold after 5-7 days in order to prevent it.

And remember, it's just cosmetic.

 

[not_ally]

I don't get soda ash that often because I always CPOP and soap at 33% LC, but I really don't like it when it happens. I know it's just cosmetic, but a big part of the soaping fun for me is the swirl/design part, the ash just bothers me after all the work. I don't know why, I like some accidental effects like glycerin rivers, for example. I think it is the smudginess, it's hard to say "I meant it to come out that way" with ash I think I am going to follow your alcohol spray and covering with cardboard techniques before CPOPing, thanks @Zing.

 

[AliOop]

Besides using a high lye concentration (40% usually) and gelling on a heating pad, my best trick for preventing ash was born from @Zing's suggestion to leave cavity mold soaps covered in the mold for about a week. I thought about how to translate that to a loaf mold. That gave me the idea to cut my loaves as usual, but then quickly re-cover the whole loaf with the plastic wrap for a few days. This allows me to cut before the loaf gets too firm, while still limiting the air exposure that seems to be the primary factor (besides soaping cool) for ash on my soaps.

 

[Zuleika]

That gave me the idea to cut my loaves as usual, but then quickly re-cover the whole loaf with the plastic wrap for a few days.

@AliOop , do the cut bars stick to each other after you unwrap them after? This seems like a good idea! I realize my cut bars sometimes developed ash after a few days.

 

[AliOop]

@AliOop , do the cut bars stick to each other after you unwrap them after? This seems like a good idea! I realize my cut bars sometimes developed ash after a few days.

I haven’t had any problems with sticking. Due to my recipe and process (esp the low water), the bars are pretty firm when I cut them.

 

[Zing]

Besides using a high lye concentration (40% usually) and gelling on a heating pad, my best trick for preventing ash was born from @Zing's suggestion to leave cavity mold soaps covered in the mold for about a week. I thought about how to translate that to a loaf mold. That gave me the idea to cut my loaves as usual, but then quickly re-cover the whole loaf with the plastic wrap for a few days. This allows me to cut before the loaf gets too firm, while still limiting the air exposure that seems to be the primary factor (besides soaping cool) for ash on my soaps.

Ha ha. Thanks for the credit, but like most tips and tricks, I got them from the Forum!

 

[not_ally]

That gave me the idea to cut my loaves as usual, but then quickly re-cover the whole loaf with the plastic wrap for a few days.

I realize my cut bars sometimes developed ash after a few days.

Thanks, you guys! This made me realize that when I get ash it often is not instant. Going to try cutting and covering as well.

 

[VikingChick]

Besides using a high lye concentration (40% usually) and gelling on a heating pad, my best trick for preventing ash was born from @Zing's suggestion to leave cavity mold soaps covered in the mold for about a week. I thought about how to translate that to a loaf mold. That gave me the idea to cut my loaves as usual, but then quickly re-cover the whole loaf with the plastic wrap for a few days. This allows me to cut before the loaf gets too firm, while still limiting the air exposure that seems to be the primary factor (besides soaping cool) for ash on my soaps.

I’m going to try this next time I make soap. I get soda ash Every. Single. Time. Thanks, @AliOop!

 

[AliOop]

I’m going to try this next time I make soap. I get soda ash Every. Single. Time. Thanks, @AliOop!

That was pretty much me before I started doing this. I sometimes leave it covered for a week if it is a super-asher (anything with activated charcoal for instance). I hope it works for you!

 

[dmcgee5034]

I can attest to @AliOop process of covering cut bars with plastic wrap - it works! I’ve never had a sticking issue, either.

 

[Zuleika]

Wrapped up my cut bars! I misjudged the size of cling wrap both times so had to double wrap them. Sheesh.. It takes more cling wrap than I expected!

anything with activated charcoal for instance). I

Now I know why my charcoal bars have a grey "skin"! I though I wasn't wrapping the top properly.

 

[dmcgee5034]

The nice thing is that you can reuse that cling wrap again and again for covering bars. So at least it’s not one and done.

 

[curlycoat2]

I’m going to try this next time I make soap. I get soda ash Every. Single. Time. Thanks, @AliOop!

If you spray the top with water, wait 5 minutes and over spray with alcohol you will have a beautiful NO soda shiny top. Works perfectly.

 

[VikingChick]

If you spray the top with water, wait 5 minutes and over spray with alcohol you will have a beautiful NO soda shiny top. Works perfectly.

Interesting! Maybe I need to do a soda ash experiment!

 

[curlycoat2]

Interesting! Maybe I need to do a soda ash experiment!

I forgot to say let it dry without touching it - sorry about that but yes its well worth getting soda ash just to do this! Not my discovery - tikitikiboomboom1 on youtube found it years ago and it works every time for me.

 

[AliOop]

I forgot to say let it dry without touching it - sorry about that but yes its well worth getting soda ash just to do this! Not my discovery - tikitikiboomboom1 on youtube found it years ago and it works every time for me.

My soaps get a weird texture on top when I spray them with alcohol. I'll have to try spraying with water first as you suggested, and see if that makes a difference. Thanks!

 

[curlycoat2]

My soaps get a weird texture on top when I spray them with alcohol. I'll have to try spraying with water first as you suggested, and see if that makes a difference. Thanks!

Yes try it! Mine also get a weird look on the top if I dont do the water first but if I do water then alcohol and leave it to dry its shiny shiny and NO ash at all

 

[DeeAnna]

@AliOop , do the cut bars stick to each other after you unwrap them after? This seems like a good idea! I realize my cut bars sometimes developed ash after a few days.

If you're worried about the bars sticking together, you don't need to arrange them so they touch. That might be hard if you're using plastic wrap directly on the bars, but I can offer another possibility based on an experiment I've been doing for awhile now. I know this is a controversial method, but it seems to be working fine for me.

Backstory: I wanted to see if soap will cure properly in a more closed environment. My thought was to see if that might help the fragrance last longer, but I also think it probably reduces the chance of ash if you're having that problem.

What I did: I cut my bars when the soap was firm enough to cut, set the bars slightly apart in a container that had sides a bit higher than the bars are tall. I then covered the entire container with a very thin, lightweight plastic bag and tucked the open end of the bag under the container to seal.

The point of the container with higher sides is to keep the plastic bag from touching the tops of the bars. The thin plastic film isn't 100% impervious to water vapor, so I think that's another key point. The thin plastic bag still permits water to leave, but much more slowly.

I air out the inside of the bag 1-2 times a day for the first week or two. If I don't, the soap releases enough moisture so the interior of the bag gets damp. Don't want that.

After I confirm the bag interior is staying dry from one day to the next, I just leave the soap undisturbed in the closed environment to cure. I typically cure soap for a minimum of 6 weeks or more. I then package the bars and store them back in the closed container until they get used.

I've been using this "cure in a bag" method for a few years now. My subjective opinion is the fragrance does seem to stay stronger and last longer compared with soap bars cured in the open air. My last batch of "cure in a bag" bars is about 4 months old at the moment, and they look fine. I have seldom had a problem with ash even when curing in the open air, so I can't say if there's a marked difference there.

I also haven't monitored the weight loss of soap cured with this method and compared it to soap cured in the open air. I suppose I should do that in the interests of science, but I honestly don't care if the cure time takes awhile longer so knowing this hasn't been a priority for me.

Caution: I wouldn't recommend this "cure in a bag" method for any soap that has botanical stuff on or in the soap. That's especially true if you're using stuff like whole petals or buds or oatmeal flakes. This type of decoration needs to stay dry to reduce the chance of mold growth.

 

[Zuleika]

Just wanted to share my most recent ash soaps.

Interesting way this red clay soap developed ash randomly in the middle. It was already this way when I cut. So I'm just gonna roll with it.

This one I forgot to wrap after cutting. Developed what I like to call snowflakes of ash. Fits in with this ice blue theme so just nice.