SOS! Help! Batter going to thick trace in record time!

[linne1gi]

LOL, how funny, I just cut it and while its not what I wanted its not as awful as I had expected. Its hard to see the difference in the colors, but one is indigo and the other is midnight blue. I think it would have been super cool had I correctly done the design. But its not the ugliest soap I've ever made!





So, I kinda use three different types of olive oil. I have extra virgin o/o (the cheapest from wal-mart) and I try to use that for darker colored soap. I used Bertoli extra light o/o for when I really, really want the soap to be a brighter color. I also bought just regular o/o from foodmaxx, because its so much less expensive than the Bertoli and the color is only a little darker, and much lighter than the extra virgin o/o. I think they are all 100% o/o, but I'm not sure what pumice olive oil is or how I would tell? Thanks for the tip though, if I ever know I have o/o pumice I'll have an idea what to expect!

There are 3 pressings of the Olive. 1st is extra virgin olive oil, very green, best used for salad, 2nd is refined, yellow olive oil, great in soap, cheap and readily available, 3rd is Pomace, the dregs of the olive, chemically extracted (with Hexane, I believe), some of the Hexane remains in the oil which is why it traces so fast.

 

[TheGecko]

What am I doing wrong?

Could be any number of things or just the weather.

3 oz is a lot of FO for 35 oz of oils. General convention is 1 oz PPO. I couldn't find Bamboo Mint in BB FO Calculator...older FO? I did find Bamboo and it accelerates. The calculator for Baby's Breath says 1.75 oz for a 'strong' scent. And if you check the Reviews...last month someone posted that their batter went from emulsion to medium trace.

My Rule of Thumb is to make a test batch (1 lb) of any new scent regardless of what the supplier or reviews say because every recipe is different. The two times I didn't...I got pudding. I have two 4" Square Molds that I use for this purpose...I need to get a 6" Slab Mold too.

If you have had previous success soaping at 90F, then it's most likely the FO and not the temperature. There is also that it could be reacting to an ingredient. I have a FO that I cannot use with my Regular Soap recipe, but I can with my Goat Milk Soap. The two differences between the soaps, outside of the liquid, is Cocoa Butter; I don't think the FO likes it. And it just happens to be one of the two I didn't test before a bought a 16 oz bottle of it, but once it's gone, I won't be buying it again.

One of the things you have to realize about the majority of soapers on YT is that they are making large batches...3lbs or more. While they may only be showing a 10" or 2lb mold ON camera, they often have a second mold off to the side. And don't stress that you didn't notice...I did the same thing. I made a LOT of pudding until someone turned the light on upstairs. Now days, I rarely use my stick blender when it comes to small batches or if I am making GMS and that's because I don't add colorants. Unless I am making a single color soap with Micas, I disperse all my colorants so I can use a whisk.

In addition to soap making I knit. One of the recommendations is that when you have lost your mojo or are frustrated with large or complex project...knit something simple and small...like dish or wash cloth or a simple hat or cowl. So make some plain soap. No scent, no colorants...just you and your recipe enjoying each other's company...playing around. For all the colorants and scents and fancy swirls...there is just something about a basic bar of soap...I have one sitting on my desk right now. And I have a bar of what my daughter calls my 'grandma' soap. Pastel Pink, Rose scent, made from a cavity mold with roses on it. It's perfection.

 

[rdc1978]

Thank you both - those were such insightful and interesting posts. I had no idea about the three pressings of olive oil! you're like a human google! And for the gecko, thanks so much for looking that stuff up, I can sometimes get ahead of myself and not read all the reviews for a fragrance oil...I just want to buy, sniff, soap and swirl!! So, I'll just trust that when the company says the oil "behaves perfectly" in CP, that it does, but that may not be the case, so its best to read the reviews and proceed with caution. I purchased the bamboo mint a while back and I guess brambleberry discontinued the fragrance. While kinda stinks because even if it was difficult, it was a wonderful scent that is universally loved by my family and friends.

Funny enough, you all gave me such confidence that I brought a bar of the soap to Yosemite for a family weekend and everyone LOOOOOVED the look! So thanks to everyone who told me to stop being a ninny (in much kinder words)

 

[linne1gi]

Thank you both - those were such insightful and interesting posts. I had no idea about the three pressings of olive oil! you're like a human google! And for the gecko, thanks so much for looking that stuff up, I can sometimes get ahead of myself and not read all the reviews for a fragrance oil...I just want to buy, sniff, soap and swirl!! So, I'll just trust that when the company says the oil "behaves perfectly" in CP, that it does, but that may not be the case, so its best to read the reviews and proceed with caution. I purchased the bamboo mint a while back and I guess brambleberry discontinued the fragrance. While kinda stinks because even if it was difficult, it was a wonderful scent that is universally loved by my family and friends.

Funny enough, you all gave me such confidence that I brought a bar of the soap to Yosemite for a family weekend and everyone LOOOOOVED the look! So thanks to everyone who told me to stop being a ninny (in much kinder words)

What a lovely response.

 

[TheGecko]

I purchased the bamboo mint a while back and I guess brambleberry discontinued the fragrance. While kinda stinks because even if it was difficult, it was a wonderful scent that is universally loved by my family and friends.

You could try the Bamboo and mix a little of some kind of 'mint' with it.

 

[rdc1978]

You could try the Bamboo and mix a little of some kind of 'mint' with it.

Thats what the sales rep at BB suggested, and its an excellent idea, so thank you!

I think you all are right and its the f/o. I tried again, removed all the bells and whistles and soaped at 90 degrees. Still had significant acceleration. I think there may have been a change in the formulation between the first time I purchased the fragrance and the second time because the very first time I used it it was pretty well behaved. Oh well! You live, you learn, you soap! ha ha.

Thank you everyone so much for everything!

 

[TheGecko]

Thats what the sales rep at BB suggested, and its an excellent idea, so thank you!

I think you all are right and its the f/o. I tried again, removed all the bells and whistles and soaped at 90 degrees. Still had significant acceleration. I think there may have been a change in the formulation between the first time I purchased the fragrance and the second time because the very first time I used it it was pretty well behaved. Oh well! You live, you learn, you soap! ha ha.

Thank you everyone so much for everything!

I have come to understand that what works well for some, doesn’t work well for all...hence only buying 1oz the first I use a new fragrance. The downside of course, is that you get something to die for and now you have to wait for the order comes in to make more. LOL