spongy soap help!!!

[misha]

hi just started making cold process and soap comes out sort of spongy it gets harder with time but after 2 weeks still spongy and it is really hard to get out of mould as it is soft

any idea what im doing wrong?

 

[kryse13]

my calendula bar did that, it had a lot of lard in it and I think that is what did it. It did harden but when I unmolded it (little too soon) it was very soft. Over a month later and its still kinda spongy but much much harder. Maybe it just needs some time...? hopefully someone with some more experience can comment. what was the recipe?

 

[Relle]

It would help if you posted your recipe and gave more information of how you went about making your soap. Details are needed to help.

 

[My Mountain Soaps]

It would help if you posted your recipe and gave more information of how you went about making your soap. Details are needed to help.

I agree, ingredients, amounts, and what temperature you soaped at are needed. All big factors

 

[misha]

sorry didnt think to put recipe
very new to this

I used
57g castor oil
227g coconut oil
625g olive oil
126g lye
345g distilled water

dont know temps I mixed at didnt know that would affect it

what temp do you suggest ?

and thanks in advance

 

[kryse13]

dont know temps I mixed at didnt know that would affect it

what temp do you suggest ?

I am new to this also so from what I understand is 95F -110F is the normal.

http://www.soap-making-resource.com/cold-process-soap-making.html

"Step 3. Now wait till both mixtures drop to the recommended temperature. Most soap recipes will indicate what temperature to mix the lye with the fats and oils, but remember that this part of the cold process soap making method is mostly subjective. As for me, I like to mix my solutions at around 95 degrees Fahrenheit for castile soap or any other all vegetable oil soap. Although I don't personally make soap with animal fats like tallow and lard, I hear that it is recommended that you combine your ingredients at a higher temperature somewhere around 110 degrees Fahrenheit for these ingredients. Experiment, once you are more experienced, but for the time being just follow whichever recipe you may be using."

 

[misha]

thanks Kryse13 I will try that see if that makes a diffrence

 

[kazmi]

I didn't plug your numbers into soapcal but it looks like you're using full water. It would be soft for awhile until some of the water has cured out of your soap. Do you gell your soap? I find when I gell a bastille soap that is at full water it unmolds a little easier.

 

[kikajess]

I put the ingredient amounts into SoapCalc.net and this is what it shows:

Castor Oil 6.27%
Coconot Oil (76) 24.97 %
Olive 68.76%

Hardness 31
Cleansing 17
Conditioning 65
Bubbly 22
Creamy 20
Iodine 66
INS 143

Water as percent of oil weight 38 %
Super Fat/Discount 5 %
Lye Concentration 26.868 %
Water : Lye Ratio 2.722:1​

Sadly, I don't have any experience between what the difference feels like between a bar with a hardness of 31 and a hardness of 54, so I can't really help much. But maybe a more experienced soul can use this info to help some.

I did have some cakey bars that were soft for a bit, and I think it was because they didn't gel and I took them out of the mold too soon, but that is just newbie guesses. I really have no idea. Sorry I couldn't help more!

 

[kryse13]

I did have some cakey bars that were soft for a bit, and I think it was because they didn't gel and I took them out of the mold too soon

Mine went through gel and they were spongey, maybe it was because they did not sit in the mold long enough. I know I unmolded too soon.

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[kryse13]

thanks Kryse13 I will try that see if that makes a diffrence

I think it may volcano if one is too high of temp for the otherr, can't remember which was which I will keep looking for the answer, but I think it will be ok as long as both are similar in temp. Or maybe I read something wrong and there is no danger, I don't know, but its stuck in my mind.

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[My Mountain Soaps]

with olive oil soaps i soap just under 110 degrees. But you have a very high percentage of olive oil in your recipe. I seldom do over 35%. maybe that is your issue.

 

[kryse13]

with olive oil soaps i soap just under 110 degrees. But you have a very high percentage of olive oil in your recipe. I seldom do over 35%. maybe that is your issue.

I had 20 % olive and 60% lard in mine

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[My Mountain Soaps]

with olive oil soaps i soap just under 110 degrees. But you have a very high percentage of olive oil in your recipe. I seldom do over 35%. maybe that is your issue.

this was meant for Misha
i ran your numbers as well as Kickajess, came up with the same ratios.

 

[kryse13]

this was meant for Misha
i ran your numbers as well as Kickajess, came up with the same ratios.

I'm sorry, I think the world revolves around me . Just kidding!

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[My Mountain Soaps]

I'm sorry, I think the world revolves around me . Just kidding!

Sent from my SGH-T589R using Soap Making mobile app

maybe if you start a new thread with your recipe and soap temp we can help. without confusion ha ha. i got confused for a second myself.

 

[kryse13]

maybe if you start a new thread with your recipe and soap temp we can help. without confusion ha ha. i got confused for a second myself.

Nah its ok, I would just like to put our combined experiences together to figure out the culprate!

Ill stop hijacking threads now

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[misha]

thanks for all the info guys it really helps