This might be a silly question...

FloridaSoaper · Jun 5, 2011

And certainly one that's been on here before. Anyways, I worked with a new FO last night - I was planning on splitting the batch and coloring 1/2 blue and the other green and then pouring into new individual molds that a friend gave me. Well...I poured the fragrance (which the website said would discolor and of course it did), and then within about 2-3 minutes I started getting a thicker, applesauce consistency. Now from all I've heard about ricing, acceleration, etc., I knew that I had to work fast...so I didn't end up coloring the soap, but instead got it all into the molds before it got too thick. I usually don't get gel when I use individual molds - the soap is just never hot enough and I don't have a cooler big enough to put all the individual mold trays into, so I just cover them with saran wrap and don't gel them, which is ok with me. But last night the soap was getting so hot in the molds that I stacked all 6 of them on top of each other and wrapped towels around them because at that point I didn't want partial gel. Gel was happening sooo fast. So those experience with misbehaving FO's...did I get ricing?? Is this acceleration?? Please help me know what happened with my soap. I've never seen pics of ricing, etc. Would this not have happened at all if I had hot processed it? I was too excited to try my new ind. molds or I would've just thrown it in my crock pot...but instead I didn't. Haven't checked on it this morning but know it will be fine. And for the record, the soap smelled amazing, like I'd made a cobbler - my family was loving it. Thanks for help in advance!

FloridaSoaper · Jun 5, 2011

Ok, so I just unstacked the molds and checked on the soap - now I don't know what to do! The soap is cold now of course, but under the saran wrap if you're holding a mold and tilting it side to side, there is FO (I think) moving between the cavities. Under the saran wrap it's all slimy from FO I think. I don't know what else it could be?? It's not safe to use with FO oozing from the soap is it? Do I need to rebatch this? I've never had a successful rebatch because the soap never seems to fully melt down? Please help somebody! I thought the soap would turn out just fine today. I only used .6ppo of FO, so I didn't use too much. Thanks again for reading all this! I really don't know what to do now....but feel it's not safe to just continue a cure. Am I right, do I need to rebatch?

agriffin · Jun 5, 2011

It souds like the FO did accelerate trace. Sometimes an FO can make your soap accelerate and gel right in your mixing container. It sounds like this is what happened. And since you insulated the molds I think what you got was overheating.

I would let the soap sit in the molds and see if it reabsorbs the oils. It "should" be okay. If it doesn't then I would toss them in the crockpot and rebatch.

LillaSyster · Jun 5, 2011

Which FO did you use? I am wondering because this same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. I was using a log mold though. Mine too looked like applesauce so I glopped it into the mold and hoped for the best. The next day it leaked oil.

AZ Soaper · Jun 5, 2011

Just let them cure. I bet the oil will reabsorb. The FO accelerated your trace. I always wait a few weeks before I rebatch or pitch. Alot of good things can happen during the cure. I have had REALLY bad batches turn out ok after they have set for a while.

busymakinsoap! · Jun 5, 2011

Was it applesauce as in the thickness, or applesauce as in lumpy?

If it was just thick then it accellerated, you just need to move really fast, and I would colour before I added the FO and dont plan on swirls.

If its lumpy this is ricing - try not to panick - sometimes you can stick blend the lumps out, I have to stress 'sometimes' though, it depends on the extent of the ricing. If it was 'apple sauce lumpy' it propably could have been saved.

In my experience any soap that has riced ends up with oozey and fo pools. Like Amanda said it *should* be ok to use. Do a zap test.

FloridaSoaper · Jun 5, 2011

Ok, so I will just let them cure some more, for a week or so. Should I just leave them in the individual molds or pull them out and lay them on a towel on my drying rack? Also, the texture was exactly like applesauce, thick, and lumpy. The FO I used was called spicy apples and peaches from soapsupplies.net. Would this have happened at all if I had HPed the FO instead? Also, this FO smells great and I'd love to use it again, if I added my colorant before and soaped around 90 and added the FO last, do you think I would still get oozing oil? And how do you tell if the soap is overheating? And is the oozing oil most likely FO? Anyways, I'll just leave them in the molds for now until I hear more from you guys. Thanks sooo much for giving me advice..and sorry for all the questions. I'm such a detail-oriented person. Thanks!