What happened with my soap?

[NGSoaper]

Hi. Has anyone had this happen with soap before? Please see the attached picture. There was some soda ash on top even though I sprayed twice wth alcohol. The top part is white and in the middle, the color is a lighter circle. Here is my recipe:

10% Shea butter
20% coconut oil
30% olive oil (a bit of rice bran oil because I poured some by accident)
40% palm oil
10% super fat

I combined the lye and oils when their temps were in the low 130sF. It sat in the mold for 24 hours before cutting.

This is my 4th time making soap on my own and my other recipes did not look like this. Also, other batches have had tiny bubbles. There was foam after adding lye to the oils but even the batch that did not have that.

 

[lenarenee]

I can’t get a good look at the picture. But from what you describe, the soap may have just gelled in the center, not getting hot enough to teach the outside. Completely normal and safe to use if that is what happened.

As for the ash, alcohol has never done anything to prevent it for my recipes.

 

[Meena]

Yes, I can't see it that well, either, but looks like there's a partial gel. Not sure what the foam you saw was. Bubbles are fairly normal, especially with a KitchenAid stick blender .. like i have .. and firmly tapping the mold on your work surface is standard practice for removing air bubbles, but it doesn't always work for me. I get them too. Probably because my SB is adding SO Much air to my batter.

 

[NGSoaper]

Thanks for responding. Here is another picture that may look better

 

[NGSoaper]

I can’t get a good look at the picture. But from what you describe, the soap may have just gelled in the center, not getting hot enough to teach the outside. Completely normal and safe to use if that is what happened.

As for the ash, alcohol has never done anything to prevent it for my recipes.

That’s good to know that the alcohol doesn’t work for others. I’ll probably stop wasting my time using it and will clean the soap off with water, which I hear works.

 

[atiz]

Looks like partial gel to me too. (If it was me I would probably zap test both the lighter and the darker part just to make sure, but that might be over-caution.)

 

[NGSoaper]

Yes, I can't see it that well, either, but looks like there's a partial gel. Not sure what the foam you saw was. Bubbles are fairly normal, especially with a KitchenAid stick blender .. like i have .. and firmly tapping the mold on your work surface is standard practice for removing air bubbles, but it doesn't always work for me. I get them too. Probably because my SB is adding SO Much air to my batter.

I am also using a stick blender. It was an amazon.com bestseller. That’s good to know the bubbles are normal because I do not remember them the first two times I made soap

 

[Meena]

Thanks for responding. Here is another picture that may look better

If you'd like to try getting rid of that partial gel, here's a technique to try -- not that it's necessary, because it doesn't affect the soap, just the appearance.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[NGSoaper]

I see the partial gel, but there are three different shades of color. I always assumed partial to be two shades.

 

[lenarenee]

It's partial gel. (you may be looking at your soap with too critical an eye) Looks like there might be some stearic acid spots or in there as well - also nothing to worry about. As your soap cures, the partial gel will probably become less noticeable - even seeming to disappear.

 

[Meena]

I think you're just seeing gradients. No one replying has put forth any possibility other than partial gel, so I think you're safe to go with that.

 

[penelopejane]

If the white part is really hard it might have overheated a bit because mixing your lye and oils at 130*F is hot!
I soap hotter than a lot of people at about 110*F.

Try bringing your temp down a bit and insulating your mold after you have poured which will avoid partial gel.

I use alcohol and find it works for me to avoid ash.
But I do cover and insulate my molds as well.
I find it I pour at really light trace I tend to get ash in individual cavity molds even if I sprays

 

[shunt2011]

I like PJ find that alcohol does help with ash. The other thing that helps is keeping the soap covered until fully saponified and cooled down. The discoloration looks like partial gel to me also. I don't use individual molds too often and if I do only for salt bars as I get ash and sometimes really thick ash on them. Even covered.

 

[NGSoaper]

If the white part is really hard it might have overheated a bit because mixing your lye and oils at 130*F is hot!
I soap hotter than a lot of people at about 110*F.

Try bringing your temp down a bit and insulating your mold after you have poured which will avoid partial gel.

I use alcohol and find it works for me to avoid ash.
But I do cover and insulate my molds as well.
I find it I pour at really light trace I tend to get ash in individual cavity molds even if I sprays

Thanks. I’ll try this or lower. I’m not a fan of gel phase so I would rather my soap not do that.

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks. I’ll try this or lower. I’m not a fan of gel phase so I would rather my soap not do that.

It is tough stopping gel. Much easier going with the flow and making it go all the way.

If you want to stop gel use 33% lye concentration and soap cool and don’t insulate. Watch it though because if you have hard butters, Shea or palm you might end up with stearic spots.

 

[karon L adams]

it looks like you may have gotten an emulsification instead of a saponification. That is one of the reasons I never liked using hand blenders, especially for folks who haven't made soap for long. if you get an emulsification, you can get lines of lye heavy soap and lines of mostly unsaponified oils. they are usually in pochets but I have occasionally seen lines. I'd suggest bringing all your ingredient temps close together and about 110 and mixing at a slower speed.

 

[NGSoaper]

it looks like you may have gotten an emulsification instead of a saponification. That is one of the reasons I never liked using hand blenders, especially for folks who haven't made soap for long. if you get an emulsification, you can get lines of lye heavy soap and lines of mostly unsaponified oils. they are usually in pochets but I have occasionally seen lines. I'd suggest bringing all your ingredient temps close together and about 110 and mixing at a slower speed.

Thanks. I will try that. What do you use instead of a stick blender?

 

[Dawni]

It's partial gel. (you may be looking at your soap with too critical an eye) Looks like there might be some stearic acid spots or in there as well - also nothing to worry about. As your soap cures, the partial gel will probably become less noticeable - even seeming to disappear.

I was thinking this as well, after seeing the second pic. Looks like I'm learning, yey!

 

[earlene]

Thanks. I will try that. What do you use instead of a stick blender?

I am not Karon, but before mixing machines such as stick blenders and the like, people simply hand stirred with a spoon or a stick. I still only stir by hand for some of my fast moving recipes.

 

[melinda48]

I now stir fast-moving recipes by hand and when I use my stick blender, I only do low speed.