What is this? Looks like mold or frost

[ewhitake]

Similar recipies ( the uncut loaf has less butter and more oil) similar results. What is causing frosting?

 

[lsg]

Looks like soda ash to me.

 

[AliensrReal]

Just a lot of soda ash to me. It’s harmless.

 

[Misschief]

Soda ash... it's purely cosmetic. If it really bothers you, you can steam it off. I have a couple of soaps that get ash and it really adds to the look of the soap, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[ewhitake]

Looks like soda ash to me.

Thank you! I thought I’d goofed up again!! LOL!!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I’m kind of surprised by the amount of ash that formed on the cut bars. How long did you wait to cut after the soap was made?

 

[ewhitake]

I’m kind of surprised by the amount of ash that formed on the cut bars. How long did you wait to cut after the soap was made?

These were the second loaf I made and I tried to force gel phase. Did it wrong by not turning off the oven until 20 minutes after adding loaf. Left it there 24 hours

 

[Mobjack Bay]

With that recipe and lye concentration, it doesn’t sound like you cut too early. It’s possible that the charcoal played a role in the ash formation.

 

[Becky1024]

Soda ash can be caused by a high amount of water in your recipe. You might want to drop the ratio a bit - say to 1.7 or 1.5.

 

[ewhitake]

Soda ash can be caused by a high amount of water in your recipe. You might want to drop the ratio a bit - say to 1.7 or 1.5.

Interesting! I say this because my first attempt didn’t “ash” but it also was a Bramble Berry recipe. I’ll try another with less water and let you know

Soda ash can be caused by a high amount of water in your recipe. You might want to drop the ratio a bit - say to 1.7 or 1.5.

I just noticed something when going back to the soap calc. The Lye ratio was set 2:1. If I set it to 33% is that closer to your suggestion?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

2:1 is 33.33333% lye concentration, so very close to 33%. 1.7:1 is 37% lye concentration and 1.5:1 is 40% lye concentration. While it’s true that using a higher lye concentration can help to cut down on soda ash or even eliminate it, there are other considerations to using a higher lye concentration. I encourage you to read more before going that route.

 

[dibbles]

I have to agree with @Mobjack Bay. While it is true that a 40% lye concentration can actually slow trace, if you are using a fragrance, you have to be very careful that it doesn't accelerate at all. A fragrance that is pretty well behaved at 33% LC can move very fast at a higher lye concentration. I have been playing around with increasing my lye concentration (I've used 33% for years) and I think anything up to 35% stays workable and does help prevent ash. I hate ash, but would rather deal with removing it than racing to get my soap in the mold. Here are a couple of videos from one of the early SMF challenges (high water/low water) that might help. I'm a visual learner, so I find something like this useful.

 

[ewhitake]

Thank for the share but now I’m more confused than ever. When she started talking about ratios my eyes rolled back into my head!! Never did understand how to do them. Is there a calculator out there? Bueller? Anyone??

 

[Mobjack Bay]

This article and the linked table will help!

 

[melinda48]

Interesting! I say this because my first attempt didn’t “ash” but it also was a Bramble Berry recipe. I’ll try another with less water and let you know


I just noticed something when going back to the soap calc. The Lye ratio was set 2:1. If I set it to 33% is that closer to your suggestion?

Simply change the ratio (I thin it is the line below the percentage) to 1.7:1. The percentage will change automatically.

 

[ewhitake]

This article and the linked table will help!

These were so helpful!! Thanks!!