What soapy mistake have you made today?

[MsHarryWinston]

Aaaaarrrrg! So I had my first soap fail today. I was attempting a new shampoo bar recipe and everything was going WONDERFULLY. And then all of a sudden, BAM separation while stick blending! Oh I was so mad. I was testing a new scent, Blackberry Bordeaux. I want to kick it in the shins. I poured the soap into individual molds so I'll see what happens. I may try to rebatch it tomorrow.
Tomorrow I'm going to remake the recipe but omit the scent and see what happens, just to make sure that was the problem.
So mad! Ack!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Ouch! When trying anything new, I make sure that I only try one new thing

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Well, well, well, seems I should post here today too...:roll:

I wanted to try the new sniffie I got from Natures Gardens - Green Irish. I really love this scent, it is so fresh and clean with a kick of something...well, good!
What happened was NOT the fragrances fault, it was all mine.

Turns out I was distracted while stickblending, and stickblended way too much. Instead of stopping when I got to perfect emiulsion (because I was using three other colors in the design so needed time to work that in) I went overboard and got medium trace which of course turned into puddin` really quickly.
Duh... (need to make a meme about this...:think

But luckily managed to get everything mixed up well and plopped in the mold while alternating the colors.
Ok, so managed to save everything and make it somewhat what I`d planned.

But you all know what happens to soap (especially overly SB 100% coconut soap w 20% SF...) It starts to gel. Like, fast! So it got into a serious gel stage within 10 minutes. (Are.you.kidding.me, that was fast...)

Which made the toppings on the soap to get seepage underneath and you can see how the heated soap starts to move under the embeds. No cracking, just seepage.

It actually gave the soap a cool effect, but that was just dumb luck and nothing I can claim as my doing

Well, I will mark that down as lesson learned. I will put up some pictures when it is cut.

 

[MsHarryWinston]

Ouch! When trying anything new, I make sure that I only try one new thing

Bah! Ain't no one got time for that. It's all about controlled chaos. I rebatched it at around 12 hours. The soap is now fine. Once it's cured I'll know if the shampoo recipe performs the way I want it to, and I also know that the blackberry Bordeaux scent is evil so I won't be using it again. And I'll have done it by using only 1lb worth of supplies instead of 2lb.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Bah! Ain't no one got time for that. It's all about controlled chaos. I rebatched it at around 12 hours. The soap is now fine. Once it's cured I'll know if the shampoo recipe performs the way I want it to, and I also know that the blackberry Bordeaux scent is evil so I won't be using it again. And I'll have done it by using only 1lb worth of supplies instead of 2lb.

I know it is annoying to experience this! I don`t know if you have tried HP soap before, but I have a coupple of fragrances that are impossible to use in CP soaps, so I only use them in HP soaps.
That way they don`t get a chance to act up like a tantrum-ridden 5 year old when I add them into the batter:mrgreen:

 

[MsHarryWinston]

I know it is annoying to experience this! I don`t know if you have tried HP soap before, but I have a coupple of fragrances that are impossible to use in CP soaps, so I only use them in HP soaps.
That way they don`t get a chance to act up like a tantrum-ridden 5 year old when I add them into the batter:mrgreen:

When I first started researching soaping I was REALLY torn about whether to do hot or cold process. Hot process looks so cool but I decided to go with CP. After this rebatched though it really made me want to try HP. I rebatched in a double boiler and watching the soap go through gel phase was so cool. Though I have to say that I'm not a fan of how thick and gloopy it is when puting into molds. And here I thought thick trace soap pouring was bad!

I don't feel too badly about this scent acting up though, as it was a scent I didn't really like in the bottle but decided to "give a proper chance" since I was making a new soap that day anyway. Still don't like the scent and now I only have enough scent left for another 1lb batch so it's no great loss.

I do think that I'm going to invest in a simple soaping crockpot now though and do some HP soap. Even though it still has to cure for ages I love that it's technically useable right away. It satisfies my love of instant gratification lol.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

When I first started researching soaping I was REALLY torn about whether to do hot or cold process. Hot process looks so cool but I decided to go with CP. After this rebatched though it really made me want to try HP. I rebatched in a double boiler and watching the soap go through gel phase was so cool. Though I have to say that I'm not a fan of how thick and gloopy it is when puting into molds. And here I thought thick trace soap pouring was bad!

I don't feel too badly about this scent acting up though, as it was a scent I didn't really like in the bottle but decided to "give a proper chance" since I was making a new soap that day anyway. Still don't like the scent and now I only have enough scent left for another 1lb batch so it's no great loss.

I do think that I'm going to invest in a simple soaping crockpot now though and do some HP soap. Even though it still has to cure for ages I love that it's technically useable right away. It satisfies my love of instant gratification lol.

If you can invest in a designated Crocpot it will make HP a bit easier to handle than doubble boiler. Well, I found that it did, no extra dealings with doubble boiler and water and cover it with foil etc, because I didn`t have a lid that fitted. Getting a crockpot was bliss!

If you try to HP a recipe, you will find that the soap is not quite as gloppy and lumpy as a rebatch, but it sure is a thick sauce:mrgreen:

There are things you can add that makes it more fluid, and that helps. I have tried sugar and yoghurt, and I found it helped a bit. But it will only work up to a point as HP is what it is, a thick soapy mess er, I mean mass...

 

[MsHarryWinston]

If you can invest in a designated Crocpot it will make HP a bit easier to handle than doubble boiler. Well, I found that it did, no extra dealings with doubble boiler and water and cover it with foil etc, because I didn`t have a lid that fitted. Getting a crockpot was bliss!

If you try to HP a recipe, you will find that the soap is not quite as gloppy and lumpy as a rebatch, but it sure is a thick sauce:mrgreen:

There are things you can add that makes it more fluid, and that helps. I have tried sugar and yoghurt, and I found it helped a bit. But it will only work up to a point as HP is what it is, a thick soapy mess er, I mean mass...

Oh I have no interest in doing HP in a double boiler, lol but it was actually great for rebatch. No, I want to eventually be able to slap a lid on that bad boy and go take a nap! (No not LITERALLY! Hahaha!) I don't have any plans to switch over to HP completely but I kind of like the idea of using it for shampoo bars. No clue why, just another way to switch it up and make my things feel different. "Oh my body soap is cold process but I hot process my shampoo bars." Just feels nifty.

 

[paillo]

First time out of the gate with tallow soap, and I'm not sure what multiple sins I committed to have made these two sad batches. Made two batches, one coffee with grounds (Crafter's Choice Coffee Beans FO and 15x sweet orange EO), the other with EO blend of same orange, clary sage and eucalyptus.

Slowest to trace of any soaps I've ever made (really should have broken out the stick blender), like more than half an hour whisking. They are super soft, I'll CPOP and see if that helps, but I suspect I'll have two molds tied up for days and days and days.

30% beef tallow (organically sourced grass fed)
30% olive
20% coconut
10% avocado
5% shae
5% castor

Ugh, forgot to change the lye concentration and soaped at full 26% water (coconut milk and extra-strong coffee, distilled for the other), ugh, will go at least 30% next time.
I THINK I added my usual salt for soleseife, but things were a little crazy at the time and I'm not 100 percent sure. Ugh.
My usual quantities of sugar, silk, clay.

Ugh, ugh, hopefully in a couple of days I'll know whether they can be salvaged. And will tweak the recipe.

Lard tomorrow!

 

[dillsandwitch]

Got impatient and didn't pre-wet my milk powder. Now I have 4 spotty loaves that may or may not have partial gel. Lesson for today DON'T CUT CORNERS!!!

 

[Dahila]

I was rushing with my GM soaps and forgot to add the fo again , I have like 60 soaps unscented and only one person asked for it on market (

 

[rainycityjen]

My most recent blunders:

• Making a double batch, measured out half the weight of oils instead of half the weight of batter, and ended up with one mold half-full and the other full to the brim.
• Unmolded while warm and the bottom was still mashed potatoes.
• Added salt to batter instead of lye-water and ended up with snowy flecks.
• Didn't gel a naughty FO and got soap ash alllll the way through.
• Didn't burp the stick blender and got lots of froth.

 

[Saponista]

Decided to just use a fragrance without properly testing for acceleration..... It all set up in my squeeze bottles and then the spatula head came off while trying to scrape it out and is now welded to the bottom. I have left it soaking in hot water, I will deal with it tomorrow.....

 

[penelopejane]

I was rushing with my GM soaps and forgot to add the fo again , I have like 60 soaps unscented and only one person asked for it on market (

You poor thing. Luckily my DH can ONLY use fragrance free soaps
So when this happens I say: Look what I made, just for you!

 

[snappyllama]

I have to say, reading everyone's posts here makes me feel much better to know I'm not the only one combating soap gremlins from time to time.

I was rushing with my GM soaps and forgot to add the fo again , I have like 60 soaps unscented and only one person asked for it on market (

I have done this on more occasions than I care to admit. Now I always put my FO container inside my mold and only take it out after the FO goes into my pot.

Then I started to try to leave out the SF when I was making HP. So now that container goes into the mold also.

 

[dibbles]

Too much party and wine last night - big mistake!! I planned to have another try at the challenge, but no soapiness going on here today. Except maybe washing dirty soap dishes. Penance.

 

[TeresaT]

I didn't do this today, I did this last week when I was doing my tester soaps. I had pre-measured the correct amounts of NaOH and put them in little disposable condiment containers, there were seven of them. I premeasured all of my 8 oz Olive Oils and put the appropriate colorants in each one so I would remember which was which. That left measuring the vinegar and water ratios (or other additives). So I'm at the blue one, which was 25% vinegar and 75% water. I'm stick blending this sucker and nothing is happening. Oh my gosh! 25% vinegar actually SLOWS DOWN TRACE!! I pour into the molds at what has to be emulsification/thin trace by now and turn to write this fascinating discovery down. To find four containers of NaOH and three cups of oil on the counter. There's an extra NaOH. How did I do that? I thought I had one for each... Oh, CRAP!!! Since I was sharing the mold with something else, I had to gently remove my oil/water/vinegar solution and not disturb my actual soap in progress. Yeah. Note. To self...make sure you create lye solution before you mix said lye solution with oils. Yep. I really should leave the science to the scientists. I wasn't going to tell this embarrassing tale. But it really is too darned funny not to share. You have no idea how excited I was to discover 25% vinegar slows down trace...

 

[TeresaT]

I was rushing with my GM soaps and forgot to add the fo again , I have like 60 soaps unscented and only one person asked for it on market (

I like unscented soap. If you PM me with the ingredients, I might take some of it off your hands. I like trying other people's soaps.

 

[Dahila]

TT they are coconut milk, goat mil and avocado soaps )

 

[Dahila]

I have to say, reading everyone's posts here makes me feel much better to know I'm not the only one combating soap gremlins from time to time.



I have done this on more occasions than I care to admit. Now I always put my FO container inside my mold and only take it out after the FO goes into my pot.

Then I started to try to leave out the SF when I was making HP. So now that container goes into the mold also.

I had it in the container beside my mold :evil: