When things go wrong..

OHello · Apr 20, 2013

Can you tell if your soap is a disaster when you put it in the mold or do problems generally reveal themselves when you cut or after it has cured?

I'm just wondering at what point you can feel that the batch was a success?

soapsydaisy · Apr 20, 2013

A few times I have poured my soap into the molds and thought it was going to be great only to be disappointed the next day because it didn't set right. Then I had to backwards troubleshoot to figure out the problem.

Fragrance oils can sometimes cause soap to seize, then you try your hardest to plop it into a mold while you still can. I have been pleasantly surprised though by soap that I thought would be a disaster. Often my soaps don't come out how I envision them, but the results are still nice. I guess the most important thing is to have the patience to wait 24 to 72 hours to see how it comes out. Many times the botched soap can be salvaged somehow.

lsg · Apr 20, 2013

A variety of problems can show up both before the soap is poured and after it is in the mold.

Badger · Apr 20, 2013

I have had several soaps that I poured at a much thicker trace then I would have liked and thought that the would be a disaster, but they actually came out fine. I think most of my soaping experiences have had some minor adventure of some sort involved in them, and I am never sure of how it will turn out until I take it out of the mold. The only soap that I thought I had right was my first one, and it became laundry soap... so, since then I have been wary ;-)

OHello · Apr 23, 2013

I think in some ways I have answered my own question with the batch I made over the weekend.

Apparently the cutting stage reveals a lot of mistakes/unexpected results. Like gross grey rings in the middle of your beautifully white soap!
I guess you don't really know with a new recipe until you wait for it to cure and wash your hands with it!