White powder problems...

[dagnukem]

Can anyone tell me what causes this white powdery stuff on my soap? The is the worst i've had it on any batch. How can I fix it or just avoid it from happening again?

This batch was honey & oatmeal goat milk soap. It also came out WAY lighter than my other batch. I also had a few white powder spots on my light cocoa goat milk soap.

Also, is this batch ruined or just ugly? lol

Thanks in advance!

 

[dagnukem]

This is a pic of my first honey & oatmeal batch... same recipe.

 

[cdwinsby]

It looks to me like your soap cooled very quickly and didn't gel. That would account for the lighter color. Ash seems to be more common (in my opinion) on soap that is cooled quickly as well.

If you want it to look like your first batch, I would make sure your soap is well insulated and not unwrapped before it cools down.

The rate of cool down can be much harder to regulate when making individual bars like in your second batch.

Good luck.

 

[dagnukem]

Thanks alot!

So do you know if the ashy batch useable?

 

[cdwinsby]

I would rinse off the ash before stepping into the shower with it but it should be fine after the cure period.

You could check the ph level or tongue test it for 'zap' if you feel unsure. Rinse the ash off the bar first if you plan on tongue testing it.

 

[mandolyn]

The white powdery stuff is ash. It's harmless so long as your soap doesn't zap you.

You can wash it off, or trim it away.

Ash forms when oxygen contacts the soap. One day I made 4 batches from the same recipe. One had oatmeal, milk powder & honey powder in it. They all had different scents. The OM&H was the only one that formed ash & that was after unmolding it.

Most of the time, you can avoid ash by covering your soap after pouring into the mold with Saran Wrap. Once covered, it won't ash, because oxygen doesn't touch the surface.

 

[dagnukem]

Oh great. I am so glad the soap isn't ruined!

Thankyou so much for the helpful info! I'll have to go back and cover my soap tray. All the other molds I have have little lids except the "handmade, goatmilk and blank bar" mold.

Zap tounge test - lol... never heard of it. Is it like the battery tounge test?

I am trying to get geared up for September. I have a beauty shop that is interested in selling my soap but I want to wait until I have some very well cured batches. I am also trying to get some very pretty bars and work out some of the kinks before selling. I am very excited about selling my soap! Any suggestions for an up and comming soapstress?

 

[earthsessencellc]

Oh great. I am so glad the soap isn't ruined!

Thankyou so much for the helpful info! I'll have to go back and cover my soap tray. All the other molds I have have little lids except the "handmade, goatmilk and blank bar" mold.

Zap tounge test - lol... never heard of it. Is it like the battery tounge test?

I am trying to get geared up for September. I have a beauty shop that is interested in selling my soap but I want to wait until I have some very well cured batches. I am also trying to get some very pretty bars and work out some of the kinks before selling. I am very excited about selling my soap! Any suggestions for an up and comming soapstress?

I have just recently had the same problem, oddly enough I have never had a problem with the white powder on my soaps, I've been making soaps now for nearly 8 years.... However, i just bought a new mold, and I didn't insulate the bottom of the mold and it's sitting on a tile table, I am thinking the tile is pulling the heat away from the mold itself, and it's cooling too fast, that or, I have drafts, either way, I need to insulate my mold better............ Thanks for the info, i am new here by the way....... LOL sorry!

 

[mandolyn]

The longer you wait before selling your soaps the better. Do you know what your soap will be like in 6 months, because it won't be the same as it is today. Hopefully, it will still smell as good, still be the same color & not smell of rancid oils or be slimey. Hopefully, it will have aged into a wonderfully scented, mild soap.

At 6 months, I had a few batches go rancid & develop DOS. I had to figure out what went wrong.

It takes time for some problems to surface. Don't be too quick to sell your soaps. If you don't know what ash is yet or what the tongue test is, you're rushing into selling without all the knowledge you need. Do you know what DOS looks like?

Better you find the DOS or rancidity, or slimey soap, or a scent that faded after 2 months or a color that morphed from a pretty pink to a dull grey after a few months than a customer.

Just because a soap comes out of the mold looking & smelling fantastic doesn't mean it will be that way in 6 months. Only time will tell.

I cringe knowing I gave my niece a beautiful lavender soap that's losing it's scent & smells oily. Nothing I did wrong, but a bad EO that is, over time, degrading the soap. I'm grateful I never made anyone pay for that soap!

Do you know what the recipe you're using, the oils, scents & colors are going to be like in 6 months?

I'm not trying to be rude or discouraging, but ash is a pretty common thing in the soapmaking world, so I wonder what else you might not be aware of.

 

[dagnukem]

I am a soap newbie. I do not know more than what I have read and learned over the last 5 months. I only know what my soap looks like after 4months (and so far so good). I do not know what DOS is. I do not attempt to pretend to know more than I do - that is why I ask questions.

I am not in a hurry to sell my soap. I had not planned on selling it at all if it werent for the lady wanting to sell it in her shoppe. The soap that I will be selling will have cured for about 8weeks.

I gave away alot of my first couple batches so I could get feedback from people so that I can work out kinks and better my soap.

I do apreceate your feedback and will probably have many more questions as I go...

 

[mandolyn]

I hope I didn't offend you. I didn't mean to be offensive or anything, just wanted to let you know some of the pitfalls, & mostly repeating what seasoned soapmakers told me when I first wanted to sell.

Maybe I'm transferring some of my own fears. I have 4 craft fairs coming up where I'll be selling, & I have a case of the what ifs.

Anyway, you're off to a great start & do keep asking questions, 'cause that's why we're all here - to learn & share what we know & experience.

DOS means "dreaded orange spots". Orange spots will appear on soap where the super fatted oils are going rancid. It's accompanied by a bad smell & usually verrrrrrrrry slimey soap.

Before you begin selling, you might want to look into some insurance as well. You probably already know (if you're in the US) you'll need a sales tax ID.

Again, I apologize if I sounded rude. I really didn't mean to be.

 

[brian0523]

Here's my observation - I recently made a soap with blue coloring added, and it developed ash on top a few days during cure.

Made that same soap again, without the blue coloring, and no ash.

Maybe the coloring had something to do with it? Who knows for sure, there are so many variables involved it's hard to tell. But I do expect the coloring to be the culprit in my case, since my method and recipe for both soaps were exact.

 

[zee]

I agree with the many variables that are involved with ash formation. I was told to cover my soap with wax paper and I still get the darned ash on some of the batches. My base recipe is the same, I find that I get ash only when I use certain fragrances.

 

[heart of dixie soap co]

ash

living in the hot, sticky south i've had a few dos and other problems. i have pretty much fixed that by using a small oscillating fan for air circulation, and when i have multiple batches drying at the same time i use a small dehumidifier i bought at walmart.. you would not believe how much moisture can be in the air! sometimes i hadto empty it every other day!

since then my soaps no longer sweats or gets oily.

i use plastic over my soap before adding lid. i usually batch at about 120-130 degrees. get a good gel, because i think its because the batch never gets too cool. i may also add a towel or blanket on a chilly day.

i dont know-sometimes i think the stuff is just plain moody.......

monet