Whodunnit? The RBO or the floral FO?

[Feelin' Soapy]

I made the fastest soap-on-a-stick ever today. I'm talking supersonic speed seizing! Part of my scent was florals, so I was ready for fast and repeated as I added the lye, "Work quick, it's gonna be fast." SB'ed only 4 or 5 seconds and within seconds it was too thick to pour. I spooned and stuffed the batter into 3 cups, and could barely mix in the color. I pounded it into the mold with little hope the batch will be salvageable. I'll see when I cut it, but I know it's going to holey.
This batch was an experiment trying RBO instead of OO: it was 20% RBO (with 45% lard, 20% CO, 10% Avo, 5% castor). I used 1.5 oz of Rose FO and 1.3 Sugared Strawberry in 54 oz of oil. Soaped at about 90F. Do y'all think it was the RBO that made it seize or the FO? Or a deadly combo of the two? I know RBO can speed trace, but I didn't expect it to do this!

 

[artemis]

Part of my scent was florals, so I was ready for fast and repeated as I added the lye, "Work quick, it's gonna be fast." .....Do y'all think it was the RBO that made it seize or the FO?

Call me crazy, but I'm thinking it's the FO.

 

[dibbles]

I think it has to be the FO. Even if RBO is faster to trace, if it routinely caused batter to seize like that I don’t think many people would use it.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

I think it has to be the FO. Even if RBO is faster to trace, if it routinely caused batter to seize like that I don’t think many people would use it.

That's a really good point, @dibbles . I'll give the RBO another go with a dependable FO.

 

[lsg]

I use RBO regularly and have never had it cause my soap to seize. Floral FOs have been known to cause seizing.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Did you check the expiration date on the RBO? Old oil can do weird things. Assuming the oil is not dated, I have occasionally noticed that blends of FOs do not behave as expected based on the behaviors of the component FOs. Maybe try one or the other fragrance oil the next time.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

Did you check the expiration date on the RBO? Old oil can do weird things. Assuming the oil is not dated, I have occasionally noticed that blends of FOs do not behave as expected based on the behaviors of the component FOs. Maybe try one or the other fragrance oil the next time.

It was a new jug of RBO with an expiration date of Feb 2025, so that's not it. I knew the Rose FO was naughty, but I'd used the Strawberry FO before with no issues, which is why I used half of each to balance. Even though it smells so good, I tossed the rest of the Rose so I wouldn't be tempted to try it again. Lesson learned.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

if you’re looking for another rose FO, the Wild Rose FO from Bramble Berry accelerates a bit but it’s manageable.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

if you’re looking for another rose FO, the Wild Rose FO from Bramble Berry accelerates a bit but it’s manageable.

Good to know, thank you!

 

[AliOop]

It was a new jug of RBO with an expiration date of Feb 2025, so that's not it. I knew the Rose FO was naughty, but I'd used the Strawberry FO before with no issues, which is why I used half of each to balance. Even though it smells so good, I tossed the rest of the Rose so I wouldn't be tempted to try it again. Lesson learned.

Oh no, retrieve it from the trash bin and use it for bath bombs and lotions! Rose seems to be a fan fave in those, whether alone or blended.

 

[lsg]

You can mix rose FO and vanilla FO to produce a "baby powder" type fragrance.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

@lsg Thank you. Rose is a good mixer. It smelled lovely with the strawberry too. If I use rose again, it will be from a different supplier though!

 

[Kaybrantley]

I have never had RBO accelerate but any floral FO and it’s off to the races!

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

Thanks, @Kaybrantley I knew florals were fast, but this time was lightening speed and I was afraid the RBO was part of the problem. Glad to know it's usually better behaved than this batch!

 

[not_ally]

The Midwest Fragrance Co. has a beautiful rose FO which is easy to handle (I did a three color Taiwan (divided mold) swirl without a problem. One of my favorite FOs. I use an oil mix much like yours, just no RBO (with that % given over to lard.)

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

The Midwest Fragrance Co. has a beautiful rose FO which is easy to handle (I did a three color Taiwan (divided mold) swirl without a problem. One of my favorite FOs. I use an oil mix much like yours, just no RBO (with that % given over to lard.)

So your mix is 65% lard? Maybe that helps slow things down as well.

 

[akseattle]

@Feelin' Soapy , Is there any chance it could have been the combination of Rose with the Sugary Strawberry? if it's not too late to pick it out of the trash, maybe you could test it again on one bars worth of batter?
I have been making enough batter for my small 400 ml mold and two single cavity molds. I use the two single cavity molds to test new FO's - I have ALOT of new FO's to try .... As @AliOop suggested, maybe you could use it for bath bombs or other product you might make. I don't make those products but I've been using FO's that didn't do well in soap in my diffuser.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

@akseattle I'm sure there was a synergistic effect with the Strawberry because that one is also fast. But I had used the Rose before and it was super-fast and also riced. Not as crazy-fast as this last batch, but still difficult. There was only about a 1/2 oz or less when I tossed it. Just not worth another headache.

 

[not_ally]

So your mix is 65% lard? Maybe that helps slow things down as well.

I'm sure it helps, my mix is very slow to trace. I like to do designs, so I also do all the other slowing acceleration stuff too (low temp, 33% LC, very little stick blending). But I do find that FO is really good for a floral, before that I used another beautiful rose (Sweet Cakes True Rose) which was an absolute beast - even with a slow oil mix - that I tolerated because the fragrance was so nice. The MWF rose is very close to the SC one (fantastic scent, well-behaved and sticks very well) without the horrible acceleration.

 

[akseattle]

There was only about a 1/2 oz or less when I tossed it. Just not worth another headache.

@Feelin' Soapy , good decision, sometimes, it makes sense to just move on! with only that much left, the trash is the best place for it!