Why does my soap look like this?

[Anthony0327]

Hello,

So I made a batch of soap yesterday night and let the soap sit overnight and the whole day. When I went to go unmold it and cut it I got this. It seems like this has been happening with all my batches and I thought it was normal but after looking at other people cut soap they have a nice smooth soap. I have attached some images. I just have a feeling this is not supposed to be looking like this.

Thanks,

Anthony

Recipe
Shea Butter 15%
Coconut Oil 30%
Olive Oil 30%
Rice Bran Oil 10%
Palm Oil 15%

 

[Cellador]

What is your recipe? Did you do a zap test?

It looks to me like it might still be too soft. Depending on your recipe and if it gelled, it can take days before it's ready to cut.

 

[BattleGnome]

Is it sticky? I agree that it looks like you cut too soon. I don't gel often and it can take up to 5 days for my soaps to be firm enough to unmold

 

[Anthony0327]

Yes, it is sticky. Ok, next time I will leave it for longer.

 

[BattleGnome]

It's definitely a learning curve but I've found if the soap is a bit sticky then wait longer or encourage gel before cutting

 

[Britannic]

What was your lye concentration and super fat (if any)?

 

[Seawolfe]

The learning curve for knowing when to unmold and cut isn't easy, and its different for every batch - even with the same recipe because the house temp and humidity might be different. You want to wait until the soap is more like cheddar cheese - in my tiny mind you cut at the feta cheese stage :mrgreen: If your first cut looks like that, stop and wait a bit more. I also keep a damp rag to wipe the knife on after each cut.

You can make those not so pretty cuts smoother if you give the soap a quick wash after it cures (or at least in a few weeks) and then let dry again.

 

[artemis]

And the gremlins... sometimes, it's just the soap gremlins.

 

[toxikon]

I usually test the firmness of the loaf by denting one of the corners of the soap while its still in the mold. If it squishes easily, like a brick of soft mozzerella cheese, it's not ready. If it remains firm, like aged cheddar, it's usually ready to cut. Even so, I unmold then give it a full day to air out before cutting. So from pouring to cutting is usually 3-4 days for me.

What did you use to cut it? I find that a wire cutter usually provides the best results. Otherwise, this style: https://productimages.brambleberry.com/Cut02.jpg

Using a kitchen knife can cause some issues because of the thickness of the blade.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

...

What did you use to cut it? I find that a wire cutter usually provides the best results. Otherwise, this style: https://productimages.brambleberry.com/Cut02.jpg

Using a kitchen knife can cause some issues because of the thickness of the blade.

This is what I came to post. It's not just the thickness of the blade, but also the height that stays in contact. If you must use a knife, use the shortest(in height) one you have. For instance, a boning knife would be better than a chef's knife.

 

[navigator9]

I'm guessing that your soap didn't gel. If it gels, it's hard enough to unmold and cut the next day. If it doesn't, it can take several days before it's ready. If it zaps, it's still going through the saponification process, and needs to sit longer to finish and harden enough to unmold without denting, and cut without being soft and sticky.

 

[toxikon]

I'm guessing that your soap didn't gel. If it gels, it's hard enough to unmold and cut the next day.

I gel all my soaps and they still need a good few days before cutting, even with a water discount.

 

[dixiedragon]

What did you use to cut? If a blade, wipe it down with water between each slice. You can also freeze the soap before you unmold.

 

[navigator9]

I gel all my soaps and they still need a good few days before cutting, even with a water discount.

Really? Gee, being able to unmold and cut the following day, is the main reason I gel my soaps. Before I understood the difference between gelling and not gelling, and how soaps that haven't gelled take longer to finish saponifying, I had a batch that looked like those pictured in this thread. Soft and zappy! I thought I had ruined the batch, but didn't have the heart to throw it away. Good thing, because a few days later, it was just fine. I think you may find that this is the case with your soap, too.

 

[toxikon]

Really? Gee, being able to unmold and cut the following day, is the main reason I gel my soaps. Before I understood the difference between gelling and not gelling, and how soaps that haven't gelled take longer to finish saponifying, I had a batch that looked like those pictured in this thread. Soft and zappy! I thought I had ruined the batch, but didn't have the heart to throw it away. Good thing, because a few days later, it was just fine. I think you may find that this is the case with your soap, too.

I CPOP mine and see the "gel" happen, so mine are definitely going through the process. Maybe I just like waiting longer than you LOL. I like to make sure I'm not going to accidentally dent the loaf with my fingers.

 

[jcandleattic]

I CPOP mine and see the "gel" happen, so mine are definitely going through the process. Maybe I just like waiting longer than you LOL. I like to make sure I'm not going to accidentally dent the loaf with my fingers.

Whenever I would CPOP it would take me longer to unmold than if I just gelled on the countertop. For me, it would take minimum 2 days before I could unmold when I CPOP'd and only 18-24 hours if I gel with wrapped towels or on my countertop.

I have no idea why, and I don't CPOP anymore.

 

[toxikon]

Whenever I would CPOP it would take me longer to unmold than if I just gelled on the countertop. For me, it would take minimum 2 days before I could unmold when I CPOP'd and only 18-24 hours if I gel with wrapped towels or on my countertop.

I have no idea why, and I don't CPOP anymore.

Interesting. I've tried both methods and haven't noticed a big difference in unmolding time. I only use silicone molds, and I've heard that can extend the unmolding time a bit too.

 

[jcandleattic]

Interesting. I've tried both methods and haven't noticed a big difference in unmolding time. I only use silicone molds, and I've heard that can extend the unmolding time a bit too.

Yeah, I've only used silicone molds for about 9-10 years now. But I use very little olive oil, and I always use sodium lactate in every batch I make, so that probably makes a difference too.

 

[IrishLass]

As the others have said- it definitely looks like an un-gelled soap cut too soon. If it feels as soft as a block of cream cheese, just give it more time to firm up before unmolding/cutting.

I gel all my soaps and they still need a good few days before cutting, even with a water discount.

Whenever I would CPOP it would take me longer to unmold than if I just gelled on the countertop. For me, it would take minimum 2 days before I could unmold when I CPOP'd and only 18-24 hours if I gel with wrapped towels or on my countertop.

Interesting! I have the exact opposite experience. My two regular/main formulas (made with 50% OO and 30.5% OO respectively) are ready to unmold and cut within a 24 hour timeframe. Although I mostly find myself unmolding and cutting around the 18th hour mark, I've also unmolded and cut them in as little as 12 hours at times with no problem.

I use my trusty Cutco brand chef's knife to cut, too (always have) without any trouble...... unless I wait more than 24 hours to cut, that is, e.g., if my soap is too hard, sometimes a little bit of the bottom edges will crack off as my knife reaches the bottom of the cut, but it's no biggie since I bevel all my edges after I cut into bars anyway. One would never know I started with a marred edge. :shh:

For what it's worth, I use a 33% lye concentration, 2% SL, I soap between 110F-115F, pour at medium-thick trace, CPOP @110F to encourage full gel (oven preheated to 110F and then turned off as soon as my covered/insulated soap is inside). I use a variety of molds, too- silicone molds, wood molds lined with mylar or lined with decorative fondant mats, and so far (as long as full gel was achieved) I've never experienced any notable variance in my normal unmolding/cutting times.


IrishLass

 

[toxikon]

For what it's worth, I use a 33% lye concentration, 2% SL, I soap between 110F-115F, pour at medium-thick trace, CPOP @110F to encourage full gel (oven preheated to 110F and then turned off as soon as my covered/insulated soap is inside). I use a variety of molds, too- silicone molds, wood molds lined with mylar or lined with decorative fondant mats, and so far (as long as full gel was achieved) I've never experienced any notable variance in my normal unmolding/cutting times.

Very interesting indeed.

I use a 30-35% Lye Concentration, 1 tsp SL PPO, soaping around 110-120F. I usually do pour at a very light trace. Recipe is generally:

25% Lard
25% Tallow
25% Olive Oil
20% Coconut
5% Castor

I too preheat my oven, but the lowest it'll go is 170F. So I usually just turn it on for 5 minutes then turn it off and put the loaf in. If my soap starts sweating in the oven, I immediately remove it. On a warm summer day I don't CPOP.

I usually give it 2 days in the mold after pouring, then remove and let the loaf get some air for another full day, then cut on the 4th day.