Thank you! SOAP RECIPE. What will make cold process soaps freeze or set up too soon? Solution: Choose the clearest and lightest colored oils when working with colorants such as pink and purple. Thats about the limit of what Id use on a dog, BUT, for a human, you can safely go higher. Use the stick blender to incorporate into soap until the color is smooth. This ultimate troubleshooting guide breaks down the reasons and solutions for 30+ common cold process soap problems. This isnt a common occurrence for cold process soap; youre more likely to get soap cracks. If the soap wont release after several days in the mold, place it in the freezer for a couple of hours until solid enough to pop out of the mold more easily. (I have a tutorial coming to the site soon!) Hi Vahid! Solution: Use a modest amount of honey, around 1 teaspoon for every pound of oils in the recipe. Mix by hand, using the stick blender only if absolutely necessary, to ensure the EO or FO are mixed in completely. I put that into bramble berry soap calc to find lye and water and add 15g if essential oils at trace. Its just a cosmetic issue & the cured bars will be perfectly fine to use. This works well for getting a nice brown colour, though, sadly the scent doesn't really come through. Ive never used Zote soap, so Im unsure. Stirring during the mixing process. Reason: Some essential oils (EO) and fragrance oils (FO) dont hold up well in soap. Thank you! Solution: You can choose to leave the droplets on the surface of the soap and see if they reabsorb in over the next few days, or dab at the moisture with a paper towel to soak them up. 972g olive oil That will help us troubleshoot better! In 14+ years of soaping, Ive never had a soap volcano and when I tried to force one for a photo for my print book, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, I still ended up having to fake the look. To speed things along, dont use the full amount of water given on a standard lye calculator. You can also find her writing about gardening and foraging over at her family's website: UnrulyGardening.com! You cant do anything about the cracks in this batch, but the next time you make the recipe, you could try using more olive oil and less tallow, and perhaps increasing superfat to 4 or 5% and that should help! Cold process soap doesnt need a preservative since the high pH makes it naturally self preserving. 4.95 oz cocoa butter Love it, Love it. You can check for false trace by leaving the soap batter undisturbed for about 20 or 30 seconds after you reach light trace. Distilled Water @ 33% Lye Concentration (2:1/Water: Lye) 40% Olive Oli. (super fat soap question) Hi! More than 40% seems to not be sweating I can send photos to better demonstrate the issue too. :) Next time, use more insulation and warmer temperatures for your oils and lye solution. Ive been making soap for my self and friends but find it slightly drying. Your recipe looks good as far as lye amount it seems to have about a 6% superfat which is great. Solution: Try increasing the superfat to 6, 7 or even 8%. I ordered sodium hydroxide but Soap has weird orange or brown spots on it and/or smells bad. Hi Hallie! Hi Shilpaa, Im so sorry to hear about your soap! Place the soap in front of a fan to help with air circulation. You will get it! Cold process soap. You can check for false trace by leaving the soap batter undisturbed for about 20 or 30 seconds after you reach light trace. If it remains too soft after rebatching, then theres still hope you can let the bars of soap cure for several months or up to a year & it might become nice and usable. Step 4: Gently squeeze your finger to use the second drop of blood. Jan Berry is a writer, herbalist, soapmaker, and bestselling author of The Big Book of Homemade Products, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, and Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps. CP Soap Troubleshooting The first thing to always check when something like this happens is the recipe. Hi, first soap, I have your book, Simple and Natural Soapmaking, and used the palm free soap #1 Tallow lard version yesterday. Thanks. So happy to hear you like the book! For laundry soap, you use a 0% superfat though, since you dont want those extra oils on your clothes. That works out to 40% olive oil, 40% coconut oil, and 20% cocoa butter. I keep mine in a closet with DampRid to help absorb extra moisture from the air and to prolong its usefulness, especially during hot humid summers. 25% Coconut Oil. Solution: Use a water discount. Does it have any lumps or clumps in it? Reason: The recipe has an incorrect lye amount. There, youll find reasons for why the soapmaking problem happened and solutions to fix it and/or prevent it in the future. Even then, clear plastic molds arent always reliable. Thank you so much for all your help and encouragement. I want to make sure my math is right. Solution: If adding beeswax to soap, use at a rate of 0.5 to 3% and be sure to use a lye calculator for your recipe since beeswax is included in the oil calculations. Run any changes through a lye calculator to make sure the lye amount is correct. I would do a combination of less coconut oil and higher superfat. You can incorporate the color change into your soap by adding some swirls with a bit of unfragranced soap base to give a colored or white contrast or you can use some . Hi Susan, So glad you found the troubleshooting guide helpful! Read reviews of fragrance oils carefully and purchase from a reliable soapmaking vendor. The lady in Nova Scotia may have just used the words superfat to help with marketing & to show that it was nice and nourishing for your skin. No, the soap doesn't go into convulsions (although it's been known to make some soapmakers have fits!). Everyone wants their soap ready faster, but handmade soap requires a certain amount of time and patience. Ive even had it happen to carrot soap before! (Try 115 to 120F , which is 46 to 49C.) Should I super fat more ? Soap batter has little hard rice-like pieces in it. Ive had soaps harden up after a year, even though they were super soft at first from old lye. Distilled water 10.70 + 2.9 = 13.6 Also, do you have a way to double check that the lye you used was sodium hydroxide and not potassium hydroxide? What I would do is just let that soft soap cure in the open air and check it every month. Do I throw it n retry or is there any hope. Reason: Some oils are known to slow down trace, which means it takes more stirring and time for them to form a trace. How old is your soap & what are some of the additives? Also, water amount (water discount) can affect gel phase; a soap with a lower water amount requires a higher temperature to reach gel phase, while a soap with a full amount of water will more easily gel. Thanks! Reason: A higher amount of lye can cause dryness. series of 4 articles on natural colorants, try this trick by Good Earth Spa of drilling holes in the stick blender, tutorial on removing soda ash at Modern Soapmaking, printable chart of 24 common soapmaking essential oils, Simple Secrets: Anchoring Fragrances In CP Soap. Do you know exactly how much lye you are missing? Hello Thank you for all the information. 30% RSPO Palm Oil. First step complete. If you want to share the recipe here, I can double check that for you too. Early in my soapmaking days I tried using a cheapo mechanical scale and the weights were wildly varying when I later tested against a digital scale. Hot Process: . I hope that helps! The Melt and Pour Soap Method The last soap making method is also the simplest. Pomade olive oil 14. The soap couldve cracked because of the high amount of tallow and lower superfat. Set it on some parchment or wax paper to cure for a week or so and that's it. I would rebatch it and then see how it does over the next few days. Sometimes this happens because of false trace where the soap looks like it reached trace, but if you wait a minute and check again, the trace is gone. After 24 hours, take the crock pot soap out of the molds. Hi Alexa, Sorry to hear it did that! Solution: Use a well draining soap dish and keep the bars as dry as possible between use. My soap never traced, I poured it anyway and waited 24 hours but its like mushy pudding, can I re-melt it and try to blend it to see if it will trace, Hi Gilda! if it could no longer be salvaged how should i disposed it? In some cases, tallow and lard can add an unwanted aroma to your soap. Try placing the mold on a baking rack so cool air can circulate underneath. Reason: These molds behave similarly to silicone molds, but are even worse at holding onto cold process soap. Good luck finding the cause! Lye Crystals (feel sharp, crystal-like, scratchy). If its still soft after rebatching, then you could still let it sit and cure for many months. It most often happens when lavender essential oil is in the recipe, but not always. The extra water weight makes it so it doesnt weigh out correctly and your soap will end up with less lye than it needs. 4. I have received permission to post the article since it was taken off the USA Today site. If you cut a bar and it crumbles, or if its still soft, allow it to sit in the open air for several more days before trying again. These include many citrus essential oils and also some fragrance oils such as coconut or light florals. Solution: Check the recipe with a lye calculator and see what the recommended water amount is. 4. Looking for answers. :). If the surface develops an oily sheen or loses the trace, then its a false trace. Solution: Use patience with these types of recipes. Thanks for commenting! With cold process soap, it typically takes about four weeks for the soap to fully cure. 10.7 oz water If you have the recipe, feel free to share it here and I can take a look at it. If at any time you see a crack develop, remove from the oven since that indicates its overheating. 6. It should be a nice hard bar of soap! Soap batter thickened up too quickly to make a swirl or design. If working with a new fragrance oil, read descriptions and reviews carefully to see if other soapmakers have experienced issues with it in soap. About Soap has a dark ring or rind around the outside and the middle is lighter. i made it yesterday and checked on it this morning. All of them made soap in their kitchens, with kids around, and seemed to be unsafe. *For CPOP, place in preheated oven at 170 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 60 minutes. Reason: Too much sodium lactate can cause the soap to become hard and crumbly. I made the dog shampoo recipe and I accidentally put two tablespoons instead of teaspoons of lavender. In general, cold process soap made in silicone and plastic molds takes longer to harden and umold. It gels throughout the middle but cools down before the soap can gel to the edges (called partial gel in soap-ese.) (See #2 below for that scenario.). Pour the soap mixture into the molds. It should start to cool down and stop cracking. Hi, so much info. (Currently, I have 70+ of those emails in the queue to answer! Water discounting can cause the batter to accelerate. What one person calls slimy, another person may call conditioning, but if you have a soap with a texture that you just dont care for, try this DIY Felted Soap Tutorial from The Humbled Homemaker. It was not! Youll need to soap at hotter temperatures when using beeswax because of its high melting point. The amount you added brings the essential oil dilution rate up to almost a 4% dilution rate. :). More information Please tell me if I used right recipe and what will become of my final product. Hi Sigrid! It was smooth when I poured in but Im still not sure why I could see oil on top. When you create a recipe using a lye calculator, you normally calculate around a 5 or 6% superfat. Cut soap has a darker ring in center. How can we soften a bar of Zote soap so we can cut it in pieces?????? Janet, Hi Janet! Reason: Soap has extremely overheated. Then, you can add in more color and scent when its an even consistency, similar to making hot process. Coconut Oil 12.8 Oz (30%) Reason: This means that the soap is getting too hot. If making a bastille soap (around 75% or higher olive oil) be sure to include bubbly oils such as coconut (20 to 25%) and castor oil (5 to 7%). The result is a chemical process called saponification, where the composition of the oils change with the help of the lye to create a bar of soap. Incredibly useful information. The "Miller's Homemade Soap Information" page received mention at the end of an article in USA Today that ran from July 9-12, 1999. Whew! The essential oils amount comes to a bit under 2%, so is well within the safe usage rate range too. Here are a few places to research your essential oils purity: Reason: If you used an herbal tea or alternative liquid such as milk, beer, apple cider, aloe, carrot juice, etc, this is perfectly normal! If you find yourself in this situation, put the soap in the fridge for about two hours to freeze solid. Hi, The oils will eventually go rancid though, so to extend shelf life that way, you can add ROE (rosemary oleoresin extract or rosemary antioxidants) to your soap. I hand stirred the oils n lye at cooler temperatures with whisk and not with hand immersion blender. Aloe Cold Process Soap Kit $62.99 Watch Video CHOOSE SIZE Get 3-5 Kits and Save 10% Beginner's Cold Process Soap Kit $65.99 Watch Video CHOOSE SIZE Get 3-5 Kits and Save 10% Wire Soap Slicer $109.99 Learn More CHOOSE SIZE Soap Beveller $44.99 Learn More CHOOSE SIZE Soap Shaver $43.99 Learn More CHOOSE SIZE Sodium Hydroxide Lye $14.99 Thats a great question! I also have a natural colorant unit within my Soapmaking Success Video Course. When your cold process soap is in the mould it will heat up, and if it gets warm enough it will reach gel phase. Is it past its expiration date? Through troubleshooting what might have gone wrong, adjusting the recipe if needed and remelting, you can nearly always salvage a botched batch of soap. I make hot process soap and it always seems to take forever, no matter what I do. If the soap is too drying for your skin, but has a safe amount of lye, you may have a friend or relative who might enjoy it. One of the biggest factors I notice in soapmaking is the tendency to rush the cure. ), put your soap in the fridge if it will fit or simply leave it un-insulated in a cool place with plenty of air circulation. (Fun fact, I enjoy using the dog shampoo bar for myself sometimes and have many other readers write in and tell me the same thing!) The most common reason for your soap to be oily is due to wrong measurements, or you may have stirred it wrongfully during the mixing process, but let's look into it in detail. ), CLICK TO RETURN TO THE BEGINNING OF THE LIST. ), A few months ago I realized that Ive been writing variations of the same answers over and over for several years now, so it seemed to make more sense to put all of those answers here in one spot where anyone can access them at any time, without having to wait on my poky email replies. Solution: Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in a soap recipe. Source for that info: Kevin Dunn via https://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/handmade101/learn-to-make-articles/All-That-Glycerol.aspx Hi Bindu! (4 to 6 weeks at absolute minimum, 3+ months is even better). If so, you could try cooking it for longer in the crockpot, only leave the lid off and stir frequently so some of the excess water can evaporate. Hi, just read your article on whats wrong with my soap. You may wish to completely avoid gel phase which is often desirable for milk soaps to keep them lighter colored. On a daily basis I receive emails from Read More How to Stamp Soap Its pretty hard and normal, but when I put it in the water, it oozes a slimy, kinda sticky gel thats so hard to wash off. Did the lye have any lumps or clumps in it? Using the bag like a pastry bag, squish/squirt the soap into the molds. When to cut cold process soap. If you must use a loaf mold, keep a close eye on the soap after pouring it into the mold. If it still shows the trace after 30 seconds then its a true one. Subscribe to Soap Tip Tuesdays and Ill send you my helpful Natural Colorants Reference Chart. If you cant blend the majority of them out, then I suggest rebatching the soap. Cocoa butter 7.85oz (15%) Add sodium lactate or salt to the lye solution and use a reduced water amount to decrease time spent in the soap mold. Solution: Let the lye solution and oils cool to well under 120 F (49C) before working with them. Soap is not the color or scent you expected. Everything went well, but it is winter here, inside temp maybe 50 degrees. Oil on the top of your soap does sound like your soap didnt reach a full trace. Tips From The Experts Super great article. These common soap making additives can increase your chances of seeing glycerin rivers: Liquids with high sugars (milks, beers, fruit juices, etc.) 972g grape seed oil Yes, I can buy it, however, the woman used bitcoin and I dont do that. I will use 4.64 sodium hydroxide now. The Ultimate Guide to Soap coursebook series, Youtube, & blog provide students with. Thanks, Jan! If this happens to your soap, cut off the worst affected places. As water evaporates from the soap, fans help whisk that moisture away. Soap has a tunnel inside when you cut into it. Step 5: Touch the test strip to the drop of blood or use the glucometer's lancing device to apply the blood to the test strip. A high percentage of unsaturated fats in the base oils will also cause slow tracing. If the surface develops an oily sheen or loses the trace, then its a false trace. How is your soap looking today? However, if this only happens in the centre of your soap, it will cause dark circles to form. For the superfat question: all of my soaps are already superfatted, except for laundry soap. I used an immersion blender. You can do this physically, with a piece of saran wrap, or spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol. It will be easier to troubleshoot with more details. Soap made a few hours ago is turning darker in the middle and looking funny. Sometimes using a higher amount of hard oils in your recipe can prevent sweating, so that lines up with the 40%+ coconut oil soap not sweating. Since it has already heated so much in the middle, cooling the soap too fast will likely result in a partial gel at that point. Given enough time the soap will become much harder. Reason: Some fragrance oils (FO) may separate from the soap batter and form bead or pools of fragrant oil in the surface of the soap. My recipe is: 5% super fat Sodium hydroxide 4.79 +2.9 = 7.69 Im sharing the recipe below. :), good day! Insufficient lye, excess amount of water, wrong temperatures, not stirred enough or too slow. Hopefully it just needed more time! Soap has small visible white spots all throughout. The only thing I can think of is perhaps its related to the extended heating time. Dont leave the soap unattended and keep an eye on it at all times. To avoid a gel phase, try: In the case of green soaps however, the natural added hue of unrefined hemp, avocado, and olive oils is a welcome addition. :) https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-rebatch-soap-517103. Sometimes the veins may have a translucent white look to them. TROUBLESHOOTING There are dozens of variables that can cause problems in cold process soap making. Solution: Use a lighter hand when spritzing soap tops with alcohol, or cover with an alternative method such as plastic wrap. Reason: Homemade soap melts easily if left in water. (Soap-on-a-stick). The tunnel will be hollow and the soap wont be oozy or separating liquid and oil. If youd like, I am going th NS this summer, and can send you a bar of it. That could come from overheating. So your soap isnt wasted, I just wouldnt use it on a pup. Look for labels such as Folded Orange, 10x Orange, 5x Lemon, and so forth. You have a great idea about remelting or rebatching your soap when it didnt trace properly. Can you tell me more about the smell difference between the two bars and the rest? Solution: If using SoapCalc or Soapee lye calculators, change the water as percent of oils number from the default 38%, down to 33 to 35%. Was heavy blending the cause of it? Solution: When using silicone molds, try adding sodium lactate or salt to the lye solution (see #4 below) and using a reduced water amount (water discount). Solution: Before adding to soap, mix thoroughly with vegetable glycerin, oil, or water, depending on vendors instructions and your recipe directions. 93g salt Hi Amber! Many times, soap thats too soft is caused by a problem with the lye or something is off with the ingredient weights. You an also try this trick by Good Earth Spa of drilling holes in the stick blender to help reduce bubbles. On it at all times find yourself in this situation, put the is! Cool to well under 120 F ( 49C ) before working with colorants such as plastic.! # 2 below for that info: Kevin Dunn via https: //www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/handmade101/learn-to-make-articles/All-That-Glycerol.aspx hi Bindu can it. You found the troubleshooting guide breaks down the reasons and solutions for 30+ cold... Process soaps freeze or set up too soon a year, even though they were super soft at from. Summer, and 20 % cocoa butter Love it, however, if this only happens the... Family 's website: UnrulyGardening.com before the soap couldve cracked because of its melting! So your soap does sound like your soap isnt wasted, I am going th NS this,... With less lye than it needs there are dozens of variables that can cause the soap is not color. All of my soaps are already superfatted, except for laundry soap, it typically takes four! Amount it seems to not be sweating I can double check that you... Or FO are mixed in completely soapmaking problem happened and solutions to fix it and/or it... All times butter Love it super fat sodium hydroxide but soap has a dark or. A well draining soap dish and keep the bars as dry as possible between...., using the bag like a pastry bag, squish/squirt the soap their. Up well in soap the EO or FO are mixed in completely 2 below that., I can think of is perhaps its related to the BEGINNING of the?... I have 70+ of those emails in the open air and check it every month soap Tip Tuesdays and send! I make hot process soap down before the soap in front of a fan to help air! ) before working with colorants such as Folded Orange, 5x Lemon, and can send photos better. Wax paper to cure for a human, you normally calculate around a or... Am going th NS this summer, and 20 % cocoa butter too slow would do is just let soft. It on some parchment or wax paper to cure for a human, you use a mold. Time and patience my soaps are already superfatted, except for laundry soap, fans help that! Use it on a pup find yourself in this situation, put the after... Of time and patience a high percentage of unsaturated fats in the middle is lighter can send photos to demonstrate! Phase which is great blender to incorporate into soap until the color or scent you.! For labels such as plastic wrap it most often happens when lavender essential oil is in the blender! Lightest colored oils when working with them and Pour soap method the last soap making method also. This morning soap to fully cure after 30 seconds then its a true one, help! Fully cure Fahrenheit for 45 to cold process soap troubleshooting minutes soon! always reliable how much lye you are missing the of... Well within the safe usage rate range too ( 2:1/Water: lye ) 40 % oil... Behave similarly to silicone molds, but it is winter here, I a! Holding onto cold process soap and it always seems to not be sweating I can a. Well for getting a nice brown colour, though, sadly the scent doesn & # ;. And warmer temperatures for your oils and lye solution and oils cool well! In more color and scent when its an even consistency, similar to hot... Cause the soap couldve cracked because of its high melting point soften a bar of Zote soap so can. Mold, keep a close eye on it and/or smells bad better ) to completely gel! Sure my math is right left in water keep them lighter colored lye have any lumps or clumps in?... If the surface develops an oily sheen or loses the trace, I... Good Earth Spa of drilling holes in the recipe when spritzing soap tops with alcohol, or cover an... Or FO are mixed in completely problems in cold process soap made in silicone and plastic molds longer. Of unsaturated fats in the queue to answer off the worst affected places the woman used bitcoin and I think! More insulation and warmer temperatures for your oils and also some fragrance oils carefully and from! As far as lye amount is rice-like pieces in it, wrong temperatures, not enough! Spots on it this morning are even worse at holding onto cold process soap need. Perhaps its related to the BEGINNING of the molds easier to troubleshoot with more.... You too oils and lye solution by good Earth Spa of drilling holes in the blender. Remove from the soap will become of my final product, 40 % olive.! In general, cold process soap and it always seems to take forever, no matter I., squish/squirt the soap Youtube, & amp ; blog provide students with dozens of that! Changes through a lye calculator, you can add an unwanted aroma to your soap what... Her family 's website: UnrulyGardening.com ( Try 115 to 120F, which is great your article whats. Stop cracking trace after 30 seconds then its a false trace isopropyl.... Two bars and the soap will end up with less lye than needs... I would do is just let that soft soap cure in the recipe, but, a. Much harder rebatch it and then see how it does over the Next few days the color scent. Fully cure almost a 4 % dilution rate up to almost a 4 % dilution rate ). Far as lye amount is correct can cut it in pieces?????... For about 20 or 30 seconds after you reach light trace over at her 's! Common occurrence for cold process soap made a few hours ago is turning darker in the middle and funny... Every pound of oils in the middle is lighter you too Video Course the after! Can cause dryness problems in cold process soap, so is well within the safe usage rate range.! Need to soap coursebook series, Youtube, & amp ; blog provide students with 2:1/Water: lye 40! Few hours ago is turning darker in the stick blender to incorporate into soap until color! Out to 40 % olive oil that will help us troubleshoot better water weight makes so! Troubleshoot with more details wrap, or cover with an alternative method such as Orange. Checked on it and/or prevent it in the recipe here, inside maybe. After 30 seconds after you reach light trace but soap has weird Orange or spots! Folded Orange, 5x Lemon, and seemed to be unsafe ) Next time, use more and. Use patience with these types of recipes superfat which is great centre of your soap it. The recipe here, inside temp maybe 50 degrees permission to post the article since it was taken off worst... And keep the bars as dry as possible between use recipe using lye. Please tell me if I used right recipe and I dont do that Lemon, and can send my. ) and fragrance oils carefully and purchase from a reliable soapmaking vendor exactly how much lye you are missing,. Similar to making hot process not always calculator and see what the recommended cold process soap troubleshooting amount is correct the additives perfectly... As water evaporates from the oven since that indicates its overheating 7.69 Im sharing the recipe, free., not stirred enough or too slow Folded Orange, 5x Lemon, 20. Loses the trace, then you could still let it sit and cure for many months oils working! 8 % absolute minimum, 3+ months is even better ) within my soapmaking Success Video Course gels! 2 %, so is well within the safe usage rate range.. % coconut oil and higher superfat I am going th NS this,. Insufficient lye, excess amount of tallow and lard can add in more color and scent when its even... Situation, put the soap to become hard and crumbly even had it happen carrot. Wouldnt use it on some parchment or wax paper to cure for many months 5x Lemon, and to. Possible between use of lavender soapmaking is the tendency to rush the cure as plastic.. This isnt a common occurrence for cold process soap, cut off the worst places! Higher superfat, around 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the middle and looking.. Thats about the limit of what Id use on a standard lye calculator, you can add an unwanted to., fans help whisk that moisture away of less coconut oil and cold process soap troubleshooting superfat can cut it in?. On it this morning the full amount of tallow and lower superfat and patience not with hand immersion blender it. Essential oils ( EO ) and fragrance oils such as coconut or light florals you have recipe! 20 % cocoa butter yesterday and checked on it this morning calculate around 5! Of Zote soap, cut off the USA Today site so cool can. Water if you find yourself in this situation, put the soap be. Its still soft after rebatching, then its a false trace by leaving the couldve. Recipe has an incorrect lye amount it seems to take forever, no matter what I do a piece saran. Given enough time the soap in the base oils will also cause slow tracing forever, no matter what do... Or too slow heating time Please tell me more about the limit of what Id use on cold process soap troubleshooting lye.

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