Teach Soap

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I would say it's more like butter i.e. it's not spongy or squishy but rather just seems like cold, cold butter that is warmed by the touch of your finger or is a bit "melty" around the edges. It's sort of "sweating" on the surface too. Not oil but water condensation because the loaf is still so cold.

So yeah I'd better wait 'til later to cut it eh? It looks so perfect I don't want to ruin it because I was being impatient ... yikes!
Karri

PS: Good point of reference re cheese vs butter!!

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I soap therefore I am.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Isnt it painful to not cut it? Youre a natural for this! That is beautiful I really think the top is gorgeous! I usually make my soap after my daughters in bed around 9 pm & its all ready for cutting by 1 pm when i drop her off at pre-k. Thats only if i gel. If I dont gel Ive had to wait almost 3 days particularly with a higher lard content and coconut milk, if my memory is correct (no notes in front of me). I forgot about it taking longer to harden the first time and had a mild conniption fit. Id LOVE to see pics when you cut it!!

Okay guys, get a load of this!

I am actually thankful for my impatience because it showed me something very interesting about goats milk soap ...

I could NOT wait and so I cut a piece while the soap was still cold (but not frozen because I had taken it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge and then on the counter for a short while). Then I cut the rest of the soap "warm" late that same day. Well by then the soap had warmed up enough (and probably not done saponifying either) that it had started to brown up on me!

Take a look: http://twitpic.com/5by1mv

Interesting huh? The lighter piece isn't even the from the first piece I cut. It's simply from the end of the loaf where I cut it when it was cold. But any further into the loaf and it's tan with some rings. It's still not that dark by any stretch, but geez!!

My takeaway here is this and please jump in if you have a different theory:

1) Let the soap sit in the freezer (or fridge??) for 36 hours (not 20-24) so it can fully saponify and also not be so mushy when you cut it.
2) Cut it while it's COLD just in case the soap wants to keep "workin' the lye." In turn, nothing has a chance to get even a teeny bit warm.

I wonder if there's an oxidation thing happening here too that prevents the browning of the soap/goats milk.

Thoughts on this little science experiment?

I sorta want to cry because the lighter (cut-cold) soap looks BEAUTIFUL and creamy in color. I wish I had let it cure up longer in the freezer and then just cut the whole thing so it didn't go tan

Live and learn though eh? Maybe we'll perfect this whole goats milk thing yet though!
Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

Sounds like you got a partial gel. This can happen, even if the soap goes to the freezer. Some of my ungelled soaps can zap, up to three days later. After that they are fine. Some fragrances with a vanilla content can start tan to yellow. When the soap is cut, the parts that are exposed to air start to oxidize & slowly turn some shade of brown. Eventually the whole outside of the bar turns brown, but if you cut it in the middle, that part will be lighter. Then it will darken as well. Soap that is/was in the freezer always takes longer to saponify.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Ah yes, but here's the thing: that brown-ness was *already* there when I cut. In other words, the slightly tanned appearance (with rings) was apparent immediately upon cutting, in comparison to the "cut-cold" soap from earlier that day.

So the oxidization (if that's what in fact happens when you cut soap) was either good or neutral. The tanning happened inside the loaf prior to cutting.

Cool huh?

Or maybe I'm smoking something but that's my takeaway so far ... LOL.
Karri

PS: This soap is only scented with peppermint EO plus I added some finely ground oatmeal.

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I soap therefore I am.

I see what you're saying. It sounds like the inside of the soap started to gel when it came to room temp, thus the rings. Sometimes this disappears as the soap cures.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

The tanning -with rings - looks like partial gel to me. Milk soap almost always heats up, even when it goes into the freezer, especially with a loaf mold because it takes longer for the center to cool. You may want to try your next batch in a slab mold or larger flat container and pour it about an inch deep. Then put it in the freezer. The larger surface area will cool more quickly and you may be able to avoid gel completely. But, I think it looks great. I love the natural color of milk soap.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

But the loaf-cut soaps are so nice! LOL. I guess I need to find a slab mold I like ... the one I currently have makes bars that are bevelled (but only on one side of course) and to me the bars don't look as nice. If I used a cake pan next time will the soap come out as easily? I always imagine the slab (if it's big) cracking on me when I try to unmold.

I think the rings are definitely from the soap trying to gel. The tanning has to be from the soap warming up before I cut and not being able to dump heat quickly enough.

So fascinating really.

It's funny ... my husband wonders what has gotten into me since I started this soap making thing. He thinks I'm obsessed and possessed. Hehe.
Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

I made a 9 bar slab mold out of scrap wood with a plywood base that is 7.5 x 10.5 inches (inside measurements) I use my regular 2# recipe and it fills it perfectly. It's super easy to unmold by lifting up on the edges of the freezer paper lining. I get 9 bars that are 2.5x3.5x1 inches or 12 bars that are 2.5x2.5x1 inches, depending on how I feel like cutting them. I use a stainless drywall finishing tool that is 8 inches wide to cut the soap so I get a nice straight cut every time!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

That sounds like a *perfect* mold for what I want ... I might have to head to the lumber store after all. Maybe they'll cut me some pieces and then I just have to nail 'em together! Do you use plywood on the sides too or something thinner?

Rubbermaid stuff is handy but you don't get the nice squared off corners like with a wood mold
Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Karri, I have had soaps that gave me partial gel only on the very inside pieces of a log mold. I could not see your photos, so I am only guessing. When that happens the first 2 pieces of soap I cut are fine then comes the ones with a darker circle in the center, and then soaps from the other end of the log that are fine. I think this is because the ends of the loaf cool quicker than the center. I have taken to gelling in the oven to prevent this, but with the full milks soap I tend to be a little more careful and use the fridge, which again is why I watch my color carefully. I could post a photo of my strawberry soap, it went to partial gel on me if you wanted to see it.... I'm just not real happy with the color of it.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Thanks ljm1180 - I think you sound a little handier with the woodworking than me (or my husband for that matter!) but I really want a good mold so those are excellent tips which I've printed out/made note of!!

@Bubbles2 - absolutely I'd love to see pics if you have 'em handy! I'd like to do some colored milk soaps (with clays/etc) in the near future.

I'm really thinking the key to keeping that light color is freezing for 24-36 hours (or maybe the fridge?). But also that the temp (cold) has to stay around the same for the entire time and then immediately cut. Those rings must be the loaf starting to heat up even just slightly in the center when the loaf changes temp between the different environments (fridge/freezer/room temp/or oven). I think when the soap is cut cold/right away it can dump any heat super fast and then nothing has a chance to partially gel or turn brown ... it just seems to me that the second there is warmth the partial gels "tries" to get going.

Mad scientists we are

Karri

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I soap therefore I am.