Teach Soap

Hi All,

A big Hi from UAE ( United Arab Emirates)

Am so glad to have found this forum, pardon me if my questions are stupid, a newbie to soap making and I love it

made my first CP
4.80 oz Coconut Oil
4.80 oz Palm Olein
4.80 Olive Oil
1.60oz Sweet Almont Oil
2.31 oz Lye
6.08 oz Water
Fragrance 9cucumber & melon ) less than 1 oz
Color green

Mixed the oils & lye water at 120f added fragrance & color at thin trace and molded in a milk carton box .. covered it with cloth and stored on the top shelf in the toilet .. which is usually cold and dark .. after 36 hours when I cut the soap it crumbles .. did the zap test ( dampened my fingers rubbed it on soap licked it) its very soapy

What went wrong here? I have taken it out of the mold as I had to tear the milk carton box, what should I do? should I cover it and let it sit for few more days?

I have another question we here live in a very hot country, so once I cut the soap and keep it for 4 to 6 weeks what is the best place to keep the soaps? indoor? outdoor? bathroom?

Thank you guys for this forum it's such a help for people like us

Cheers
Mary

Hi Mary!
Your numbers look good and if you are sure you measured everything accurately, I think the crumbling may be because your soap didn't fully gel. Is the inside of the soap darker than the outside edges? Soap that doesn't gel can take longer to get hard than gelled soap and it can crumble when you cut it. As long as it doesn't zap, it will be fine.

Soap is best stored in a cool, dark area away from humidity.

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

If the soap didn't gel, it can be crumbly. For curing soap, store it in a least humid place that's cool in your house.
I live in the hot desert. If I put my soaps in the garage, they would melt.

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

Thank You Linda & Irena

Am so happy that my soap isn't a failure so will follow what you guys just suggested

The soap is darker in the centre another thing I noticed when I tore the carton it had oil all over it any reasons why? I had to wipe the soap with tissue

Thank You guys once again

Cheers
Happy soaping

When the soap looks darker in the center after you cut the soap, that means you got a partial gel. That's just an aesthetic issue. Just give this batch a nice cure time of 4-6 weeks.

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

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