Teach Soap

Hi -

I've made about 8 batches of CP soap using different recipe variations. Some have been milk soap that hasn't gone thru gel and others have been with water and gone thru a gel phase.

I've noticed that the surface of my soaps are mostly smooth, but if you look closely there are some tiny holes throughout. The PH of them is an 8 and there are no lye crystals remaining. It looks sort of like holes you might see when you bake brownies.

I was wondering if this is normal and what i can do to prevent it. Also, is there anything i can do to get my soap to a 7 PH?

Thanks in advance.

Hmmmm....I wanna know too!

It could be your stick blender. Which one do you use?

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

When you pour your soap do you smack the mold on the counter to release any air bubbles trapped in it? I do.

I use an old Braun stick blender that has probably seen better days I don't smack the mold to release air bubbles. I will give it a try with my next batch.

Thanks all.

Another little trick is to put your stick blender into the liquid oil, tip it a bit, and tap the bucket to get all the air bubbles out before you add the water. Some stick blenders trap a bit of air and give you those small holes. They're nothing to worry about.

And getting your soap to a lower pH - not with true soap, no. It's alkaline by nature. It isn't necessary, really, to have a low pH to have a nice mild soap - that's a marketing line that we all learned from companies who are selling synthetic detergent bars.

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I dont remember who mentioned this to me, but I received some good advice on here about the bubble problem. They said to gently pour your soap mixture over a spatula or spoon as you are pouring it into the mold. This has helped me a ton. I also alternate between using the stick blender and hand stirring. As others have mentioned, I also whack the mold on the counter.

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I will try it. I'm new to soaping and I knew that M&P gets bubbles, but it didn't occur to me that it would be the same for CP.

I won't be concerned about the PH 8 of my soap, although being new I would feel better if it were lower.