Teach Soap

I think some of my soap from my 2nd batch of favors has the DOS. What else can go wrong with this batch? I made this batch around April 7. I was cleaning the soda ash off today and noticed one of the soaps had a small discoloration, kind of rust color, but it's on a green soap. I tried to rub it off, but it looks like it goes deep. On another soap there were two small spots, one deep and one that I was able to rub off the surface. I checked all the soaps, and I found spots on 3 of the 33 soaps from this batch. I scratched at one of the spots to see how deep it went and it was about 1/8th of an inch in.

I don't know if this is some color or something that got into these soaps when I was making them, or if it is DOS. I have a few questions for you experts:

1. Will DOS spots grow bigger? I will mark the area of the colored spot on one and watch it.
2. If this is DOS, does that mean one of my oils is bad? I don't smell anything bad or rancid about the soap or any of the oils.
3. If it's DOS, does that mean my whole batch is contaminated? Is it just a matter of time before the others start getting spots?
4. Is there some way I can tell for sure if it's DOS?

I am hoping that maybe I spilled some mica or something into the mold of those soaps before pouring and it's a color issue.

The DOS spots are usually yellow, golden yellow, or yellow with an orange tinge. They don't always get bigger, but they can spread from bar to bar. Can you post a photo of the spot(s)?

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

Ok, here is a picture of one that I didn't try to rub away, I'm not good with drawing on pictures to circle it but hopefully you can see it:

That looks like DOS to me.

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

So do you think my whole batch is bad? Will the others do the same thing?

Is there any chance it's a pool of FO? What all is in the soaps? I sometimes get that if I don't mix honey well enough, or even from the fat in milk.

ETA ok, not a pool of anything.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

My recipe had olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, tallow, rice bran oil, castor oil, and Tropical Vacation FO. I used a pre-mixed liquid chromium hydroxide for color. I only use distilled water to mix with my lye.

I am hoping it doesn't happen to the other soaps in the batch, so far no changes.

Do the spots smell "off"? Kind of rancid?

No, there's no smell I can detect at all. Even my FO isn't strong.

DOS can also be from other things besides rancid oils. You can get them if too much moisture stayed in one area for too long and you can get them if certain metals touch that part of the soap.

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Genny

Genny, the moisture reason makes the most sense to me for this batch. I made the small bars in silicone molds and they do tend to stay soft for a long period of time. Even after a week and a half some of them were still soft and moist on the bottom and I had to put them in the freezer to remove from the mold intact.

So far none of my other soaps are affected and the areas on the three that have it haven't changed. Keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of the soaps stay spotless!

I see I'm in good company. I just got my first case of DOS too. Feels like I need to be planning six little funerals. How are your other soaps from that batch doing now? Here's hoping the pox doesn't spread!

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Jennifer
Doing my best to blow up my kitchen. In style!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Jennybee. It's devastating, isn't it?

None of the others in my batch show any signs of DOS, and even the ones I quarantined have not changed at all, they are the exact same size as they were. I read your post and now I'm really interested in getting that book! I'll probably order it this week.

* sniff * *sniff* (dabs eyes with hankie) Yes, it was a terrible loss, and my condolences to you too. Although, they've gone to the big soap dish in the sky, they'll not be forgotten. We shall have to forge ahead without them. Somehow....

I'm really glad to hear the other soaps of yours are fine though. You've put so much thought and time into those favors. In your shoes, I'd have probably had heart failure on the spot when I discovered the damage. When is that wedding anyway?!

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Jennifer
Doing my best to blow up my kitchen. In style!