Teach Soap

Last night, I made a huge (80 ounce) batch of lilac scented cp and found this am (as I tried to unmold) a number of disasters. Can someone help me figure this out?

I used my regular recipe but resized for 80 oz thru soap calc. I added 4 oz of lilac FO from SGS. I colored 2/3 with labcolor and about 2 extra tbl alkanet olive oil for the purple part, and for the other 1/3 I used another labcolor and swirled in some of the purple labcolor and alkanet mixture.

I cpop'd it for 1 hour and it hadn't hit gel yet so I took it out of the oven anyways and insulated it over night.

This am, it felt ready to unmold (sort of solid and spongy on top) so I started to pull it out of the mold and the whole thing started oozing from the inside. I also noticed wet pools in some of the four corners of the soap on top. And then finally, the inside color was not purple or pink at all but BEIGE! And of course, I know the inside color because the whole loaf collapsed on itself.

I really need to get a loaf of this made by the end of the week so does anyone have any suggestions as I have just enough lilac left to make another (albeit much smaller) loaf?

I hate, hate, hate wasting 80 oz of oils!!!!

Thanks in advance!

Lisa

Forgot to say I used 30 pct for my water vs. the default of 38 pct on soap calc.

I've always had terrible, terrible luck with lilac - a lot of it discolors to beigy shades, or to a dirty orange. And if it doesn't discolor right away, wait until the UV light hits it and watch the terrible color it changes to. It's also one of those finicky florals that's prone to overheating and seizing. I haven't used the SGS version, but I've been put through the wringer with several other suppliers so I'm guessing that it behaves about the same.

You can probably rebatch and cook everything back together - but the color will be who-knows-what. Do you have a pic, so I can get a better clue?

If you're just going to make another batch, I'd probably do it HP-style and leave it uncolored.

(I should add that I started using my lilac in body butter only, and it's nearly gone and then I am NEVER BUYING LILAC AGAIN. So my opinion is a pretty cranky one.)

_________________
http://www.magichandsworkshop.com
http://www.magichands.etsy.com
http://www.magichandsworkshop.blogspot.com

Thanks Magic!

I am going to do it again. . . .but I like your suggestion of leaving it uncolored. I wish I could just not do it, but I promised I would make it so I am stuck. I don't think now is the time to learn to HP as I would probably just screw that up too.

However, I do think I will chunk this up and use it inside another batch.

Two things are pretty clear to me: 1) I never should have added the 2 tbl of alkanet, 2) purple oxide mixed with lab colors is not a good combination. And I guess 3) lilac is a pisser.

Thanks again!

Lisa

I figured out the beige. ... apparently BB's Purple Oxide is NOT for CP soap and I used a titch of this to deepen the alkanet/lab colors mix. Darn.

I make a little lilac soap every spring. I will say that BBs lilac is very strong so I only use half the recomended amount maybe thats why I've not had real trouble with my coloring. You could call it white lilac if you leave it uncolored. I've got some white lilacs in my side yard. good luck

_________________
http://www.magichandsworkshop.com
http://www.magichands.etsy.com
http://www.magichandsworkshop.blogspot.com

Well, yes, it DOES look like Godzilla Poop!!!!

This is giving me a GREAT EXCUSE to buy new colors!

Thanks so much for your help, Magic Hands!

BB lilac with Celestial Colors Muscadine--- perfect purple color with a spot on lilac scent every time for me. ( don't forget I'm all goatmilk all the time ) The Celestial Colors violet still goes grey but the muscadine is purple every time. Have a ton of customers that want lilac soaps

_________________
You may be only one person to the world, but you may also be the world to one person