Teach Soap

Well, yet again, I had a separation problem. This time I was using Blue Man. I made a four pound batch and everything seemed to go well. The batch I made right before was perfect. This batch is SO PRETTY, and the oils are just hanging out on the sides and top. I CPOP'ed these two batches last night. The only thing different was that I soaped room temp. What should I do, and how can I make sure this doesn't happen? I'm 99% positive that it was the FO that separated b/c my unscented swirls have hardened up while the scented bits are soft and liquidy.

Where did the fragrance come from? Some are not suitable for CP soap.

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

It was Blue Man from BB.

You said that you soaped at room temp. That might be your problem. It's possible that some of the stearic content from one of your soapmaking oils started to solidify. For next time, I would soap at around 110 degrees (US) and add the fragrance to your soap oils.

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

That's exactly what I was thinking as well. I soaped low with another FO and it did the same thing. I also CPOPed that one. For now I think I'll go back to my 110-115 temps and forgo CPOP-ing for awhile.

I'm going to try to rebatch it...should I mix it all up and heat it in the oven to make it hotter? Or should I just mix it all up again and put it back to bed? Thanks for your help, Irena! I've been googling all day and haven't gotten as good information as you've given me.

BTW, here's the FO link and recipe (I was trying to get rid of the last of a plethora of ingredients I had):

http://www.brambleberry.com/Blue-Man-Fr ... P4694.aspx

Avocado Butter 3.20oz 05.0%
Castor Oil 3.20oz 05.0%
Coconut Oil (92 Degrees) 12.80oz 20.0%
Olive Oil 28.80oz 45.0%
Palm Kernel Flakes 9.60oz 15.0%
Shea Butter (Unrefined) 6.40oz 10.0%
7% Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Amount 8.857oz
Ounces of liquid recommended 21.12oz
Yields 93.98oz

(From BB's Lye Calc)

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

Congrats on your save!

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

Thanks! It's still kind of soft so I'll let it sit a few more days. I hope it's okay!

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

Well, I was sick so I left the soap alone for ages now. It's still kinda soft but it's shrinking away from the molds. I'm going to cut it Sunday and see what happens. Worst case scenario I just scoop and scrub, lol.

Thanks for your help, soapbuddy!

It's been a month and it hasn't gotten any harder. I can stick my finger right through it. It doesn't really lather all cute and bubbly; it has a creamy non-foamy lather. At this point I'm just thinking of tossing it. I don't know what else I can do. Any last-ditch ideas?

That's too bad. The only thing I can think of now is that you could shred part of it and add it at trace to another batch. If not, chalk it up to experience, reformulate your recipe and move on.

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