Teach Soap

Clearly, all these posts have jinxed me because in 10+ years of soap making I have just had my first batch that leaked something. It was a standard recipe, I can post the % and pictures later but basically coconut, palm, olive, shea and castor. I've made this countless times, the only changes were I recently switched my measurements from ounces to grams (I ran it through a calculator again) and I used a new FO (applejack peel).

It's been 2 days and is still in the mold but there is a layer of oil (or FO??--it's hard to say because the scent is very strong) sitting on top of the bars. I didn't get a zap. When I added the lye water to the oil, it almost seemed like it was going to rice up but I blended that in. Certainly I could have made a miscalculation in measuring but I don't know for sure. I noticed the oil pretty soon after molding the soap so I put it in the freezer for a day in case it was overheating.

This isn't a huge batch (2#) but I'd hate to trash it unnecessarily since it doesn't zap. Is there a chance the oils will reabsorb? Should I pour them off? I'm not really sure what to do!

Ooooh, Applejack Peel! *hisses*
Look what it did to my soap!! http://coolahcreations.com/blog/2012/06 ... ke-apples/

_________________
The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

Well crud. That's pretty similar to what happened with mine except I didn't use any milk. Does it have to get pitched?

If all your measurements and weights were correct I would rebatch.

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

Rebatch as in toss it in the crockpot?

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

Before I rebatch the soap (which I hate doing because it's so ugly), I want to make sure that it did in fact, overheat, since it does not zap at all. The soap has an oily layer on top and a few small liquid patches on the inside.







Assuming it did overheat (which does seem to be the most likely explanation), how the HECK do I keep this from happening again? I really like the FO. If I put it immediately in the freezer would that work? On this batch I did put it in the freezer but only after about 2 hours when I noticed the oil on top.

It looks like it overheated. Fro next time, don't insulate, elevate it and put a fan on it. Or, put it in the fridge.

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

Well I guess the positive side of this is I get to make more soap. I will stick this right in the freezer and hope for the best.

I used Applejack Peel and didn't have any problem with it, thanks to seeing what happened to Coolah's soap! I soaped really cool and didn't insulate.

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

We'll see how it goes. I made a second batch. It looks very nice although it did look a bit oily as I was finishing up. I put it in the freezer straight away without a lid so I hope it works. If it doesn't, I'm throwing in the stick blender.

I have been getting a small amount of oily, not as bad as your pictures. Same recipe. Mine seems to "go away" as the soap cures.

_________________
The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

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

Hahaha! At least my failure was helpful to someone!

_________________
The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!