Teach Soap

I made my first batch of CP soap about 2 weeks ago. I made a second batch about a week ago using the exact same recipe and they look and smell very different. The first batch is a green color, with a darker middle and lighter outsides and the second batch is a creamy white all around which looks better but is cracking. Also, the first batch smells different - kind of chemically? I used mostly olive oil with some coconut oil and castor oil.
The difference between batches are as follows: first batch - used empty milk carton and didn't insulate (didn't know any better), cut it 24 hours later. I just covered the top with plastic wrap and let it sit inside to cool. Second batch - used wood mold, insulated with thick towel and didn't touch it until 24 hours later, when I cut it. With both, I let set them out to cure in my basement which is usually about 53 degrees Fahrenheit - maybe that is the problem.
Why do I have a soap with different colors? Why is the second batch cracking and the first isn't? Also, why does the first one smell funny? Can I use them both? Sorry if this is excessive. I appreciate any help in advance.

What was your recipe, temps, superfat and method? It could be that one gelled and the other one didn't.

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

I'm kinda thinking that the first batch gelled and the second didn't, too. When the soap heats up in the mold and goes through a gelatinous stage, that's known as gel phase. Gelled soaps are usually a bit darker in color and ungelled soaps are usually lighter. Soap doesn't have to go through gel phase in order to become usable soap - some soapers purposely avoid gel phase. Ungelled soaps may zap a few days longer than gelled soap since the saponification process is slowed.

As far as the batch with the darker middle goes, I'll bet you got a partial gel. That's when the soap begins to gel in the center, but gel phase doesn't quite make it to the edges of the soap. You end up with a dark ring in the middle and lighter edges. Partially gelled soap is perfectly fine to use, too. It's just an aesthetic issue. It's kinda strange, though, that the uninsulated batch partially gelled and the insulated batch in the wooden mold didn't if the conditions were the same. Maybe your soaping temps had something to do with it?

I'm not sure about the cracking. Cutting ungelled soap too soon can sometimes cause crumbling. I don't know what to say about the different smells, either.

The soaps should be fine as long as they pass the zap test. To do a zap test, either touch the tip of your tongue to the surface of your soap, or wet your finger and rub it on the soap to work up a paste; then touch your finger to your tongue. If it zaps you (zap stings and tingles, like licking a battery head), there is active lye in the soap and it isn't safe to use as is. If it just tastes like soap, you're good. You will definitely know it if you get zapped. (And remember that ungelled soap can zap for 3 days or so longer than gelled soaps. Gelled soaps usually don't zap after 24 hours.)

Maybe more info about your recipe, temps, and method will help us further troubleshoot.

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What was your recipe, temps, superfat and method? It could be that one gelled and the other one didn't.

I appreciate this very much! So, since I was not a very informed soap maker this time around (I got a book and am now doing more reading), I don't exactly know how to answer about my method because I am not entirely sure what that means. Here is my recipe: Olive oil - 26oz., coconut oil - 6 oz., castor oil - 1 oz. , water - 10 oz., sodium hydroxide - 4.4 oz. I didn't take the temperatures of either the lye mixture or my oils (doh!). I have no idea what the superfat percentage is. I got the recipe off of a Pinterest pin. This is what I did: mixed lye solution and let it sit outside for about 15-20 min (first batch) while I measured out and heated my oils. Then I added lye mix to the oils and stick blended until trace and then poured the molds. With the second batch, I let the lye mixture cool longer than the first. Neither time did I take the temp.

I've learned my lesson and will do more research before doing my next batch. I have read much about techniques and know I have a lot to learn, but I was still having some trouble with finding answers and troubleshooting. I am still very, very excited to be making soap!
Oh, and I will try the zap test with them to make sure they are okay to use (cool!). Thank you so much!

Your recipe is about 7% superfat. If you are just starting out, get yourself a thermometer. Most people prefer the laser one, since you don't need to touch your oils. Your oils and lye water don't have to be exactly the same, but I would mix both at around 110 degrees (US). Did you use a stick blender? There is a sticky that I posted with pics of what gelling soap looks like.

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

Thanks, Irena. I will check out the pics of the gelling soap. And I think I will go ahead and get a thermometer

Definitely get a thermometer! A candy thermometer is what I use, but I put it in the lye water or in the oils. BE CAREFUL to be wearing gloves and goggles. Gloves are important for when you wipe the thermometer off -- you don't want to get wet from the lye water or hot oils. Goggle protect your eyes just in case you somehow splash (AND WE ALL HAVE).

Wear your goggles and gloves for cleanup because you don't want to touch raw soap (active lye).

Jill

I will be getting a thermometer, definitely. Thankfully, I read up a lot on lye safety, so I have been covering myself. I am just so excited to be making soap, it's ridiculous.