Oil problem (I think?)

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SoapyQueenBee

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The batch of honey soap I made yesterday behaved normally, as I was making and pouring, and it's begun to harden wonderfully. The top, however, has me a bit concerned; it's very wet. Not like dew, but almost as if it's over-oiled (yeah, I create my own terms lol). When I touch it, it's definitely becoming solid and doesn't feel oily, but is there anything else it could be?
I removed the insulation towel, last night, because the batches seemed to be staying too hot too long, and left the plastic covering on. Is it alright to remove the plastic, to see if the top will dry off, or does it still need to be covered for now? It hasn't been quite 24 hours, yet, since it was poured.
Could the honey have caused the additional moisture? I'm not worried about the expense of this batch being wasted, but do want to figure out what may have gone wrong, to avoid it happening again in future batches.

Here's the recipe I used (from family 'good recipes' box):

5% superfat moisture bars - yield: 35oz.

8oz. olive oil
4oz. palm oil
4oz. coconut oil
4oz. meadowfoam oil
4oz. sweet almond oil
3.2oz. sodium hydroxide
8oz. distilled water
1 Tb. honey
1 1/2oz. fragrance
3 Tb. ground oats
6 drops yellow oxide

If anyone sees any problems with it, I'd appreciate any advice. I've checked it with a couple of lye calculators, after converting measurements from metric to US standard, and everything looks fine based on those results.
If I'm just worrying too much, again, don't shoot me. :)
 
Yes, you can uncover it. I actually never cover my soaps with plastic and never insulate unless I want to force gel. I just let mine sit and do what it wants.
I do wonder if your soap might have overheated and caused some oil pooling on top, any chance you can post a picture?
 
Honey can help it to overheat. *Usually* when you've got oil on top, it's from overheating. Take off all the covering and let it sit and see if the oil incorporates back into the soap.
 
Everyone needs to keep in mind now is the heart of summer in the US. If this is your first summer making soap you will notice that a lot of your bars that are not fully cured or wrapped will have varying amounts of weep-age. Some may feel fully dry and some may just feel a bit sticky, others may actually have a mild dew.

This is normal under high humidity. Don't worry everything goes back to normal once the heat and humidity wear down.
 
I put all honey and milk soaps in the freezer to prevent overheating. One problem with overheating is the possible cavern that be in the middle of the soap when you cut your loaf. It happens when overheating causes a volcano in the middle of the soap, which will sometimes open up on the surface of the soap ie, cracking on top or it can stay hidden. I very seldom gel my soaps for this reason plus I like the creamy look of ungelled soap. I do risk a partial gel but I simply do not worry about it and it gives customers to wonder how I got the nice oval in the center :p
 

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