Hi and what happened!?

Hi,

I am new to the forum and soap making. I have made about 5 or 6 batches so far and am pleased with how they turned out. However the latest loaf I made had a weird, unformed, gel-like bottom. It looks like the bottom part never went past gel stage. It is a raw milk (1/2 of h20 content) and honey (6tbs for 5lb loaf). Did the honey speed up the gel and did the bottom just get too hot or something? I think this is what happened but not quite sure... I kind of scraped off the gel stuff, but you can see what Im talking about in the picture.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T ... directlink

Also where do you guys get your lye? Just ran out and looking for a good online source (i.e. cheap!). Hey and where do you get your fragrances? What are a few good ones to start with? I havent tried any EOs of FOs yet and would like to.


Thanks!

Alex

Honey is prone to overheating, as are milk soaps. It looks like it scorched/overheated to me. Plus, I think most people stick to only 1 Tablespoon of honey per pound of oil and it looks like yours was 1.2 T ppo or so.

Most people Bramble Berry, Wholesale Supplies Plus, New Direction Aromatics, Aroma Have/Rustic Escentuals, Daystar, Scent Works, Sweet Cakes for their FO & EO needs. There are plenty of other suppliers as well. You can check out http://www.suppliersbystate.com/state-listings.php to find suppliers close to you, or http://www.fragranceoilfinder.com/ to browse by vendor, scent, dupe, etc.

I bought most of my lye from Essential Depot in Florida. They have good prices (most of the time) and being on the eastern side of the US, the shipping is fast to me in TN. I think I got 12 pounds with shipping for $37. I like the 2 pounds of lye I got from Bramble Berry because it is flaked and not pellets, but shipping takes so long from BB to me, ED was cheaper and faster.

Preferences as to what kind of scents you like is going to be a trial and error. You can buy the same scent from three different vendors and they can all smell different, plus everyone's noses will pick up scents differently. Personally, I prefer spicy and fruity scents, but not florals, so I couldn't be any help with roses, gardenias, etc.

ajp529 said:

Hi,

I am new to the forum and soap making. I have made about 5 or 6 batches so far and am pleased with how they turned out. However the latest loaf I made had a weird, unformed, gel-like bottom. It looks like the bottom part never went past gel stage. It is a raw milk (1/2 of h20 content) and honey (6tbs for 5lb loaf). Did the honey speed up the gel and did the bottom just get too hot or something? I think this is what happened but not quite sure... I kind of scraped off the gel stuff, but you can see what Im talking about in the picture.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T ... directlink

Also where do you guys get your lye? Just ran out and looking for a good online source (i.e. cheap!). Hey and where do you get your fragrances? What are a few good ones to start with? I havent tried any EOs of FOs yet and would like to.


Thanks!

Alex

Click to expand...

when did you add honey? i read if you add the honey into cooled lye it will heat up , and then wont heat up again when curing. and also read to soap at low temperature (under 95) when working with both honey and milk? also read its better to not let the soap gel if using milk and honey bc of the whole overheating issue. im a total newb though, so what do i know lol. tonight i will make my first soap and i am making honey oatmeal goatmilk.ive been reading all about making this kind of soap because thats the soap i love the most and want to learn how to make lets hope i make it right

I love essentials depot for lye. They have free shipping on 5 bottles of lye (I think it is 2lb total) and don't forget to use coupon code EDPC10 at checkout for a 10 percent discount - this brings the total cost down to about $32-33.