Overheating Oatmeal and Honey?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

MorpheusPA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
782
Reaction score
758
I made my first oatmeal and honey soap yesterday, 22g PPO oatmeal, 1 tsp PPO oils. The recipe was:

80% Tallow
15% Coconut
5% Castor

This thing overheated like a...but I probably shouldn't use that language here. :twisted:

I almost always use honey at that rate and don't have a problem; the only change was adding oatmeal.

Is that normal for oatmeal, which I understand is quite starchy, or just a one-off due to the fragrance oil or happenstance?
 
What was the scent? I don't find my oatmeal overheats when I use it by itself, but honey always warms up pretty fast, and I only use 1tsp per 3lbs oils. Anymore than that and I would most likely have a volcano, even though I soap at RT.

I also only use 1tsp finely ground oatmeal to 3lbs of oils, and don't find it scratchy, just a light (very light) exfoliate. I triple grind my oatmeal in a grinder though, so it's super super fine. Almost like a dust.
 
What temp did you soap at? I always soap as cool as possible to prevent overheating when I add honey. You have a high amount of solid fats in your recipe. It can be tempting to soap at a higher temperature so that they stay clear and liquid, but that can mean trouble when you add honey or other sugar containing additives. Just a thought.
 
I was around 110, and the fragrance was mixed lavender and ginger--which has never given me a problem before.

I'm gonna assume I was hotter than I thought I was and it simply went faster than expected, I guess!
 
I was around 110, and the fragrance was mixed lavender and ginger--which has never given me a problem before.

I'm gonna assume I was hotter than I thought I was and it simply went faster than expected, I guess!

I do know that when I mix scents, even ones that typically don't cause me problems when separate, they do tend to accelerate when mixed, however, they don't generally overheat.

Hmm. Yeah, maybe just soaped a bit warmer than you thought. ?? IDK - it's a mystery to me. :)
 
Could be the temps. The first time I made a beer and honey soap, I was only at 80 degrees. No overheating. Just watch out for false trace. Working at lower temps with a lot of solid fats can be tricky.
 
did you add real honey at all? because honey can do that.

Yep, but for me that's a standard additive at 1 tsp PPO. I like the lather and the label appeal when giving soap as gifts. "Oh, this has honey in it!"

Yeah, yeah it does. :)

I'm used to the heating from the honey, but this was a cracked and swollen top that looked like it might theoretically volcano on me...
 
I've used honey and oatmeal together and it does seem to heat up a bit more for me. If I insulate at all it cracks my soap. So maybe it is a combination. I generally use 1 tsp PPO honey and 2-3 tsp. of finely ground oatmeal PPO. And may have started warmer than usual.
 
I've used honey and oatmeal together and it does seem to heat up a bit more for me. If I insulate at all it cracks my soap. So maybe it is a combination. I generally use 1 tsp PPO honey and 2-3 tsp. of finely ground oatmeal PPO. And may have started warmer than usual.

Well, at least I no longer feel like a mutant. :)

I'll try cutting it down next time--the five percent oatmeal was probably a bit much. At least it's currently curing beautifully, smells amazing, and has a great texture. I'm anxious to try this in late January!
 
Back
Top