WHAT happened??!!?!

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Vidasworld12

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Hi everyone,

So I did my second batch just yesterday .. I later on went to check up on it ( I put clear wrap on top - to avoid the whole soda ash - thinking that was not a great idea) and what I see is a bunch of sweat / heat bubbles on the top of the soap.. I chickened out cause I didn't want to touch it and ruin it , so I left it as is .. thinking they would disappear.. they didn't :(:(.. did this happen cause of the temp? Too high? Is it still usable? I'm new so I'm really just here to get the hang of it.. looks to me don't matter much .. YET.. thx for your help .. greatly appreciated!
 
Post a picture please. The saran wrap on top isn't a bad idea, lots of people do it for the reasons you mentioned. I am thinking the soap got a bit too warm and it caused some cosmetic issues?
 
The results :headbanging:

IMG_0667.jpg


IMG_0668.jpg
 
With the information you provided - yes, it does sound like overheating. Did you insulate it with towels or blankets? What kind of mold was it put in?

What was your recipe? What temperature were your lye solution and oils when you combined them? Did you add any additives like sugar?

If it is overheating - no need to panic. The soap will reabsorb the sweat. I've overheated my soap many times and my loaf ended up with zappy (very zappy - yowch) liquid all over it. A few days later, the liquid was completely reabsorbed and my soap was no-longer zapping.

The bubbles will remain as a cosmetic flaw, but assuming your recipe is A-OK, it will only be cosmetic. :)
 
Ya I'm def thinking now it was too hot.. I used a plastic mold lined ..
Coconut 3.2 oz
Olive 11.2 oz
Almond .80 oz
Palm ( red all I could find ) .80 oz

Oils were at about 120 - lye approx 115/120

Used a blanket - those smaller ones that you get on planes
 
There are a few things that can cause overheating, for future reference. :)

1. Combining your lye solution and oils too hot (obviously!) - between 100-120 is usually fine for most recipes.

2. High water content = more heat.

3. Additives like sugar, honey, beer and milk.

4. Temperamental FOs, especially florals and spices.

5. Mold type - soap in a loaf mold gets much hotter than cavity molds.

6. Mold material - silicone molds are a bit less likely to overheat - wooden molds provide more insulation.

7. Insulation - blankets, towels, etc.

I personally don't insulate at all, I just leave my soap on my countertop and leave it alone. My house is about 70-72 degrees and it seems to gel no problem with 1 TBSP sugar PPO and 30-35% lye concentration.
 
Thank you very much ! I guess the blanket was a bit much .. mayb I will try your method next batch .. this soap making is seriously addicting.. I want to do a batch literally every day lol only reason I don't it's cause I'm so busy with kids .. I'm constantly checking this forum for new info lol I'm in trouble ..


Thx again you are always so detailed with your replies.. greatly appreciated
 
Thanks for the photo's (nice and clear).

Without poking it, I'd say it's just tipped over into overheating, but hasn't gone too far (looks like a tiny bit of ricing maybe, but no cracking top or volcano).

If there's no puddles underneath when you take it out, and especially if it passes the zap test, you will be able to use it.

You could try shaving a bit off the top, if you are worried about the look of the bubbles. Should be fine.
 
Saltedfig:

Ricing ? Really? Oh man ! I only used like 15 drops of lavender EO.. I didn't really want a scent .. just did cause ...

So how can I tell where the ricing maybe?

Btw thx for the reply .. much appreciated
 
Sorry - I was "thinking out loud" in text - didn't mean to make you nervous.

Seriously, it looks fine. What I meant was those tiny little bumpy looking things that maybe aren't even there (I'm looking at a relatively small screen).

Even if there is some, it should be mild (and could just be a textural issue for the tops only, where the heat has escaped to). If the soap passes the zap test, it will be fine.
 
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Air bubbles on top of your soap can be eliminated while it is still wet if you spray it lightly with rubbing alcohol. It is also believed to have some effect at warding off soda ash.

Tapping the mold onto the countertop a few times also helps to release air bubbles from the interior of the loaf. Be careful not to do this too hard with very fluid soap batter because if you do, it can plop upward.

Over stick-blending can create extra air bubbles in your soap, so keep the SBing to a minimum. Besides creating air bubbles, over stick blending can burn our your SB motor, and that's no fun.

Your soap looks pretty well blended and smooth other than the little craters which to me look a bit like the aftermath of burst air bubbles. But I could be wrong.

As far as overheating, I wouldn't expect that with the recipe you mentioned with only a light airplane blanket (they are really so thin and in my experience don't seem all that warm.) Plastic wrap over the top doesn't seem to cause excessive heat in my experience, but it does allow for liquid to pool on the plastic and then drip down again as everything starts to cool down.
 
You know what now that you mention it .. I might have gone a tinny bitty over :think:
It looks easier on tutorials than in actual .. I'm trying to get the hang of my SB.. it seems so powerful when I pulse it .. I'm trying to keep my cost down . .. so I'm just Gona have to work with it.. everything makes so much more sense when experienced people mention it .. you are all so freaking awesome ! Thank you !!!
 
Lol it's the red palm oil .. it's very bright red/ orange .. so that's the out come .. im thinking it might fade even more while curing
 
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