Oh no, more discoloration! What is this?

MsBien · Jun 23, 2009

Oh no, I don't know what to think. A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread about a couple of bars that discolored, now I have more. I can't imagine what this is, any new ideas?

Here's my recipe:
Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Soybean Oil, Shea Butter, and Castor Oil. It has lavender & clary sage EO, and I used alkanet root to make the purple. The other two batches that discolored are similar recipes one had avacado oil in addition to the above, and one had rice bran oil instead of soybean oil.

The soap is also sweating (it's hot and muggy where I live right now but I've go the a/c on). This particular soap was sitting on a shelf with plenty of air circulation and no direct sun.

What can this be, please help if you can. I'm going crazy.

Stacie

Val · Jun 23, 2009

That darker part looks to me like a ring from partial gel.

I am not positive on some of the oils but seems you have more softer ones. Maybe that is what is causing the sweating.

Val

MsBien · Jun 23, 2009

Thanks, but it's not a partial gel. Good point though, I forgot to mention that the soap was perfect until a couple of days ago when it started to discolor. It was made on April 16th.

Stacie

ibariaSoap · Jun 23, 2009

I always thought that if soap was going to turn a color, it would do it pretty much immediately..? Guess not..

Guest · Jun 23, 2009

Does the discoloration go throughout the bar or is it just on the outside ?

Kitn

xraygrl · Jun 23, 2009

Could you possibly have overheated the oils?

artisan soaps · Jun 23, 2009

MsBien · Jun 23, 2009

Could overheating the oils do this? Around that time I was in the process of switching how I melted the oils and it is certainly possible that I could have overheated them.

If so, what would that have done? Would it have made it more susceptible to going rancid or something?

Thanks, keep your ideas coming. I sure do appreciate it!

Stacie

PS The discoloration does not go through the bar. (edited to include the PS)

xraygrl · Jun 23, 2009

Yes, overheating the oils can lead to the fatty acids breaking down, and in turn lead to rancidity. To me that is what it looks like.

Oh no, more discoloration! What is this?

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

MsBien

Well-Known Member

Val

Well-Known Member

MsBien

Well-Known Member

ibariaSoap

Well-Known Member

Guest

xraygrl

Well-Known Member

artisan soaps

Well-Known Member

MsBien

Well-Known Member

xraygrl

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Oh no, more discoloration! What is this?

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Guest

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!