Why is my soap blue and stinky?

[Happysoap]

I am about to cry! recently my soaps are begining to misbehave. And my stock is running very low. Kind of stressed out about that. Every batch is something new and yet it has been made the same way a million times before.

This is my eggwhite kaolin soap. Scented with lavender mint eos. Usually its nice and white. Today I went to cut it. Inside is blue and it has a very sharp stink to it. I am hoping both cure out. Any ideas what happened?!

 

[FifthCap]

You didnt add color?
When I was my crock pot the water turns a bluish color like that.

 

[IrishLass]

The same kind of thing always happens to me whenever I use vanilla fragrances or on the rare occasions that I happen to get partial gel, but as my soap cures, the off-color in the center gradually blends in/evens out until its barely noticeable. Don't despair- there's still hope yet!


IrishLass

 

[dixiedragon]

That is weird! It's actually very pretty, too bad it is stinky. Looks like some kind of partial gel?

 

[IrishLass]

Re: the sharp, stinky smell...... does it smell like the nasty scent of a bad chemical hair perm, or maybe even ammonia? If so, you still shouldn't despair at this point. If my own batches are anything to go by, soap can have either of those or any other kinds of weird, awful, chemical smells at first depending on what additives and/or scents were used. If there's one thing I've learned in all my years of soaping, don't judge anything until after it's cured.


IrishLass

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I had this occasionally happen with my coconut milk soaps.
The blue colour disappears within few days, so as the nasty smell.
Give them few days and see how they cure.

 

[Shalisk]

I would kill to be able to make a bar that looked like that.....some wint-o-green scent, and market it as "Frost Storm" Soap

 

[Obsidian]

I too think they are beautiful. I wonder if the egg white is causing them smell? I know when I use yolks, it gives the bars a unpleasant scent but it fades.

 

[pamielynn]

If you didn't use any milks, I'd say that's your egg. Don't panic! Let it cure out and the color and smell should go away. I get the blue with a certain brand of coconut milk.

 

[lsg]

I too think it is the egg. Egg soap does have a rather pungent odor, but it fades as the soap cures. I usually use the whole egg and cover up the scent with a sharp citrus blend.

 

[navigator9]

I agree that it's probably the egg that's responsible for the smell. Beer soap and goat's milk soap smell funky at first, but that blue color has me stumped! Hey, at least it's a really pretty shade of blue. :-D

 

[BabyPickles106]

What does adding egg do for the soap properties?

 

[Skatergirl46]

What does adding egg do for the soap properties?

I was just about to post the same question.

 

[Happysoap]

Thanks guys. The colour is fascinating me. It is fading slowly. The stink also. I was confused by the two because they never happened before. The soap usually has a faint chemical odour to it but never like this. Thankfully, it seems to be getting better.

I really like egg white in soap. It makes a rich fluffy silky luxurious lather. It is also good for the skin.

 

[lsg]

Egg adds richness to the lather. I have been doing a little more reading on egg yolk soap and some commented that when they cut the soap, the center had a slight greenish tint. I remember now that some of my bars had that and I used the whole egg. Sooo, maybe egg whites give a bluish tint and egg yolks give a greenish tint.

 

[Happysoap]

Since my last post I had made my peace with the blue and the stink. Both go away after a nice cure. However, I figured out what is causing the discoloration and stink!!! I had an order for wedding favors of this kind. I had to make several batches. All my batches were turning the stinky blue except one which turned out to be the batch where I added the egg white but not the clay. I tried it again. Just egg. Just kaolin. Egg and kaolin. Apperently the combination of the two reactes and makes my soap all funky. There you go, my two cents for the day.

 

[new12soap]

Thanks for the update, I am glad you got to the bottom of it and they all turned out well