I have been wanting to make some soap with embeds for weeks and weeks - ever since I started looking at all the soap porn in the photo gallery. Seeing the picture of Lynnz's gorgeous purple ball soap that was posted here a week or so ago pushed me over the edge. I just had to try it. Well, the actual making of the soap went really well. I got the white soap to just the right trace - thick enough to hold the balls but not too thick that I had to rush. I made the balls a few days ago and had kept them in a ziploc plastic container so they were still soft. I had not gelled the balls. I put all my soaps in the freezer and/or fridge cause that's the way I learned and its worked well for me (and I'm developing so much patience waiting to slice!). Okay, back to the balls. I decided that I might need to gel this batch, thinking that maybe that would ensure that the balls didn't fall out later or something. So I put it in the oven. I have to say that I do like being able to slice the soap sooner and I like the look better than I thought I would - but!! (You knew there was a but, didn't you?) when I made the second slice, purple soap came oozing out. Looked just like grape jelly! Not all the balls in that slice oozed. Weird. So I stopped and let it sit a while longer. The ball that had oozed - the soap left in it firmed up quickly when exposed to the air. So, I waited several minutes and made another slice. More oozing. I left it for 3 hours and sliced again - oozing. This went on forever (much like the telling of this tale!). I finally sliced the rest and packed as much of the oozy soap back in as best I could.
So ...was it the gelling that was the problem? Would the balls have fallen out if I didn't gel?
So ...was it the gelling that was the problem? Would the balls have fallen out if I didn't gel?