OMG! I think I've finally (or rather you guys in the forum) cracked it! I've been struggling with excess ash for years! I'm pretty sure (NOW) that it is because I unmolded too soon. The soap hadn't finished saponifying. I never knew.. I figured that, if the soap had hardened enough, it was OK to unmold my soaps after 24 hours. No wonder they came out of the milky way molds so easily! Now, I'll leave them in the molds for 48 hours, put them into the freezer for an hour , and then unmold. What do you think? I'll let you know if this so?Best the problem.
Thank you all so very much for all your help. You guys are amazing!