ASH!

[flavapor]

I dont understand this ash thing. I made a batch of soap and split it in two. I used different scent and color in each half, put them in the mold right next to each other, wrapped them in the same towel after covering so they were literally an inch apart. One is great and one is ashy on top??

I thought the air is what does the ash, do other things affect it also?

 

[IrishLass]

Yes- some FO's can contribute to ash as well.

IrishLass

 

[dryalligator]

Almost every batch I've made gets a little of the ash. I read somewhere you could wash it in water after cutting and it minimizes it. True?

 

[flavapor]

Almost every batch I've made gets a little of the ash. I read somewhere you could wash it in water after cutting and it minimizes it. True?

Yes, that is true.

I only have EO and FO from 2 companies, and it seems that more of them seize than not. It is ticking me off.

I have heard that when it rices you can smooth it back out, but I thought the more you mixed the thicker it got??

 

[dryalligator]

I had it happen to me yesterday with a FO of Sensuality with EO (i think) of rose and stick blended it like no tomorrow and made it come back to thick trace and poured/scraped into the mold. 5lbs. We'll see tomorrow morn. No guts no glory! Yes I followed the recipe except for the fragrence! Its very over-powering that fragrence. Now I'm wondering if the frag. is going to leach out during curing and what to do about it.

 

[flavapor]

let us know how it turns out.

 

[judymoody]

What suppliers are you using for your FO/EO? There may be better options.

Florals can be especially tricky regarding acceleration, ricing, etc.

If you spray the top of your soap with 91% alcohol, it will help to reduce the ash, if not eliminate it entirely. I generally get less ash if I gel than if I don't.
You could also try covering your soap top with saran wrap, assuming it's not textured.

Hope this helps!

 

[Genny]

Exactly what Judy said.
The only time that I have gotten ash was when I didn't spray with alcohol.

A lot of cp'ers use less florals because of all the problems they can cause. Some take a lot of work to get them to behave properly.

But if you're getting fragrance oils/essential oils that are not good to begin with, then there's not much you can do to make them behave.

 

[IrishLass]

Before making a fragrance purchase, I like to check things out HERE first. It's a wonderful FO review site. You do, however, need a paid e-mail adddress to join. If you try to join with a free e-mail account such as Yahoo, Gmail, etc.. it will not be accepted. This insures that the ReviewBoard site remains spam-free.

IrishLass

 

[flavapor]

What suppliers are you using for your FO/EO? There may be better options.

Florals can be especially tricky regarding acceleration, ricing, etc.

If you spray the top of your soap with 91% alcohol, it will help to reduce the ash, if not eliminate it entirely. I generally get less ash if I gel than if I don't.
You could also try covering your soap top with saran wrap, assuming it's not textured.

Hope this helps!

I had bought some at chemistry store and some from a local supplier espremium. I will try the alcohol. I did cover it up and than wrapped it in a towel, so I dont know if it gelled cause I didnt open it to peek, but it did feel warm on the mold sides.

Will regular alcohol work? I think what I have is 70something. I dont know where to get 91.

 

[flavapor]

Before making a fragrance purchase, I like to check things out HERE first. It's a wonderful FO review site. You do, however, need a paid e-mail adddress to join. If you try to join with a free e-mail account such as Yahoo, Gmail, etc.. it will not be accepted. This insures that the ReviewBoard site remains spam-free.

IrishLass

Genny thank you for the tips. I have ordered some of the peaks, havent recieved them yet but have read good things here. I am in Fl. and the shipping is what kills me on the supplies.

Irish Lass
I will look on that site, I do have a paid email. By the way, my husband made me a wooden mold with fold down sides and I read your post about the mylar and went and got some. Wow! It took about 15 mins to measure and cut it but I LOVE THAT STUFF!! I am thrilled with it, and the mold.

 

[flavapor]

Before making a fragrance purchase, I like to check things out HERE first. It's a wonderful FO review site. You do, however, need a paid e-mail adddress to join. If you try to join with a free e-mail account such as Yahoo, Gmail, etc.. it will not be accepted. This insures that the ReviewBoard site remains spam-free.

IrishLass

It says forbidden, access denied. There is nowhere to sign up.

 

[Genny]

Try this
http://soapscentreview.obisoap.ca

There should be a small "Register" button on the right hand side.

 

[flavapor]

Try this
http://soapscentreview.obisoap.ca

There should be a small "Register" button on the right hand side.

Nope, there isnt and there is no scrolling to see if it is down either. I would like to be able to use that site, is there an email that I could send a request?
Thanks

Gonna check out your blog

One other question, I was trying to post a pic and it didnt work, do I have to have a certain # of posts or something?

 

[kaaty]

hi. I have some problems with my soaps in slab mold. No problem in my wooden mold, only in slab one.
Of course, i use the slab for making swirls and it seems that my swirls are in vain, ruined... because they are covered with a layer of ash.
this is an example image:

..
What can I do to avoid ash without putting soap into water (no results for me- to mush ash). thank you

 

[sudbubblez]

Steam is excellent for removing ash. A handheld steamer its great for removing ash or making soaps shiny. Without the steamer you could use a teakettle and hold the soap in the stream with tongs. Pressing plastic wrap on the surface of the soap untill its unmolded will prevent ash. Its sodium carbonate and happens when free sodium from the lye reacts with carbon dioxide in the air. It is also more likely to happen in soap that is a little lye heavy. Are you using 'food grade' lye?

There are a few things you can do to prevent it: don't unmold the soap untill its tongue neutral, press plastic wrap against surface to minimize its contact with air, beeswax or soy wax is said to prevent it too (1-2% of oils).

It is best to avoid unmolding and cutting soap thats starting to form ash, before its tongue neutral because it will then get it on all sides exposed to air.

 

[brandnew]

I just read on the kathy miller site that you can spray with alcohol, a few times as the alcohol evaporates, til there's a moist layer. Has anyone tried it?

 

[Genny]

I just read on the kathy miller site that you can spray with alcohol, a few times as the alcohol evaporates, til there's a moist layer. Has anyone tried it?

Do you mean spraying the alcohol on the already ashed soap? I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it would work. I would think it would pretty much be the same as running water over the ash to wash it away.

 

[green soap]

I spray alcohol on the soap top after pouring, while the soap is hardening. This seems to prevent ash.

 

[birchcoulee]

Steam works great to remove ash. I have used a steam iron (carefully!) 91% alchohol sprayed after pour and again after a few hours has reduced ash on soaps prone to it. I seem to get ash on soaps made with violet ultra marine every time.