Chocolate soap disaster - help!!

[Steph Hoskins]

I am making some chocolate bar shaped scented and coloured, for a client; the recipe is one I have been using for yonks (although I've tweaked this one a bit for her by adding 5% cocoa butter) but the scent is achieved using 30g/kg oil chocolate fragrance oil (non discolouring choc oil from soap kitchen) and the colour is 10g/kg medium brown iron oxide.

The samples I made for her were perfect but the actual saleable product has gone pear shaped!! I think it's just really bad soda ash, the soap is verry soft right now though also.
I did pour into the moulds at lighter trace this time (it Traced pretty quickly in the samples and I had to push the mix into the moulds which didn't look quite right) so wondering if that's it? How do I do it right going forward? And how can I fix this batch?? I'm throwing money away!

I should add the first batch I made was a while kilo and it seized!! I had to rebatch it to use but again can't sell it to her...

 

[shunt2011]

You may want to post your recipe for us to help troubleshoot. Also, what do you mean pear shape? I don't see it. They do look really ashy. Which if you are using individual molds seems to happen a lot to me unless I cover them and leave them covered for a day or two. I also keep them covered once unmolded.

 

[Cellador]

Did you pour at a very thin trace? I sometimes get really bad, deep soda ash if I pour too thin.
Also, if you experienced seizing, maybe it's the FO?
Lastly, it's been mentioned a couple of times in the forum, but I'm not sure if it's a proved theory- coco butter "bloom." A couple of folks (me included) have noticed a spreading of deep ash or spots in soap that contains coco butter. Maybe do a forum search and see if any of that info helps!
I hope you get the issue worked-out!

 

[Obsidian]

@shunt2011 pear shaped means something is going wrong, not to plans.

 

[Steph Hoskins]

Haha yes pear shaped is an expression note literal, sorry!! Oh dear maybe it's a combination of all of those things... I think I'll try thicker trace next time? It's not the recipe per se as I said I've used it loads I usually have 5% different variant oils and this one is with cocoa... I'm thinking next time to try cover/gel it is anyone thinks that might work better? Any way to fix these ones??

 

[dixiedragon]

Have you tried a wash cloth with hot water?

 

[Steph Hoskins]

Hmm, no.... I have heard about steaming, or dipping in distilled water but has anyone tried it??

 

[penelopejane]

Steam it with an iron. It gets rid of surface ash. But do it lightly and test first.

Without the recipe we can’t help further with how it might turn out eventually but you’ve added 2 new ingredients - chocolate (the weight of which should have come off the water although since it is mostly fat it could be argued it should have come off the oils) and the FO.

 

[Steph Hoskins]

With an iron??! Wow really, how without touching it/melting it?

I didn't add chocolate, I added iron oxide for the colour.... It's mostly puzzling as the samples were perfect!

 

[penelopejane]

With an iron??! Wow really, how without touching it/melting it?

I didn't add chocolate, I added iron oxide for the colour.... It's mostly puzzling as the samples were perfect!

Hold your steam iron about 20-30 cm from your soap and steam the ash off. Covering with cling wrap after it has set up a bit is a much easier way to go.

How did you mix the oxide when you added it? Did you add extra water or extra oil?

 

[Steph Hoskins]

Ok Thanks will try it! Is that converting with cling film after with making our after steaming? I'm not so keen on that as I'm trying to be a plastic-free business...
I mixed the oxide with a bit of the melted oils.. after reading around the subject I basically stick blended the oils with the oxide before adding the lye to light trace then stirred in FO... Looked great until the next day!

 

[dixiedragon]

Try a dehumidifier. I have a soaping buddy who lives near me, and we use very similar recipes. We both use lard and tap water from the same source. She gets much more ash than I do. I use a dehumidifier.

 

[penelopejane]

Ok Thanks will try it! Is that converting with cling film after with making our after steaming? I'm not so keen on that as I'm trying to be a plastic-free business...
I mixed the oxide with a bit of the melted oils.. after reading around the subject I basically stick blended the oils with the oxide before adding the lye to light trace then stirred in FO... Looked great until the next day!

No forget the plastic wrap with this batch - it’s too late.

I know what you mean about plastic. When you pour a batch wait for it to set up and spray with a SMALL amount of isopropyl alcohol to prevent ash. If you use too much or if you spray too early with some recipes it can cause yellowing which may lead to DOS.

As long as the oils are part of the recipe that should be ok. I’d take it to further trace next time. It’s probably the cocoa butter and different weather conditions since the last pour.