Coffee soap problems

[nframe]

Hello everybody,

I joined this forum only today so don't know my way around yet. I live in London, UK.

I am new to soap making and only started last week. I find it fascinating and have already made three batches, the first two being recipes from a book. As they were very successful, I felt confident and made my own coffee soap concoction. It seemed to be OK and traced without any problems but now there seems to be a wet patch in the middle that does not go away as you can see from the attached photo. The weather is very hot at the moment so I would expect it to dry but it does not seem to. I wonder if the soap is ruined...

My recipe was:
255g coconut oil
595g olive oil
255 strong coffee made with purified water and cooled
116g lye
2 teaspoons clary sage essential oil
45g ground oat flakes
2 tablespoons coffee grounds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Where did I go wrong?

I would be very grateful if somebody had a minute and could help.

I am not sure what salutations are used on this forum. So, best regards and thanks in anticipation.
Nicole

 

[lsg]

Is this a wet patch or just a darker patch in the middle? Is the soap weeping or soft in the middle? It shouldn't be lye heavy because you had between an 8 and 9 percent superfat according to SoapCalc. It looks like a partial gel to me. If it is soft in the middle and stays soft, you might try grating it up and rebatching it.

 

[nframe]

It is a darker patch. It does not feel wet. In fact, the soap feels quite hard.

 

[Ancel]

It's probably a partial gel then. Did you insulate the mold? The soap should be fine to use, it's just an aesthetic issue. Well done on your first formulation! So much to learn and enjoy with this addiction

 

[nframe]

Thank you so much. That cheered me up!

 

[nframe]

Is this a wet patch or just a darker patch in the middle? Is the soap weeping or soft in the middle? It shouldn't be lye heavy because you had between an 8 and 9 percent superfat according to SoapCalc. It looks like a partial gel to me. If it is soft in the middle and stays soft, you might try grating it up and rebatching it.

Hello again,

I am sorry to bother you but I think that I spoke too soon when I said that the soap was hard. I decided to have a look at the middle of one of the bars and it was extremely soft. How is rebatching going to sort the problem? Whatever is wrong with the soap is still there...

Best regards,
Nicole

 

[houseofwool]

If a soap did not gel fully, it can take a week or more to harden up, particularly if the humidity levels are high.

As for my coffee soaps, if they did not gel, they started out lighter colored (cafe au lait) and gradually darkened considerably, to a deep coffee color

 

[lsg]

Rebatching in a double boiler or crockpot will often "cook out" the extra moisture and make sure your oils are fully saponified. I am probably not explaining this well, but rebatching is often used with a failed batch. I am sure the chemistry people can explain it better than I and if they think I am wrong, I am sure we will hear about that too. I would wait a couple of weeks before doing anything, that will give your soap a chance to cure and get harder.

 

[nframe]

Thank you all for your replies. I will try and be patient...

 

[dimitris]

Yes, by all means be patient! I have done a similar recipe and it takes a while to harden (and also for the smell to go away).
Your soap looks great, the samples on the far right look like they are swirled which is good!