Cracked soap😭

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Mdawkins

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The soaps I make look pretty and smell and only thing the crack and crumble when cut..

Smell amazing but crack
 

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It does look pretty in the mold. Do you have photos you can share of the cut soap? Is it cracking when you cut it, or cracking/splitting on the top while it‘s in the mold? Soap can crack and crumble for multiple reasons.

It’s easiest to provide feedback if you post your full recipe, with the batch size, water and lye amounts and the type of fragrance you‘re using.
 
Here's the crack ugg

These are from another soap I made.I made 8 different batches

It does look pretty in the mold. Do you have photos you can share of the cut soap? Is it cracking when you cut it, or cracking/splitting on the top while it‘s in the mold? Soap can crack and crumble for multiple reasons.

It’s easiest to provide feedback if you post your full recipe, with the batch size, water and lye amounts and the type of fragrance you‘re using.

I did 3cups olive oil 2cups coconut oil 1cup sunflower oil 7.4oz lye and 16.5 water I soap at 95 degrees and I didn't cover none of the soaps

I did 3cups olive oil 2cups coconut oil 1cup sunflower oil 7.4oz lye and 16.5 water I soap at 95 degrees and I didn't cover none of the soaps
Rose fragrance
 

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Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to help you with a recipe measured in cups. One of the most basic rules of modern soap making is to calculate the amount of lye needed based on the weight of the fats. If you don’t do that, you risk making soap that is lye heavy, which means it will be very harsh on skin at the least, and possibly capable of burning sensitive skin.

There are many resources for new soap makers in the Beginner’s Forum, including this thread that describes how to make soap based on a properly calculated recipe:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-make-soap-soapmaking-guide-for-beginners.88204/
To get you started, the first link below link provides a basic recipe. The second link below will take you to descriptions of a few of the major calculators commonly used by soap makers and a link to a tutorial on YouTube. You can get to the SoapMakingFriend calculator using the link provided on this website (possibly at the top of your screen).

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/basic-trinity-of-oils-starter-formula.74850/post-766394
https://www.ellyseveryday.com/soap-calculators
If you have any questions about the process of developing a recipe or using a calculator, feel free to ask them in the Beginner’s forum.
 
These results are based on a rough guesstimation of how much a "cup" of oil is (definitely use weight from now on!)
Note the Superfat required to get near the 7.4 oz lye requirement. If these numbers are close to the real thing, I wonder if this soap is lye heavy.

1674352650557.png
 
Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to help you with a recipe measured in cups. One of the most basic rules of modern soap making is to calculate the amount of lye needed based on the weight of the fats. If you don’t do that, you risk making soap that is lye heavy, which means it will be very harsh on skin at the least, and possibly capable of burning sensitive skin.

There are many resources for new soap makers in the Beginner’s Forum, including this thread that describes how to make soap based on a properly calculated recipe:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-make-soap-soapmaking-guide-for-beginners.88204/
To get you started, the first link below link provides a basic recipe. The second link below will take you to descriptions of a few of the major calculators commonly used by soap makers and a link to a tutorial on YouTube. You can get to the SoapMakingFriend calculator using the link provided on this website (possibly at the top of your screen).

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/basic-trinity-of-oils-starter-formula.74850/post-766394
https://www.ellyseveryday.com/soap-calculators
If you have any questions about the process of developing a recipe or using a calculator, feel free to ask them in the Beginner’s forum.
Thanks so much 😊
 
The soaps I make look pretty and smell and only thing the crack and crumble when cut..

Smell amazing but crack
This is another example of the importance of using a soap calculator. Do not trust any recipe found online or in books. They are often wrong, plus there are typos. Learn SoapCalc, that’s #1.
Here’s a good tutorial:
 
@Mdawkins

From the second photo you posted, it looks like the soap is brittle, rather than crumbly. It’s possible that you waited too long to cut it. I don’t have first hand experience with a recipe like yours, but suspect that the combination of high coconut, which contributes hardness, and high olive oil, which can cause some brittleness in finished soap, is part of the problem. If the soap is in fact lye heavy, that would add to brittleness. Hard and brittle soap is more likely to shatter and break with clean edges when you try to cut it. That’s what I think I see in your photos.

The crack on the top of your soap is due to overheating. That could be due to the recipe or the fragrance oil. Some fragrances, and especially florals, accelerate the trace in soap and some may also contribute to overheating.

A correctly formulated version of your recipe will make soap that is bubbly, but it won’t last long in the shower. Coconut oil makes soap easier to dissolve and makes lovely big bubbles, but too much can lead to an over-cleansing soap, especially if you have sensitive skin. Oil choice for a soap recipe often comes down to personal preferences and the availability of oils and other fats, but many soap makers prefer a ”balanced” recipe like the ones I pointed you to in the link above. A balanced recipe will include hard fats, like lard, tallow, palm or butters, that contribute hardness and also help the soap last longer. Along with the liquid oils, this group of fats also helps to produce a mild soap.
 
Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to help you with a recipe measured in cups. One of the most basic rules of modern soap making is to calculate the amount of lye needed based on the weight of the fats. If you don’t do that, you risk making soap that is lye heavy, which means it will be very harsh on skin at the least, and possibly capable of burning sensitive skin.

There are many resources for new soap makers in the Beginner’s Forum, including this thread that describes how to make soap based on a properly calculated recipe:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-make-soap-soapmaking-guide-for-beginners.88204/
To get you started, the first link below link provides a basic recipe. The second link below will take you to descriptions of a few of the major calculators commonly used by soap makers and a link to a tutorial on YouTube. You can get to the SoapMakingFriend calculator using the link provided on this website (possibly at the top of your screen).

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/basic-trinity-of-oils-starter-formula.74850/post-766394
https://www.ellyseveryday.com/soap-calculators
If you have any questions about the process of developing a recipe or using a calculator, feel free to ask them in the Beginner’s forum.
Thanks so much 😊
@Mdawkins

From the second photo you posted, it looks like the soap is brittle, rather than crumbly. It’s possible that you waited too long to cut it. I don’t have first hand experience with a recipe like yours, but suspect that the combination of high coconut, which contributes hardness, and high olive oil, which can cause some brittleness in finished soap, is part of the problem. If the soap is in fact lye heavy, that would add to brittleness. Hard and brittle soap is more likely to shatter and break with clean edges when you try to cut it. That’s what I think I see in your photos.

The crack on the top of your soap is due to overheating. That could be due to the recipe or the fragrance oil. Some fragrances, and especially florals, accelerate the trace in soap and some may also contribute to overheating.

A correctly formulated version of your recipe will make soap that is bubbly, but it won’t last long in the shower. Coconut oil makes soap easier to dissolve and makes lovely big bubbles, but too much can lead to an over-cleansing soap, especially if you have sensitive skin. Oil choice for a soap recipe often comes down to personal preferences and the availability of oils and other fats, but many soap makers prefer a ”balanced” recipe like the ones I pointed you to in the link above. A balanced recipe will include hard fats, like lard, tallow, palm or butters, that contribute hardness and also help the soap last longer. Along with the liquid oils, this group of fats also helps to produce a mild soap.
Thanks I didn't have any palm oil so I m going to try the lard with my go to oils and try again
 
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