DoS or something less serious

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

HoneyPunch

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
19
Reaction score
14
I have to admit, i'm a bit upset(with myself, or possibly my oils) as i type this.

Four days ago i made(what i think is) a beautiful soap intended as a gift for my mother on Christmas. I've only just been able to convince her that all soaps, every single bar soap she has ever used in her life, has been made with lye. I took it out of the mold two nights ago and although its still too soft to cut, it looked and smelled just how i wanted it.

Imagine my dismay when i woke up this morning to find it speckled with little orange specks. It's only been four days, and i've never had a problem with dos before, let alone in such a tiny time frame. I opened all my oils and gave them a sniff, i've never smelled rancid oil before, so i'm not sure what im looking for, but nothing made me cringe. All my oils are brand new from brambleberry, save for olive oil which i got at walmart (Expiration date 2017) and castor oil(also walmart) which is curiously lacking an expiration date.

Please find attached a copy of the recipe used.

As far as additives it had: Chamomile tea water swap, 1T honey diluted in water, added at trace, 2tsp Brazilian yellow clay, pinch of silk fibers, calendula petals.

EO blend: 1 part patchouli, 1 part 10x orange(its a year old), 1 part orange Valencia, 1 part grape fruit

Melted oils, made lye solution and dissolved silk , added around 100 degrees, mixed until thin trace, added honey colour and scent, hand mixed followed by a few stick pulses, put into mold, put into fridge overnight. The spots are bright orange, suspiciously like orange EO. Then again,ive never put calendula *in* soap before, so theres at least a 30% chance i'm just seeing some below the surface flowers and freaking out.

So what do you think? I'm unsure if i need to toss some oils, or try again, or just give it to her as is provided the spots don't get any worse.

Soap: http://i.imgur.com/SpEFaei.jpg

Recipe: http://i.imgur.com/LLMWx5l.png
 
Last edited:
Could you post a photo. There's no way it's DOS at 4 days old. I'm thinking color rings fro your tea or additives. It could also be specks from your EO possible if not mixed in well.
 
Could you post a photo. There's no way it's DOS at 4 days old. I'm thinking color rings fro your tea or additives. It could also be specks from your EO possible if not mixed in well.

Edited to add links to the soap itself. The soap accelerate a bit , so im thinking maybe some eo didnt get fully blended...hopefully?
 
Phew, thanks for helping to calm me down, this week has been rough, and has included a 7 pound bag of coconut oil rupturing everywhere in the midst of stick blending...a possible failed soap was the last straw
 
Last edited:
I also find that in recipes where I have used more water, it is far more noticeable, to the extent that a quasi-rebatch had them turning very bad indeed.

You know, despite having been making soap on an off(darn if it isn't expensive for me) for the better part of three years, i've never really done much as far as using anything other than full water. I just ran it through with a 2:1 ratio and it still seemed like a reasonable amount of water.

My only reservation is even with full water , ive had a few batches of soap accelerate pretty quickly , but for the most part, i know which oils/recipes cause this and soap cooler/more quickly to work around it. Do you find a 2:1 ratio gives enough time to work with elaborate swirls? I've read articles and posts about water discounts, so I feel silly asking, but hey, that's what happens when you want to hedge your bets and play it safe ~
 
Using less water will reduce your time for swirls - would a 2:1 ratio give you enough time? Well, it depends on the oils and the temperature, scents and how long you generally need. If you're comfortable mixing to just emulsion and not trace then that can also help
 
You don't have to jump from "full water" (about 27% - 28% lye concentration) all the way to 33% lye concentration either. Try 30% for example. Just a percent or two change can make a noticeable change.
 
Back
Top