DOS?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

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

SPowers

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 1, 2020
Messages
1,169
Reaction score
1,654
Location
Windsor
Hi - I just made this soap 2 days ago... I posted on a thread earlier with pics. I had some issues with is but mostly regarding acceleration and how messy it was to get in the mold... they turned out really nice.

Last night I noticed some some yellow spots - a pic is attached with the biggest spot... some have none and some have more like specs. I was told it's much to early in the process for DOS... any thoughts?? Thanks,

thumbnail.jpg
 
Hi - I just made this soap 2 days ago... I posted on a thread earlier with pics. I had some issues with is but mostly regarding acceleration and how messy it was to get in the mold... they turned out really nice.

Last night I noticed some some yellow spots - a pic is attached with the biggest spot... some have none and some have more like specs. I was told it's much to early in the process for DOS... any thoughts?? Thanks,

View attachment 46731
That doesn't look like DOS. Have you touched it or maybe try scratching a little with your fingernail to see if it comes up or off?
 
DOS doesn't normally show up for weeks/months after the soap is made. I highly suspect it is the FO, especially since you had a hard time with acceleration and getting it into the mold. When a soap accelerates on you, it's difficult to get the FO mixed in as thoroughly as one would like, and it normally precipitates out in different places in the finished soap. I've had that happen to me on different occasions with accelerating soap. I would do a scratch & sniff test......scratch a non-spotty part of the soap and give your fingernails a sniff.......then scratch one of the spotted parts with a different fingernail and give it a sniff. If it's FO, the fingernail that scratched the spotted part will smell stronger of FO.


IrishLass :)
 
I scratch it and I think it might be the salt. I didn't use much of it but perhaps I still stir it enough or properly. When I pick away at it, it is fine granuals that fall away from the bar. On an area that doesn't have a spot, the soap just kind of curls under my nail. All the bars seem to be getting a yellowish hue to them.
 
I scratch it and I think it might be the salt. I didn't use much of it but perhaps I still stir it enough or properly. When I pick away at it, it is fine granuals that fall away from the bar. On an area that doesn't have a spot, the soap just kind of curls under my nail. All the bars seem to be getting a yellowish hue to them.
I scratch it and I think it might be the salt. I didn't use much of it but perhaps I still stir it enough or properly. When I pick away at it, it is fine granuals that fall away from the bar. On an area that doesn't have a spot, the soap just kind of curls under my nail. All the bars seem to be getting a yellowish hue to them.
I'm not sure why it would be turning yellow. Can you please give us the recipe with amounts you used, along with your lye and water amounts. It will help us figure out what is going wrong.
 
I've had dos show up immediately - to this day I don't know why given that the oils were used for other batches that didn't have a problem.

What color was the fragrance oil? (may explain yellow color)

Perhaps there was residue in the mold. I have a dark brick colored silicone mold I use for leftover batter and it's a bear to clean thoroughly.
 
I used tea tree oil and clove bud which are both amber shades. here is a copy of the recipe used.


AC, Bentonite, Salt.JPG
 
I agree that it could be the EOs that are causing the discolored spots.

The other, and more serious issue is that clove bud EO has an extremely low skin-safe usage rate.

According to EOCalc.com, even 0.16 oz (notice the decimal point) per pound of soap is not safe. I don't know how much ½ Tbsp of clove bud EO might weigh, but it's probably more than 0.16 oz. The amount used in this soap could be very irritating to skin, and could permanently damage your eyes or mucus membranes if it comes in contact with them.

EOs should always be measured by weight, not by tablespoons or other volume measurements, and you must always check them against the IRFA guidelines from the manufacturer, or run them through a calculator like EOCalc.com.
 
Thanks for that info... I will wait til it is cured and try it on myself before I give it to anyone. Lesson learned!
 
Thanks for that info... I will wait til it is cured and try it on myself before I give it to anyone. Lesson learned!
We've all been there... so many EOs smell so good but aren't really usable for scenting soaps: clove, cinnamon, and anise are a few. I prefer using EOs myself whenever possible, because most FOs give me a terrible headache, and some really irritate my skin, as well.
 
I only have a couple FO's so far and most of my EO's are the very small 5ml bottles and don't go very var! And they're not really the scents I want! Not so patiently waiting for some to arrive in the mail.
 
I only have a couple FO's so far and most of my EO's are the very small 5ml bottles and don't go very var! And they're not really the scents I want! Not so patiently waiting for some to arrive in the mail.
Just a side note on the safety of clove oil. Clove oil is used to numb toothaches and to humanly euthanize sick fish in the aquarium trade or to slow their breathing for a long shipment. That is why the safe skin use is so low. Not trying to scare you but it needs to be handled safely.
 
Appreciate your comments. Wouldn't you know, theses soaps got the best reaction from my friends. Think I will do a remake taking everything into consideration....... learned a lot with this particular batch!
 
I am removing this comment because I can't find consistent or accurate/verifiable information. Please disregard!
 
Last edited:
I agree that it could be the EOs that are causing the discolored spots.

The other, and more serious issue is that clove bud EO has an extremely low skin-safe usage rate.

According to EOCalc.com, even 0.16 oz (notice the decimal point) per pound of soap is not safe. I don't know how much ½ Tbsp of clove bud EO might weigh, but it's probably more than 0.16 oz. The amount used in this soap could be very irritating to skin, and could permanently damage your eyes or mucus membranes if it comes in contact with them.

EOs should always be measured by weight, not by tablespoons or other volume measurements, and you must always check them against the IRFA guidelines from the manufacturer, or run them through a calculator like EOCalc.com.
Half a tbsp of clove EO is way too much (60ish grams maybe). That soap would burn your whole body like you won't believe. I agree with everything you said.

@SPowers You mentioned coconut milk. Did you use the full fat kind or the light variety? Coconut milk can lend itself to how cleansing your soap witll be and depending on which type and brand you use, you may have both a higher cleansing factor and a higher superfat. It's also a moving ingredient I find so, you would want to plan how to use that carefully and take its properties into consideration.
 
Good to know... thanks!
@SPowers I edited my comment because I was finding conflicting information. There IS a difference between clove leaf and clove bud though, so it's worth looking into for future use. This was a good reminder to do some research myself, since I wanted to include it in a scent.
 
@Arimara - I made the coconut milk so it would be full fat. Because of the clove oil, I think this soap is only good for the bin!
 
Back
Top