Grrr, brown soap

[Sunkawakan]

Ok, so as I've stated in other threads, my bf came up with this wonderful recipie using co, honey, coconut milk & oo. CPHP btw. This time I did as suggested and added the coconut milk with the oils & discounted water for the amount of coconut milk - so far beautiful light color. Then added the honey at trace and traced it - nice color, darker than I would have liked, but nice. After cooking, it was brown - people call it "fudge" (assuming it was the honey carmelizing). Nice color, great soap but I'd really love a lighter color bar using the same recipie (its his and makes a phenomenal soap).

Any suggestions? Would adding the honey right before molding make a difference or a mess? Or, should I just give up and substitute sugar for the honey (I routinely add sugar to all of my cphp batches except this one without color change)? Or am I just adding to much (1 tbs ppo)?

Any help would be appreciated. I can do another batch and take pics during the process if this will help anyone, the soap will get used either way. My testers came back saying they're not thrilled with the color and obviously neither am I.

 

[wendybyrd]

Have you tried preventing gel? What about adding some TD?

 

[carebear]

did you use a fragrance oil?

 

[BakingNana]

I'm just learning, but I thought you had to add honey after the cook so it didn't caramelize to a dark color. Do most people add it before or after the cook?

 

[Sunkawakan]

did you use a fragrance oil?

No fragrance oil, I don't scent my soaps. What is "TD"?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

TD is Titanium Dioxide to whiten. :wink:

After cooking, it was brown

Try making it cold process and put into shallow mould and keep cool so it doesn't gel. Hopefully, you'll be able to achieve a paler colour. Good luck.

 

[Sunkawakan]

Thanks Bubbles. I've never used any of the titanium dioxide type stuffs (ok, that made sense, but I hope you understand what I said ). I try to only put things in my soaps that the majority of people know what they are. HOWEVER, if you think this will help I'll give it a try. Any suggestions where I can get a sample of it to try in a 1/2 batch (1 lb) just to make sure its going to work? I'd hate to purchase a large amount if I don't like it for some reason.

 

[kittywings]

From what I read it sounds like you added the coconut milk to the oils before the lye solution... is that correct?

If that's the case, then yeah that's why it's brown... the heat from the exothermic reaction of the lye and oils burns the sugar in the milk and causes it to turn brown. If you hold off until after cooking, then you won't have the brown.

Hope that helps.

 

[ChrissyB]

You won't get brown if you use coconut milk powder or honey powder.

 

[kittywings]

Mine turned brown when I heated it before

 

[Sunkawakan]

From what I read it sounds like you added the coconut milk to the oils before the lye solution... is that correct?

If that's the case, then yeah that's why it's brown... the heat from the exothermic reaction of the lye and oils burns the sugar in the milk and causes it to turn brown. If you hold off until after cooking, then you won't have the brown.

Hope that helps.

You are correct. So I should add it just before molding and mix it in real good? Won't that change the consistency and have it be too liquidy (is that a word?).

 

[xraygrl]

As for the coconut milk, it shouldn't turn dark brown when you added it like you did. I hve hp soaped with coconut milk plenty of times and have never had a problem with major discoloration. The honey was the culprit for the dark color....it carmelized. You need to add the honey after the cook. As long as you don't go overboard with the honey it will not make the soap too liquidy. For a 3lb batch I probably use about 1/4 cup of honey.