Having DOS on my Soaps PLEASE HELP

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

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

JANENIC

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
2
Location
New Zealand
Hi I am wondering if anyone could please help! I have been making soaps for 6 months now and I am experiencing issues with yellow spots appearing on my soaps after only a few days. I am using distilled water and was wondering if someone could please help? My recipe is as follows:

50% Coconut Oil
40% Sunflower Oil
10% Shea
Lye Concentration 40%
SuperFat 5%
Water as a percentage of oils 22.56%
What am I doing wrong? Thank you
 

Attachments

  • tempImage4P8rBy.png
    tempImage4P8rBy.png
    1.9 MB · Views: 56
  • tempImageaEQBox.png
    tempImageaEQBox.png
    1.5 MB · Views: 52
I dont think that a few days is enough to have dos. My guess is that something else contaminated your batter as it was poured. I mean, its definitely the color of dos.

Maybe something in your mold? Have you tried planing it off?
 
Okay that is good to know, thank you. It is not very deep the mark so you can scrape it off. We wash all our moulds after use with warm water. Should we be sanitising them? They are silicone.
 
Last edited:
I dont “sanitize” mine, but i do pop them in the oven after rinsing to dry. Hasnt stopped me from getting dos down the road though.

Im thinking yours got contaminated by a discoloring fo, or maybe accidentally getting a colorant in there somehow.

I am not an expert so maybe somebody else here has another explanation. All of my dos happened months down the road. Not a few days.
 
I can see metal under your shelf liner - that's too close to the soap. You also have a high level of Sunflower oil, and unless it's high oleic that could be the culprit. Does the soap smell like crayons? If not then it's likely to just be a discolouration of some kind, rather than dos.
Do you need recipe advice? Although you have made soap, your coconut oil content is very high and could be very drying. Have a read of the recipe feedback forum for more ideas.
Nice weather today innit? :)
 
Yes please I really need some help. Are you able to consult? Weather were I am is really bleak, cold and nearly raining!

No it doesn't smell like crayons

Maybe this would be a better combination and avoid the spots
Olive Oil 35%
Coconut Oil 30%
Sunflower Oil 25%
Shea Butter 10%
What are your thoughts?

 
Hi! Be sure your utensils are Very Clean & Stainless Steel. I also spray them with Alcohol to decontaminate them before using in making your soap. Hopefully you can plane it off! I agree, too much Coconut Oil and Sunflower Oil. I stay away from Sunflower because I am Allergic plus it has been a culprit in the past with DOS. I agree that’s it’s too early for DOS to appear. Perhaps you should check out enrolling in The Handmade Soap & Cosmetic Guild (HS&CG) and the Classes they offer for becoming Certified! They are a wealth of information! Keep Soaping! Blessings!
 
It does look like DOS, although I have never heard of this happening so soon after making. I highly suggest you change out the Sunflower Oil. That recipe gives you 30% Linoleic acid which is a predictor for DOS, you should never go higher than 15%. Make sure you always use distilled water, keep your soaps away from sunlight, and heat, and nowhere near metal of any kind.
 
I agree that it looks like DOS, but like other members, I have never heard of it so early on. I have found that when it is in fact DOS, the spot is slightly softer than the rest of the soap. Did this only happen with this particular batch? Did you use fragrance of any kind??
 
Its not common but I have also got DOS after just a few days. In my case it was a 100% olive oil soap.
I agree with changing the sunflower, try olive or avocado. If that doesn't help, a different brand of coconut.
I'd make small batches with no additives or scent until you get it figured out
 
What am I doing wrong?
You're not doing anything wrong that I can see -- it 's just lack of experience. I highly recommend that you forget everything you "think" you learned on YouTube and elsewhere and get a good grounding by making "Tried & True" recipes. Here's one to get you started:

BASIC TRINITY OF OILS

There's more help in this thread to get you off on the right foot on SMF:

ADVICE TO NEWBIES
 
Its not common but I have also got DOS after just a few days. In my case it was a 100% olive oil soap.
I agree with changing the sunflower, try olive or avocado. If that doesn't help, a different brand of coconut.
I'd make small batches with no additives or scent until you get it figured out
Thank you very much
 
Back
Top