This weekend I had my most harrowing experience soapmaking thus far.
I didn't think much when I added my fragrance to my pot of oils (Olive EO/FO blend from WSP). I pay VERY careful attention to reviews and soap notes when I buy my fragrances so I don't know how the "severe acceleration" warning got past me.
It traced fairly quickly, but nothing out of the ordinary, so I plopped in my salt (these were 50% salt bars with 15% shea and 85% coconut). This is where all hell breaks loose. Of course I'm stirring fairly quickly to get the salt incorporated so that I can have a fluid pour....but it thickened so fast. I poured into my loaf mold and was worried that there would be air pockets....
Anyway, it was heating up very fast so I went to check on it 5 min later and it had started to mini volcano. At first I tried to push it back in (this is where I should have stopped). Thinking I could maybe do an in the pot emergency "hot process" I scooped everything back into my mixing container. There were chunks as hard as rocks and the top had started to dry out but I thought if I could let it all gel maybe I could get a smoother bar with less air pockets. I saw it was mostly gelled a few min later so I started to scoop back in the mold....but it was too late. This soap had gone through and finished gelling in under 5 min. I ended up with a crumbly mess that I have in a tupperware at the moment because I don't know what to do with it...it's basically powder with a few big chunks in it.
So. Is there any way to save this? Can you rebatch salt soap? My forum search seems to indicate no...but wondering nonetheless.
Also: that powdery mess is literally everywhere in my soap room! SEND HELP!
I didn't think much when I added my fragrance to my pot of oils (Olive EO/FO blend from WSP). I pay VERY careful attention to reviews and soap notes when I buy my fragrances so I don't know how the "severe acceleration" warning got past me.
It traced fairly quickly, but nothing out of the ordinary, so I plopped in my salt (these were 50% salt bars with 15% shea and 85% coconut). This is where all hell breaks loose. Of course I'm stirring fairly quickly to get the salt incorporated so that I can have a fluid pour....but it thickened so fast. I poured into my loaf mold and was worried that there would be air pockets....
Anyway, it was heating up very fast so I went to check on it 5 min later and it had started to mini volcano. At first I tried to push it back in (this is where I should have stopped). Thinking I could maybe do an in the pot emergency "hot process" I scooped everything back into my mixing container. There were chunks as hard as rocks and the top had started to dry out but I thought if I could let it all gel maybe I could get a smoother bar with less air pockets. I saw it was mostly gelled a few min later so I started to scoop back in the mold....but it was too late. This soap had gone through and finished gelling in under 5 min. I ended up with a crumbly mess that I have in a tupperware at the moment because I don't know what to do with it...it's basically powder with a few big chunks in it.
So. Is there any way to save this? Can you rebatch salt soap? My forum search seems to indicate no...but wondering nonetheless.
Also: that powdery mess is literally everywhere in my soap room! SEND HELP!
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