Rancid Soap??

[lauratryingsoap]

I have made some soaps recently and in just a few days of curing, they had smelled absolutely rancid. I let them cure for a month now and the scent is less pungent but I can smell it on my skin when I use it. I know for sure that my oils were not rancid because they were bought the day I made the soap, and the production date was less than a week before I bought it. I have had this problem with other bars of soap, but I found that soap with fragrances lost the rancid smell after a while. Does anyone know why this is happening and what I can to do prevent this?

 

[cmzaha]

We would have to see your recipe to be able to help troubleshoot.

 

[lauratryingsoap]

We would have to see your recipe to be able to help troubleshoot.

The recipe I used for the soap I'm talking about had 75% coconut oil, 35% olive oil with a 15% superfat. There were no other additives and it went through gel phase. My other recipe that also had this happen was 30% palm oil, 30% lard, 20% coconut oil, 10% olive oil, 10% castor oil with a superfat of 5% which had kaolin clay, activated charcoal and tea tree and orange essential oils. Both have a rancid smell, although the first one is much more pungent

 

[BattleGnome]

I don't see anything immediately wrong with your recipes. Storing soap with metal can promote rancidity. Do you use metal baking racks? Do your soaps have a lot of space around them for circulation? It might not be a case of bad supplies, just a storage issue

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

To me, tea tree can sometimes smell off when used in certain things. I made a toner with it and it just smelled weird to me. My hair tonic with it actually smells so funky that I am sure it is actually going mouldy.

How does the soap look? Any visible signs of dos?

 

[penelopejane]

The recipe I used for the soap I'm talking about had 75% coconut oil, 35% olive oil with a 15% superfat. There were no other additives and it went through gel phase. My other recipe that also had this happen was 30% palm oil, 30% lard, 20% coconut oil, 10% olive oil, 10% castor oil with a superfat of 5% which had kaolin clay, activated charcoal and tea tree and orange essential oils. Both have a rancid smell, although the first one is much more pungent

Did you CPOP it to make it gel?
I had a couple of soaps I heated too high in the oven and they smelt awful. Don't know if I'd describe it as rancid (I haven't smelt rancid soap yet, touch wood) but definitely a horrible, horrible off smell. I threw them both out.

 

[lauratryingsoap]

I don't see anything immediately wrong with your recipes. Storing soap with metal can promote rancidity. Do you use metal baking racks? Do your soaps have a lot of space around them for circulation? It might not be a case of bad supplies, just a storage issue

I don'y use any metal. I store my soaps on a plastic tray with plenty of space between each

 

[lauratryingsoap]

To me, tea tree can sometimes smell off when used in certain things. I made a toner with it and it just smelled weird to me. My hair tonic with it actually smells so funky that I am sure it is actually going mouldy.

How does the soap look? Any visible signs of dos?

Strangely the soap is perfectly fine. I would say they are the best soaps I have made except for the smell. And one of my soaps was unscented plus I love tea tree!

 

[lauratryingsoap]

Did you CPOP it to make it gel?
I had a couple of soaps I heated too high in the oven and they smelt awful. Don't know if I'd describe it as rancid (I haven't smelt rancid soap yet, touch wood) but definitely a horrible, horrible off smell. I threw them both out.

I used a hot pad but maybe they were heated too high. I guess I need to check that out

 

[penelopejane]

I used a hot pad but maybe they were heated too high. I guess I need to check that out

Strangely the soap is perfectly fine. I would say they are the best soaps I have made except for the smell. And one of my soaps was unscented plus I love tea tree!

Yes mine were fine too. The overheating hadn't caused cracks or Oil leaking at all. It's why I only preheat the oven to 100*F (40*C) and then turn it off before I put the wrapped soap in it and don't touch it again for 12 hrs.

My heat pad (electric blanket) won't get to 40*C so I preheat it on high while I make the soap. Wrap the soap (which is in a thick silicone mold in a timber box with a lid) in the heat pad and cover with a blanket for 1 hr. then I unwrap the heat pad turn it to low (which keeps it about 20*C) and just leave the soap sitting on the heat pad and cover with a blanket and leave for 12 hrs.