Soap has a large crack down the middle. Help!

[JBB]

Can anyone help? I made 2 batches of CP soap about 4 days ago. I just got around to looking at them today and noticed that one of them has a large crack going down the center of the "almost" entire length of the log and the other has a small crack. I use a wooden mold, and place a wooden top over my soap while I am waiting for it to set up (a couple of days or so). I have just read on here where others put their soap in the fridge or freezer after pouring into the mold....I thought that it was important to keep it warm? Perhaps I received some bad info?? I have made other batches, but in a different location and the temp would have been warmer where I made these last two batches.

Did my soap fail because of the room temp??

 

[azimuth]

It overheated, most likely. Did you use any milk products in your recipe?

 

[judymoody]

First off, your soap probably didn't "fail," it just overheated a bit. If when you cut your soap the texture is smooth and uniform and there are no weeping pockets, it is just an aesthetic problem.

All else being equal with respect to your methods and molds, soap can overheat if you use milks, beer, vegetable or fruit purees a different mix of carrier oils. Some fragrance oils and essential oils can also make your soap heat up.

 

[bodhi]

You didnt get bad info. 'It' all depends in the soap world. Your soap overheated.

 

[JBB]

I used just a very basic recipe, with castor, coconut and palm oil. I scented with pearberry. How can I keep it from overheating? I have previously made soap in my house, but we finally got our honey house complete (my husband and I are beekeepers) and the last 3 batches of soap I made out in the building. We have a window unit in there, but only run it while we're in there. Could that be the cause, or simply the ingredients reacting with eachother?

 

[bodhi]

How your soap behaves depends on lots of things. The recipe, the temperature outside, the temp of the ingredients, the ingredients, etc, etc, etc. So youre probably not going to get an exact answer to your question without lots more info. If you want to keep any batch cooler though, you could leave the lid off or put it in the fridge or freezer. You could also try different molds, ingredients, temperatures, etc. The crack isnt a problem in itself though.

 

[Moody Glenn]

First off, your soap probably didn't "fail," it just overheated a bit. If when you cut your soap the texture is smooth and uniform and there are no weeping pockets, it is just an aesthetic problem.

All else being equal with respect to your methods and molds, soap can overheat if you use milks, beer, vegetable or fruit purees a different mix of carrier oils. Some fragrance oils and essential oils can also make your soap heat up.

Hello JBB! When I read your post the first thing that came to my mind was "I hope there are no lye pockets inside your soap." Then I read Judy's excellent response concerning weeping pockets. Some fragrance oils can greatly cause the batter to increase in temperature - especially in wooden molds. For me, I have to be careful with Cinnamon FO (and other spices) for it will greatly over heat the soap batter and cause it to make a huge crack. Not only that, when I cut the soap into bars there were numerous, wet weeping areas and cavities - filled with the lye solution. Horror upon horrors! :shock: So..... be very careful when you unmold and cut to make the bars. Like many others have mentioned you did not do anything wrong. I think it was a very 'hot-headed' fragrance oil.

 

[shunt2011]

Sometimes when you have weeping pockets it's not always lye but fragrance and/or glycerin. I've had a few in my days that have had some small toothy looking pockets but they never zapped when I tested them. I've not sold them to customers but have used them myself with no problem.

 

[JBB]

So, is it always better to make sure and put the mold in a cool area (be it a fridge, freezer, etc) after you pour the soap in? I'm new at this and just confused because I took a class and the instructor had us cover the top of our mold and wrap a towel around it to keep it warm.
And if I put it in the fridge, how long should I leave it there?

 

[Obsidian]

If you let your soap get hot while it is setting up, it will go through a gel phase and this is when its can over heat. Letting soap gel isn't good or bad and is the original way soap was made.
If you freeze your soap after pouring, you will stop the gel phase. Your soap will saponify slower and the finished bars will be a bit creamier in appearance. Once again, its not good or bad to prevent gel, it just comes down to preference.

I have trouble with my soaps overheating when I gel so most of the time I choose to freeze the batch to prevent any possible issues. I like to put the wooden mold in the freezer for a couple hours before I pour then leave the full mold in the freezer for 24-48 hours.
After that, I thaw it in the fridge for most of a day before setting it out to reach room temp.
I tried to put a batch in the fridge overnight once instead of the freezer and I got a huge crack but I was able to smoosh it back together.

 

[moonbeam]

As you see from the excellent onformation provided, there are so many variables for every batch! Some folks, especially in the begining take very copious notes for that very reason so you can look back later and try to figure out of there's a pattern for whatever is causing problems. I use milk and honey in all of my soap, wooden molds, and I don't insulate at all, as I have had the crack problem as well. Also the temperature in the room can contribute too! I'm sure it's nothing you did, that can just happen, even to people that have been soaping for years! I hope you find out what caused your soap to overheat, although it's just a cosmedic problem as long as there are no other issues