Soda ash

[ScentedExpressionsSupp]

What kind of water are you using? If you have acidic water then your soap will ash no matter what you do to it.

Also if you’re distilled water is old, or if it’s been left out. Distilled water reacts faster with the atmospheric carbon dioxide to create carbonic acid, which reacts with the lye to create soda ash.

You can also try putting 1% wax in your soap... since wax is less dense than water and doesn’t react with the lye or the carbon dioxide, it creates a bit of a protective layer on the surface of the soap.

Distilled water, are you saying I should refrigerate it? I do cover the lid back, but if I should refrigerate it I can.

I will try covering my soap once poured and then covering it once cut for several days. Thanks for your help ladies. I'll come back and let yall knw

 

[Amaress]

Distilled water, are you saying I should refrigerate it? I do cover the lid back, but if I should refrigerate it I can.

I will try covering my soap once poured and then covering it once cut for several days. Thanks for your help ladies. I'll come back and let yall knw

Refidgerating won’t do much of a difference as long as it’s sealed. The longer it’s exposed to air the more time it has to absorb carbon dioxide.

If you don’t want your soaps to gel for whatever reason you can pop them in the fridge through and that should help with ashing too.

My theory of why spraying soap with alcohol works to keep the ash off is that it causes the top of the soap to rapidly cool while the alcohol evaporates. The cooled soap provides somewhat of a barrier to the rest of the soap (which is what covering it does as well, but instead of cooling the soap it literally just blocks it from the air).

 

[Amy78130]

Refidgerating won’t do much of a difference as long as it’s sealed. The longer it’s exposed to air the more time it has to absorb carbon dioxide.

If you don’t want your soaps to gel for whatever reason you can pop them in the fridge through and that should help.

My theory of why spraying soap with alcohol works to keep the ash off is that it causes the top of the soap to rapidly cool while the alcohol evaporates. The cooled soap provides somewhat of a barrier to the rest of the soap (which is what covering it does as well, but instead of cooling the soap it literally just blocks it from the air).

I never thought of it that way! Makes perfect sense!

 

[earlene]

I believe it's true about the wax preventing ash. Even soy wax, which isn't really a wax per se, does not seem to get ash either. At least none of my soaps with Hydrogenated Soy Wax have ever got ash. And I like soy wax in my soap, so that's another good reason to use it.

 

[JuliaNegusuk]

I've been having this problem too. Buy my ash has been on the bottom corners of my soaps in single cell silicone moulds. I never used to gel for the same reasons you don't - I hate partial gel. I used to refrigerate. I have recently done a full batch of 9 soap varieties and cpoped several of the worst ash offenders. The others I didn't refridgerate except for my honey one which came out fine. All the others came out much better this time. But my worst offender, the lemongrass and poppy seed one, still shows slight signs of the bottom corners "bleaching", which developed after unmoulding, but nothing I can't live with this time, not white and crumbly like before.

So I think heat is the answer, whether cpoping or using Penelope Jane's method. But I still can't explain why it only happens to some of my soaps. I am now less convinced that the silicon moulds themselves are responsible as I used all my moulds old and newer and it didn't seem to make a difference.

One oddity - gelling is supposed to make natural colours stronger. I found no difference except my orange and patchouli soap which I colour with 5 fold orange oil and orange peel powder. The one I left out of the oven was a lovely bright yellow, the rest turned orangy brown. I am not going to cpop orange soaps again. Luckily and bizarely, this seems to be one that isn't affected, despite the base recipe being the same as the worst offenders.

 

[ScentedExpressionsSupp]

This makes a difference - what you are describing is the ash developing on the soap after in comes out of the mold. While the silicone (and other inputs) might make a difference, that indicates that the hydroxide is coming to the surface, as the water evaporates from the soap, and reacting with carbon dioxide in your surrounds

Penelopejane's notes on gelling (above) might be helpful, if you want to move to gelling to minimise ashing (saponification is completed)
An alternative is to leave the soaps covered for longer (cut and cover to exclude air) for a few days until the soap is less reactive (separating saponification from evaporation).

I made a soap last week. Covered it after pour, and after cut. Under small tote with seran wrap under it to seal out air. I am uncovering them today. So we shall see how it goes! Thanks so much ladies

5 days should be long enough? I'm just guessing. I run out of room at home and transfer my soaps after 7 days to my store to finish curing

 

[SaltedFig]

Sure - if it was going to ash from contact with air, covering it for that long should make a significant difference (saponification should be near complete).

As other's have also mentioned, ash can be caused by a number of reasons, but fingers crossed the reveal show's an ashless soap!

 

[ripplenene]

I made some charcoal soap in individual silicone squares .. it developed soda ash on top
is there any way of getting rid of this ash now ?
thanks

 

[KiwiMoose]

I've decided for my last two batches not to spray with IA - I think it leaves a spotty film on my soap that I've been confusing as soda ash. Will keep you posted on the outcome.

 

[ScentedExpressionsSupp]

I made some charcoal soap in individual silicone squares .. it developed soda ash on top
is there any way of getting rid of this ash now ?
thanks

Yes, you can steam it ot run it under water to wash it off

 

[penelopejane]

I've decided for my last two batches not to spray with IA - I think it leaves a spotty film on my soap that I've been confusing as soda ash. Will keep you posted on the outcome.

You need a really fine mist from a distance of at least 300mm and only a light spray after it has set up a bit.

 

[ripplenene]

Yes, you can steam it ot run it under water to wash it off

Oh thanks for that help there

 

[ScentedExpressionsSupp]

They turned out perfect! No soda ash! Woot! Thank you so much ladies for your help!

 

[KiwiMoose]

They turned out perfect! No soda ash! Woot! Thank you so much ladies for your help!

Beautiful!

 

[SaltedFig]

They turned out perfect! No soda ash! Woot! Thank you so much ladies for your help!

How good to they look!!

 

[Dawni]

I've decided for my last two batches not to spray with IA - I think it leaves a spotty film on my soap that I've been confusing as soda ash. Will keep you posted on the outcome.

The rare times I CP and get ash, I wipe my soap with a cotton ball and water.

They turned out perfect! No soda ash! Woot! Thank you so much ladies for your help!

Woohoo looks good!