Sweet mistake. Can I fix this?

[inkyfingers]

I made soap a few days ago, adding some sugar to boost bubbles. Usually, I use honey because it seems a lot more wholesome to me - but just this once, I thought I'd be really cool and use sugar.

And then the next day, I used some of the crumbs for washing my hands. Wow, so gritty! And now my soap is all spotted with tiny spots. Oh, sugar!

I added the sugar to the oil instead of the lye water. I guess I just wasn't paying attention, and this issue never came up because I usually use honey. Now that I know what it is, I am no longer worried about it being unsafe soap. It passed the zap test, after all. Sweet!

So is it unsafe to use this sugar spotted soap? Would bacteria grow in this once it's in the soap dish and wet?

Should I throw all this out, or is it fixable?

Ugly, eh? Smells amazing, though.

 

[Bex1982]

It wouldn't be unsafe to use. They have sugar scrubs and all that. I'm not sure about the bacteria. I add sugar to my lye water and have never had a bacteria problem. I guess you could keep some in a damp bowl for a few days and see if anything weird happens.

 

[lsg]

It is safe to use. I made a sugar bar adding turbinado sugar instead of salt to the soap. It looked like the soap was weeping around the sugar granules. The weeping finally dried up and I used the soap without a problem. I didn't sell it though as it was not very pretty soap.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

ISG, did it bubble like a soap when sugar is in the lye water?

 

[lsg]

No, It was more scrubby.

 

[PinkCupcake]

If you normally use honey, you might like to try using simple syrup. It's just equal parts sugar and water, boiled together for a few minutes (up to 5 minutes.) As a pastry chef, I always have some in the fridge, and I use it in place of sugar in my soaps.

Simple syrup is also handy for sweetening cold drinks like iced tea or cocktails.

 

[inkyfingers]

Thank you all for your help. It's good to know this isn't an unsafe soap.

I think I'll go with PinkCupcake's suggestion to use syrup. Or maybe I'll just continue to stick with honey.

I've tried using the soap, and it has a lovely exfoliating feel to it, and the worst part about this soap is that it's just ugly, although a friend chose to just call it rustic, and that the smell makes up for the look.

 

[cmzaha]

It is safe to use. I made a sugar bar adding turbinado sugar instead of salt to the soap. It looked like the soap was weeping around the sugar granules. The weeping finally dried up and I used the soap without a problem. I didn't sell it though as it was not very pretty soap.

I made a sugar bar that I simply love using Demerara and Organic Florida sugar crystals. I am liking it almost as much as my salt bars. I actually does not look bad and is the color of the Demerara sugar

 

[seven]

If you normally use honey, you might like to try using simple syrup. It's just equal parts sugar and water, boiled together for a few minutes (up to 5 minutes.) As a pastry chef, I always have some in the fridge, and I use it in place of sugar in my soaps.

Simple syrup is also handy for sweetening cold drinks like iced tea or cocktails.

^^^
this is exactly what i do. i always keep a bottle in the fridge and just drizzle some to the oils every time i want to make soap.

 

[Candybee]

I use both honey and sugar in my soapmaking.

When I use sugar, I mix it first with some coconut milk or whatever liquid I am using to make sure its liquified first and the granuals dissolved before adding to my soap batter.

When I use honey, I nuke it in a short 20 second blast to liquify it. Then I temper it first with a bit of liquid or milk before adding to my soap batter. This will keep the honey from making dark spots in my soap.

 

[LunaSkye]

While this is off topic, sugar has been used to inhibit microbes in curing. Here is a link:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-salt-and-sugar-pre/

BTW, I don't think the soap will suffer because the sugar lumps.

Getting back to the soap, I would try it just to see if it makes a good exfoliating soap. If you feel uncomfortable with that idea, then rebatch the soap.