Tons of glycerin dew and its effect on soap

[Jomarie06]

Good day everyone. I'm new here so hopefully I'm posting in the proper thread. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone here because I've learned a lot just by browsing through the forums.

Anyway, I have some cp soaps that have been on the curing rack, the oldest soaps are at least 2 months now. Lately, it's been raining for at least 2 weeks now because of the monsoon season (and there's a forecast that it will remain this way until October, at most), so my soaps have been sweating profusely. I've read from other threads in this forum that I can mitigate the sweating by running a dehumidifier, getting silica beads and putting it where I store the soaps and the like. But what if I let the soaps sweat until the rains let up and let it dry again? Will it have a negative effect on the soap? Will it make my soap soft and mushy? Also, will it spoil the additives I put there? I usually substitute fruit purees or milk for my water. Also, I use 30% each of coconut oil and canola oil, 5% castor oil and 35% palm oil with 35% lye concentration. Right now, I know for a fact that after letting the soaps sweat for 2 weeks, the scent has faded significantly.

Thank you in advance for answering! Have a great day!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Welcome to SMF, @Jomarie06 !

I'm new here so hopefully I'm posting in the proper thread.

Not so sure about that You seem like not a beginner at all, but quite seasoned already, with a few advanced and beautiful designs under your belt. You know what you're doing and how. What a bummer that your weather sabotages these beautiful soaps so badly! Unfortunately, I can't help you much with these “crying” issues. I think people from temperate climates just cannot imagine how a proper monsoon season is like – for people just as for soap. I don't feel qualified to transfer experiences from my “if you don't like the weather, wait an hour” environment to the tropics.

The one thing I'm noticing is that most of the “tears” appear of a yellowish or brownish colour, regardless of the colour of the soap, which I don't quite understand.

 

[Jomarie06]

Thanks @ResolvableOwl, I actually started making soaps just last year during quarantine, and believe me it was a long and arduous process of practice makes perfect
I still have a lot to learn so I keep on browsing forums like this.

The one thing I'm noticing is that most of the “tears” appear of a yellowish or brownish colour, regardless of the colour of the soap, which I don't quite understand.

Could it be because I used 50% water and 50% fruit puree like tomatoes, watermelon, and avocados? I also added a little bit of honey. Interestingly enough, the soaps I made with plain water had lesser glycerin dew that was transparent/colorless. Hence, my question if the purees I used could spoil despite undergoing saponification.

 

[lsg]

Honey is a humectant; it may be absorbing moisture from the air.

 

[AliOop]

I agree with @lsg that those look like honey spots to me. Had plenty of them in the past to know what they look like.

I personally let the honey reabsorb, and the soaps were just fine. However, I live in a very dry climate, so that may not hold for a monsoon area.

 

[Jomarie06]

Thanks @lsg and @AliOop for a minute there I thought the discoloration was due to the polluted air being absorbed by the soap

Is this proof that honey or fruit soaps are more moisturizing than plain soap (using just water)? My honey and fruit soaps have big fat (and discolored) dew drops, whereas, my plain soap has tiny dew drops.

 

[Marsi]

if you are not in a hurry to use your soaps
you can cure them in a fully sealed environment
like making soap dough

and when the monsoon season is over
bring them out to finish the cure

no sweat

 

[Ford]

Could it be fo/eo weeping also? Either way I vote for you getting a dehumidifier. Additives can and do go bad.

 

[Marsi]

My honey and fruit soaps have big fat (and discolored) dew drops, whereas, my plain soap has tiny dew drops.

you have already noticed that soaps with more sugars or sugar alcohols sweat more

less sugar/honey/carbohydrates/starches/glycerol/sweet fruit pastes (including tomatoes) in monsoon season soaps
will help the monsoon season soaps sweat less

 

[Ford]

Also less water. Noticed batches with 2.0:1 sweat more than those made with 1.5:1 lye concentration.