What’s with the halo?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
@TashaBird didn't you have this problem with one of your soaps with embeds?
Yes, I did. Still a mystery. Actually, looking back it seems as though it was between two layers. Still, there was only a half hour or so between. So, still a mystery.
 

Attachments

  • 06CA35F3-FBAC-4B74-AC32-0FAAA331B6AC.jpeg
    06CA35F3-FBAC-4B74-AC32-0FAAA331B6AC.jpeg
    98.9 KB · Views: 26
  • 6B6A8CD5-7D9F-47D8-B9FA-BA2A20D732CA.jpeg
    6B6A8CD5-7D9F-47D8-B9FA-BA2A20D732CA.jpeg
    129.5 KB · Views: 34
Here’s a new twist on the halo. Could it be the .5%vanillin? Why only there?!
 

Attachments

  • B2CA439B-0A8C-4C6B-82A8-1D5527BC3B12.jpeg
    B2CA439B-0A8C-4C6B-82A8-1D5527BC3B12.jpeg
    110.7 KB · Views: 21
  • 73540533-9366-4E04-B0FE-0177B7AB8D2C.jpeg
    73540533-9366-4E04-B0FE-0177B7AB8D2C.jpeg
    158.6 KB · Views: 16
  • D344358D-967F-4E7D-BAFF-7118C5A8D923.jpeg
    D344358D-967F-4E7D-BAFF-7118C5A8D923.jpeg
    94.3 KB · Views: 19
This is the third time I’ve seen that kind of halo. The first example is in a soap @dibbles made for a competition, where batter was swirled over top of a diagonally sliced pre-made half loaf that was already in the mold. The second example is in the “Browsing Soap Photos” thread where white soap sits over a black diagonal layer. Now your soap with embeds. Perhaps a temperature gradient is a contributing factor. Past that, I have no ideas.
 
This is the third time I’ve seen that kind of halo. The first example is in a soap @dibbles made for a competition, where batter was swirled over top of a diagonally sliced pre-made half loaf that was already in the mold. The second example is in the “Browsing Soap Photos” thread where white soap sits over a black diagonal layer. Now your soap with embeds. Perhaps a temperature gradient is a contributing factor. Past that, I have no ideas.
I’m super curious if it’ll change over the cure. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Like I said, soap is weird.
 
This one is super weird around some of the layers and moons.
 

Attachments

  • B7E748FD-3924-46DB-B60A-09FEBF043E75.jpeg
    B7E748FD-3924-46DB-B60A-09FEBF043E75.jpeg
    104.6 KB · Views: 13
  • 3517A7BD-118F-42FD-9D4E-C2938800DC08.jpeg
    3517A7BD-118F-42FD-9D4E-C2938800DC08.jpeg
    114.6 KB · Views: 13
  • 731EDCE1-0428-4276-A046-320B603B4EC3.jpeg
    731EDCE1-0428-4276-A046-320B603B4EC3.jpeg
    118.2 KB · Views: 14
This one is super weird around some of the layers and moons.
I'm convinced that it is the temperature difference of the cooled embeds.. I'm about to make a "Space" themed soap using all the soap balls I've made from soap shavings. I'm wondering if I should warm them up on low heat in the oven before dropping them in the soap loaf? But honestly, I really love the effect! Especially the first one that formed the frost on the ground!!!
 
I'm wondering if I should warm them up on low heat in the oven before dropping them in the soap loaf?
If you were willing, a very interesting experiment would be to warm up some and leave others at room temperature. (Sorted by colour so you know which is which.) That would give some great info about the effect of temperature if you got haloes on some but not others.
 
@violets2217 I too think temperature difference could play a part. I soap in my basement, which is quite cool all year. TashaBird soaps in her garage in San Francisco where it is cool most of the time. I am not sure of the temperature in New Zealand in May where KiwiMoose is, but I think it can be cool that time of year too. I think TB and KM both soap warmer than I do, but there would have probably 20-30 (F) difference between my first layer and the new soap. However, I believe Holly of Missouri River Soaps has her soaping space in her attic where it tends to be warm. When she embeds soap balls, it seems that she doesn't get the halos:
MoRiver.JPG
Since you are in Florida (and it's summer) you might not need to warm your soap balls before using them. I wonder if chilling some, room temperature for some and warming some would produce different results.
 
But if after the soap is poured it’s put under a blanket on a heating pad for a few hours, like I do, wouldn’t that compensate by bringing the whole thing up to the same temp? Even with that question in mind though, it feels like temp has to be the most likely suspect.
 
I wonder if chilling some, room temperature for some and warming some would produce different results.
I might just find out… I have to make 10 bars for a Facebook soap trading group I just joined. I have plenty of soap balls. I might just try 3 small batches with the different temp soap balls to see!

ETA: I was thinking about warming them up the soap balls anyways, because I’m worried about them being too cured and hard when I cut the soap…so a double experiment I think.
 
I didn't dare heat up my confetti dough soap balls, since they would have softened/melted into a gooey mess. My own fault if I keep them air-tight. If I would have been more patient, I'd given them a week or two of free drying before burying them into their host rock (HP, to make things worse).
 
I was watching (again) Tree Marie Soapworks confetti soap video and she talked about leaving her soap with embeds in the mold longer than normal because other wise - she gets a halo or indent around the embed! I have a batch destined for confetti chunks (which is the reason for watching this video). At about 12:39 on the video is where she talks about this. Might have to figure out if I have enough for an experiment.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top