What is it? Can I fix it?

[TashaBird]

Hi there. This soap is just 24 hours post poured, firmed up, removed from the mold. Recipe below. What caused the different colors? Will it even out with curing? Is there something I can do to fix it now? Was there something I could have done differently to make it more even?
I’m SUPER happy about this soap! As long as it’s safe to use, once it cures I’m happy to use it. I’m just loving my new soap obsession and learning all about it! This forum is the best thing ever! And, as soon as I’ve got some money I’m going to become a supporting member for sure!! Thanks again.
Bacon & Beer
600g lard (rendered and cleaned)
210g Sunflower Oil
90g coconut oil
122g lye
326g beer (boiled and cooled)
essential oil 15g

 

[shermluge]

I haven't made Beer soap before, but I've made bacon and oatmeal a couple of times. Again I haven't made any with beer so the only thing I noticed about the recipe is it has a lot more liquid to lye then I'm used to. I probably would have used about 265g of beer.. With more liquid (water/beer) It will take more time. I could be wrong, but I would just wait a day or two more.

 

[TashaBird]

If I need to oven process it, will I still be able to then? I had planned on using 300g water. Then I cooked off too much, then I accidentally added too much back in. That put the liquid at the high end of what the lye calculator suggested, but still in the range. Should I have left them in the mold longer? Should I put them back?

I’ve currently got them sitting on the edges of the molds. I’ve read up on OP in case that’s what I should do.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Congratulations on your soap! It could be partial gel, but it’s hard to tell from the angle of the photos. (Can you post a photo of the tops?). I want to know if, in general, the centers are darker and the light soap is around edges and more pronounced in the corners. That would be partial gel. Partial gel happens because the soap gets hotter in the center/middle due to the heat of saponification, especially with beer in the recipe. The sugar in beer causes the soap to heat up. It can be hard to get soap in individual molds to gel, so you might be on to something with the beer addition! If it is partial gel you might be able to get them to gel all the way by putting them in the oven, see method, here: Soapy Stuff: Rescue oven processing. There’s nothing wrong with the soap, though, and trying to get it to fully gel might not be worth the effort.

 

[Misschief]

Like @Mobjack Bay, my first thought is partial gel.

 

[TashaBird]

Congratulations on your soap! It could be partial gel, but it’s hard to tell from the angle of the photos. (Can you post a photo of the tops?). I want to know if, in general, the centers are darker and the light soap is around edges and more pronounced in the corners. That would be partial gel. Partial gel happens because the soap gets hotter in the center/middle due to the heat of saponification, especially with beer in the recipe. The sugar in beer causes the soap to heat up. It can be hard to get soap in individual molds to gel, so you might be on to something with the beer addition! If it is partial gel you might be able to get them to gel all the way by putting them in the oven, see method, here: Soapy Stuff: Rescue oven processing. There’s nothing wrong with the soap, though, and trying to get it to fully gel might not be worth the effort.

This was a ”use what I got” sort of an experiment. It is super fun! What are the odds I’d ruin it if I try the oven method? I kind of want to try it, just to learn something new. But, I’ll leave them as is if the odds are high that I’ll ruin it.

Also, would it be ok to wait another day before trying the OP?

 

[lsg]

Does the FO contain vanillin? IF so, that may be the reason for the discoloration.. Nature's Garden states their Bacon FO may discolor to a dark cream color.

 

[RacerSpuffy]

I also agree with those above that said partial gel. Thats really easy to have happen in individual bar molds. Soap will be fine, if you want to avoid it in the future either put it in the fridge after pouring (preventing gel) or cover it up (shallow box is what I've used before) and insulate it (forcing gel). The soap will be fine in ungelled, partial, or full gel state. Almost all of my single bar mold soaps have at least some form of partial gel because I'm not particular about that and the people I give bars to don't mind either. If I was selling, I'd care more.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

This was a ”use what I got” sort of an experiment. It is super fun! What are the odds I’d ruin it if I try the oven method? I kind of want to try it, just to learn something new. But, I’ll leave them as is if the odds are high that I’ll ruin it.

Also, would it be ok to wait another day before trying the OP?

The drier the soap gets, the harder it will be to force it to gel the rest of the way. You can always try it with a couple of bars to see what happens. If you have non-stick parchment paper, put that on a cookie sheet and then put the soap on the parchment. As the soap gets hot it will start to get soft and want to stick, but the parchment paper will help with that. The soap may get a little wrinkly on the bottom due to the paper. It might also be possible to put it directly on a non-stick pan, but I haven’t tried it that way. You could also try turning the soap so that the ungelled parts are in contact with the pan so they heat up the most. Or, you can just wait and let the soap do it’s thing, especially if the FO is discoloring. The color may even out on its own.

 

[TashaBird]

Does the FO contain vanillin? IF so, that may be the reason for the discoloration.. Nature's Garden states their Bacon FO may discolor to a dark cream color.

No fragrance oil. I added some EO after trace, but I think it blended in well. I hadn’t even thought of bacon FO! Have you used it? Do you like it?

 

[TashaBird]

I also agree with those above that said partial gel. Thats really easy to have happen in individual bar molds. Soap will be fine, if you want to avoid it in the future either put it in the fridge after pouring (preventing gel) or cover it up (shallow box is what I've used before) and insulate it (forcing gel). The soap will be fine in ungelled, partial, or full gel state. Almost all of my single bar mold soaps have at least some form of partial gel because I'm not particular about that and the people I give bars to don't mind either. If I was selling, I'd care more.

I did put a box over and cover them with a blanket. I may try the oven thing today, if it’s not too late.

 

[TashaBird]

The drier the soap gets, the harder it will be to force it to gel the rest of the way. You can always try it with a couple of bars to see what happens. If you have non-stick parchment paper, put that on a cookie sheet and then put the soap on the parchment. As the soap gets hot it will start to get soft and want to stick, but the parchment paper will help with that. The soap may get a little wrinkly on the bottom due to the paper. It might also be possible to put it directly on a non-stick pan, but I haven’t tried it that way. You could also try turning the soap so that the ungelled parts are in contact with the pan so they heat up the most. Or, you can just wait and let the soap do it’s thing, especially if the FO is discoloring. The color may even out on its own.

should I put it back in the mold for the oven process?

 

[Obsidian]

should I put it back in the mold for the oven process?

Yes, always back in the mold.

 

[TashaBird]

Yes, always back in the mold.

In the video she stands them on edge.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I never put mine back in the mold if the soap is already at room temp. If you do, it will need to stay in the oven a long time to get above 140 to 160F internally.

 

[cmzaha]

My opinion why stress it. Leave it to cure and move on to the next batch. A partial gel is only aesthetic and does not affect the soap. Soap has a learning curve and everything has to be fixed. Work on fully gelling the next batch if you want your soap gelled. I am sure there will be the next batch.

 

[TashaBird]

My opinion why stress it. Leave it to cure and move on to the next batch. A partial gel is only aesthetic and does not affect the soap. Soap has a learning curve and everything has to be fixed. Work on fully gelling the next batch if you want your soap gelled. I am sure there will be the next batch.

I’m going to try it, mostly just because I’m curious now.

 

[TashaBird]

Well, I didn’t expect it could go so horribly wrong... yet it did! So bummed. Wished I’d listened to the “leave it alone folks”. followed the video exactly! Even sat in front of the oven. This was only 7 minutes. They’re cooling down now. WTheck happened?! And can it still be used?

 

[Obsidian]

They went into gel and since they weren't in a mold, they puddled. They will be fine to use.

Seems like they gelled really fast, did you have the oven turned on while the soap was in it?

 

[cmzaha]

That is why they should always be put back into the mold. Sometimes they will go into a full gel and/ or melt when put into the oven.