WHAT is this stuff on my soap :?

[SweetBody]

I've been working with M&P soap for a little while, and I've just recently noticed, after I cut the bars, if they sit for a while, they will develop a whole bunch of these tiny little beads of "gel" or "oil" or something. They wipe off easily, but...what is it? And, is it okay, and is there a way to avoid it?

Thanks

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Even though I don't do M&P, I know the answer to this! It is drawing moisture to the glycerin bar. Some glycerin maybe sweating out also. This happened a lot in the humid summer if precautions are not taken.
Maybe one or two of our experienced M&P soapers will chime in also.

Paul :wink:

 

[Tabitha]

Paul is right, the 3rd thing it might be is oil. If you added too much fragrane oil it may be seeping out as well. You can wipe the bars down w/ a paper towel or even a damp rag and that should help but may leave wipe patterns in the slick surface of your bar. You may even have to do it once, wait a day & do it again.

Humidity is a big factor in the beads too.

 

[reallyrita]

WHAT is this stuff on my soap?

I made M&P for many months before I ventured into CP, and I still like to make it. My husband will only use my goat milk unscented M&P. I learned very early on that I had to airtight wrap my soap just as soon as I unmolded. I used saran wrap type until I got a roll of shrink wrap. Now I shrink wrap and hit it with a heat gun on low setting....very fast and not too close to the soap so it does not distort or melt the cute designs!! I live in an arid climate and even at that, I wrap instantly. I don't leave my M&P in the shower after using and I elevate it
on a draining soap dish in between times. I have some "in use" M&P at my daughters' homes in very wet and humid climates and they are doing great as long as they take them out of the shower and leave them in those draining dishes by the sink. Wrapping quickly is the best insurance. Don't add extra oils and don't go overboard with the FOs as they are oils that you are adding. I use a pipette and keep "sniffing" until I think it smells strong enough. I scent by drops in M&P. The scent does not morph or cook off as it can in CP. so less is definitely more! Caution though: even with M&P, you can have scent loss if you add the FO when the soap base is too hot. Let it cool down just a little bit from the just melted temperature and you won't lose any scent intensity. I think EOs can be fragile in this regard as well. Good luck! I have found M&P to be as tricky in its own way as CP.

 

[Guest]

What is that shrink wrap you mentioned? Is that like commercial products are wrapped in, and hit it with a blow dryer to shrink it? Where do I get that?

 

[Tabitha]

You can pick it up at most of your local craft or party stores. It should be in the gift wrap area.

I find it shrinks much better & snugger if you use a commercial heat gun. I bought mine at Home Depot.

 

[Guest]

Great! I'll head out and get some ASAP.

I do electronic stuff that uses heat shrink tubing to insulate wires. My hair dryer does fine, but if it won't do the heat shrink wrap I can always pretend I'm buying the hot air gun for my electronic stuff.

 

[reallyrita]

WHAT is this stuff on my soap?

Lovehound: do not shrink wrap your CP soap nor should you wrap in plastic wrap of anykind. Your CP soaps need to always breathe. I store mine in brown paper lunch sack type bags with the scent written on the bag, but I only make little batches. This is probably not practical for batches bigger than 2 lbs. When I give a soap away to a friend or family member, I wrap in rice paper. Looks really nice but then, I have alot of rice paper left over from a wedding project. I am recycling it!! Parchment paper works nicely too. But the main thing is, it has got to breathe!! What is with this crazy LA weather??

 

[Guest]

Re: WHAT is this stuff on my soap?

What is with this crazy LA weather??

Thank you for the advice. Actually I was wondering about that, but I'd like shrink wrap for any number of reasons not limited to soap.

Well honestly the LA weather if my fault. As near as I can remember I haven't washed my car since last year. I don't drive a lot and I garage the car when not driving, so it wasn't really all that dirty.

So yesterday morning I decided to wash my car. That afternoon it started raining, and we had hurricanes yesterday and today in Los Angeles. I know some forum members not in LA are going to think I'm kidding or lying, but it's the truth.

So I washed my car and caused rain and hurricanes in Los Angeles. Oops! Sorry.

 

[reallyrita]

WHAT is this stuff on my soap?

Yeah! I know....I am in LA for a few days. Hoped to catch a little sun and a little warmth (It snowed yesterday in my town back home) and then settle in for a few days of my beloved June Gloom. So...you are to blame for the tornados, thunderstorms and hail!! Put your car back in that garage and leave it there until I leave town!!

I miss soaping...

 

[Guest]

Re: WHAT is this stuff on my soap?

Put your car back in that garage and leave it there until I leave town!!

Too late. I probably already caused another tornado when I went out for some soybean oil.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

It's fine to wrap your CP in shrink wrap as long as it can breathe. I've been doing it that way for years. I leave the ends open, so customers can smell and the soap can breath. I have soap that has been wrapped in shrink wrap tubes that is almost 3 years old.
I buy a 1300 foot long roll, and have .1/4 of 1 cent in each sleeve. 8)
Here are a couple old pics of soaps I shrank wrapped while living in humid Florida years ago;

Paul

 

[Guest]

Hey, that's really cool! So do I just buy the shrink wrap and cut it in strips, wrap a strip around the bar and then hit it with the hot air? Or do you mean something else about sleeves?

 

[reallyrita]

WHAT is this stuff on my soap?

Oh Lovehound, I completely forgot about those great little shrink wrap sleeves that so many of the pros use. So much for a newbie giving advice to a newbie! I was thinking in M&p mode where I would unmold and wrap airtight straight away! I think that some soapers buy these sleeves precut from some of the suppliers but Paul and probably some others just cut them from the rolls of shrink wrap..cheaper. Me? I just toss into paper bags for now and then extract one or two at a time and wrap in some pretty rice paper that I have left over from our daughter's wedding.