What went wrong?

[rparrny]

Made this soap with my 50% Lye solution...the only thing different is that I changed from Avocado oil to Olive oil. This morning my loaf is still soft?? Any clue to what went wrong. Trace went okay, it has been really hot and humid and my AC is broken...tech coming tomorrow. I have never had this happen before. I used EOs for my fragrance. The leakage you see on the left of the loaf happened because I forgot to tap out the loaf for air bubbles until after the swirl...it's not THAT loose. Is it too late to try to CPOP it? Will it dry out eventually? Can this loaf be saved?

 

[amd]

How many hours has it been since you made it?
Have you used EO's before? I ask because typically my EO soaps stay softer longer.
It's not too late to CPOP. I have done it for soaps that were 24 hours old and still too soft to unmold. It doesn't have the same affect as a fresh made soap, but if the purpose is just to get it to firm up to unmold you should be ok.

 

[rparrny]

How many hours has it been since you made it?
Have you used EO's before? I ask because typically my EO soaps stay softer longer.
It's not too late to CPOP. I have done it for soaps that were 24 hours old and still too soft to unmold. It doesn't have the same affect as a fresh made soap, but if the purpose is just to get it to firm up to unmold you should be ok.

24 hours ago I made it. I have used EOs before and these particular EOs in combination. It's been decades since I CPOP'd a soap. What temp and for how long? I had extra batter and I was able to unmold the individual bars but they were really soft. I just wish I knew what happened? The only thing different for me is I am using beef tallow that I rendered myself but it was pretty firm. Haven't done tallow in a long time and decided to go back to it.

 

[AliOop]

Are you sure that crack is only from an air bubble? I usually don't see them that big unless the loaf has overheated. But then again, overheating cracks usually are closer to the middle of the loaf, not the edges, which are cooler. Whatever, you can definitely CPOP it. I'd prop something against that side of the mold to push the cracked bit firmly against the rest of the loaf.

I prefer a heating pad to the oven - easier to peek in on it and turn it off as needed. I put the soap in an insulated box or bag with the heating pad, and turn the heating pad on high for about two hours. Then let everything cool down inside the insulation for about a day.

 

[rparrny]

Are you sure that crack is only from an air bubble? I usually don't see them that big unless the loaf has overheated. But then again, overheating cracks usually are closer to the middle of the loaf, not the edges, which are cooler. Whatever, you can definitely CPOP it. I'd prop something against that side of the mold to push the cracked bit firmly against the rest of the loaf.

I prefer a heating pad to the oven - easier to peek in on it and turn it off as needed. I put the soap in an insulated box or bag with the heating pad, and turn the heating pad on high for about two hours. Then let everything cool down inside the insulation for about a day.

There is no crack on the soap. What you’re looking at is the result of an air bubble coming up while it was still in a liquid state after I did the swirl. I forgot to talk about the air bubbles before I did the swirl. The loaf is solid there’s no cracks on it..

 

[lenarenee]

I'm not sure why you think you have a problem? The soap was less than 24 hours old, is that right? None of my soaps can be cut that soon unless I used a fo that heats a lot, and I've made very similar recipes to what you have. If you've used the same eo combo before, check to make sure you received pure eo, and not a mix with carrier oil. If you're assuming that a 50/50 lye/water always makes for a fast soap, I've heard from other soapers that it sometimes does the opposite - maybe someone else here has experience with that.

 

[CpnDouchette]

I have got cracks like that when checking to see if its ready to unmould - the soap is too soft so it rips at the edges.

I've never used avocado oil so can't comment on that but I've had soaps that take a day or two to unmould, particularly when its been very humid out. I dont think its ruined, give it a little more time.