What's wrong with this picture?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

angiem915

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
70
Reaction score
22
ImageUploadedBySoap Making1420908912.138699.jpg

I made this soap a month or so ago and it's pretty clear but has a fatty looking layer on top. This is the soaping 101 video castille soap. Thanks in advance for your help.
 
My guess is that it was not cooked long enough, but I don't make a lot of LS so I may be wrong. Are you sure that it is a fatty layer on top?
 
I am not sure about that being fat. It's a guess. It smells like stale olive oil.
 
My understanding is the soaping 101 video has too much of a superfat for liquid soap. If so, that could explain what you are seeing as the excess fats rise to the surface.
 
Yep- it looks like a layer of fat to me, too. If it doesn't smell 'off', you could always emulsify back into the main body of soap by adding some PS80 to it. That's what I did to the soap below:

Before adding PS80:

IMG_1015CroppedClearScentedGLSSmall.JPG



After adding PS80:

IMG_1033CroppedWhitePeachClear800.JPG



IrishLass :)
 
Last edited:
That recipe is exactly why I learned to use lye calculators for liquid soap every time. But she does such an awesome job of explaining everything, I have to appreciate her videos. That is either superfat or EO/FO floating on the top. Do what IrishLass said.
 
Yep- it looks like a layer of fat to me, too. If it doesn't smell 'off', you could always emulsify back into the main body of soap by adding some PS80 to it. That's what I did to the soap below:



IrishLass :)

do you mind sharing how to add the polysorbate? is it after dilution on a warm soap? my beer-acv shampoo has a bit of layer on top, i want to get rid of it by adding some poly. also, how much should i use? thank you :)
 
Seven, what I did to emulsify the layer of fat in the above pictured soap was to stir in 1 mL of PS80 to the finished, diluted soap at a time until it cleared (the soap does not have to be warm, btw, but it's perfectly fine if it is). Easy-peasy. :) You can also add it during dilution, too, if you've already figured out beforehand how much PS80 you need to add up front in order to keep things emulsified.


IrishLass :)
 
thank you IrishLass, i will add a bit at a time till it's enough then.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top