white film

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So my first ever soap making event was last yr when my son received a kit off Amazon as a gift. I knew nothing about soaps before this. We mixed the colors into melted soap base and poured into the provided molds. Well about a week later, a white film developed all over every single soap. It's able to be scratched off and washed off as well. It seems to come back, however. I was unable to find any info on this anywhere, what it is and how to prevent. They aren't sweating, and it reminds me of the soda ash I've read about and seen on cp soaps. I've made a mp goats milk based soap since and haven't had the same thing happen. Tia everyone!

Edit, attempting to upload a pic. Hopefully it works, fingers crossed!

IMAG1328.jpg
 
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Well, to all the great folks that read and didn't know what it was. After I thought long and hard, I remembered it came with 1oz of cocoa butter which I split into pieces as I melted batches of the 2 pound clear mold. I melted it, added it to the melted glycerine soap with colorants, and poured. I assume it's the cocoa butter that for some reason came out as a film.
 
Hi, LionPrincess --

I have never done M&P soap, but when you explained you had added cocoa butter, I thought you might be getting a "bloom" on the soap from the cocoa butter, just like chocolate sometimes blooms.

A chocolate bloom comes from temperature variations that cause the cocoa butter to migrate to the surface of the chocolate. Maybe the same is true for your soap. If so, the residue should feel waxy on your fingers -- just like cocoa butter -- not powdery like ash or mildew.

I'm sorry no one with more experience has been able to contribute to your question -- sometimes answers can be tough to come up with. I hope this helps.
 
Ah Thx :D your answer seems quite feasible. I got the kit for my son during the holidays last winter. We had done a science project mp in 2013 and enjoyed it, so I got this for me and all the kids to do. I enjoyed it a ton, and that's when I decided I'd love to try cp soaping. So I've been studying and collecting supplies on that. Back to this, it IS oily somewhat and can be scraped off with my nail. It can also be completely washed off. After leaving it out unused for a few days, however, it returns.
Weird!
 
I get the impression that M&P can be pretty persnickety about what additives one can mix into to it. You added only 1/2 ounce CB per 32 oz of soap and that seems pretty reasonable to me, but maybe it's enough to cause this "blooming" issue.

With that, I'd better stop, cuz I just don't have the experience to be giving more specific advice! :)

Have fun with the CP -- that's something I have a little experience with.
 
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