Why did my soaps have a white dusty appearance when dry?

[pilatesmum]

Hi

I joined this forum so that I could have another try at making soap!

I made some soaps with a kit from a local store. They looked great
when they were made but after about a week they looked 'dusty'
on the top. My kids helped me make them and wanted to give them
as teachers gifts

Can anyone shed any light on this for me?
Thanks in advance!

 

[IanT]

it might be ash that is a biproduct of the saponification process when the soap comes into contact with air....you can deal with it either with a small amount of alcohol diluted in a little bit of water and sprayed on it from a bottle or rub with felt gloves to smooth off the dust

 

[Tabitha]

Is it M&P? I am guessing it is since it was a kit from a store. If it is M&P you can mist the bars w/ rubbing alcohol to clean the surface. This helps remove finger prints & minor imperfections too. When they are dry you should wrap them in saran wrap or place them in air tight cello or ziplock bags.

 

[pilatesmum]

Thanks

Ok thanks guys! I did not know that I needed to keep them wrapped up and that the air would affect them. We had them out on a wire cake cooling rack.

I can see that I need to check out the forum for more tips and advice before I have another go

 

[Tabitha]

M&P should be kept airtight, it will shrink/shrivel if yo don't.

Most people do not wrap CP airtight.

It depends on which type you are making.