TROUBLE SHOOTING SOAPMAKING

Much like baking a cake, there are several things that can go wrong during soapmaking. Some problems are merely aesthetic — while they may detract from the beauty of your finished bar, they do not affect its overall quality. Others are more serious, and they may mean your bars are not suitable for use on the skin. If you are unsure about the safety of your final bars, always check their pH before using them on the skin. This is not a definitive list of troubleshooting tips — you may wish to purchase an additional book with a more fully developed troubleshooting section

Your soap fails to ‘trace’

This may not be a problem. If your recipe is made up of a large amount of oils which have a high percentage of unsaponifiables may result in soap that doesn’t trace. Other problems may be too much water or not enough lye. A soap mixture that does not trace is not always cause for concern. If, after 45 minutes, your soap has not traced, stop stirring for 5 minutes and then stir for 10 minutes. Continue this process for about another 45 minutes. If your soap has not yet traced, pour it anyway. If however, your soap is not tracing and you see evidence that the lye solution is not combining with the oil or they were combined but are now separating, you will have to throw this batch away..

Soap ‘seizes’, i.e. begins to harden in the pan very quickly

Pour (or scrape) the soap into your mold as quickly as possible. The soap is useable but may not be as pretty as you had hoped. Many synthetic fragrances can cause soap to seize. If you intend to use synthetic fragrances, purchase ones that have been tested in cold process soap making.

Crumbly Soap: Too little water used. You can use the soap for rebatching.

Curdling: Oils, lye or both poured at too high a temperature; irregular stirring, or the stirring process was too slow.

Hard, Brittle Soap: Too much sodium hydroxide. Do not use these bars. They are probably quite alkaline.

Lye pockets with liquid or powdered lye: Too much sodium hydroxide, stirring process too slow, insufficient stirring. The soap should be discarded.

Mottled Soap with freckles: Uneven stirring. This is an aesthetic problem only, and the soap is still usable.

Separation: This becomes apparent after you have poured your soap into the mold. A significant layer of oil or grease sits on top of the mixture. If the layer of oil is thin, it's probably caused by the essential oils and will be reabsorbed during the curing process. If the layer is thick, you have a caustic soap that should be discarded.

Small White Chunks in Soap: Too much sodium hydroxide or inadequate stirring. The white areas are caustic and the soap should be discarded.

Soft Soap: Too much water. Leave the soap in the mold until it hardens. If it hardens eventually it should be fine to use.

White Powdering: White powder, called soda ash. The powder frequently forms on the surface of the soap and this is quite harmless. Scrape or wash off the powder on the soap before use.

REMEMBER: Most batches can be saved even if they look beyond help.

THE SOAP KITCHEN
Caribbean Spa
Tel: 1 (868) 640.5119
Cell: 1 (868) 681.1536

Email: leigh@thesoapkitchentt.com
Website: www.thesoapkitchentt.com
Blog: http://thesoapkitchen.blogspot.com