Soap Makers Help!

[redhead83402]

well, here are the cut bars ~ can you ladies tell me why there are some whiter streaks going through the soap? Also, dang it! on the citrus scent ~ lol ~ oh well, live & learn, at least the tub tea looks ok ~ I am going to make more today. This time I will try the lavender.

cockadoodle ~ great job on involving the husband! Mine saw the awful job I was doing cutting the bars, and immediately offered to make me a mold tomorrow, when he gets back from installing a kitchen, and sat down & designed a guitar- string cutter device for me ~ YEAHH!!

I knew he couldn't stand to see me do something, and not get involved ~ hehehehehe ~ ;-D
~Red

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
6 jars is good, but yes, you'll need more, depending on what your plans are with your soap. (shhhh! Don't tell hubby. ha ha) I purchased 8 lbs from Camden Grey and then an additional 12 lbs. of the Rooto.

Did I mention that I have a "problem"?

Actually, the soap isn't completely done and I'm already getting orders for it. Wooo hooo! That's going to do good things for the garden. I find it both challenging and relaxing to make, so I'm good if people want more.

Today I finally got around to making the Rosemary & Lavender. I made a rosemary infusion with the olive oil, then also infused the lye water with a bit more. It turned a light caramel color which won't look as good as I had hoped. I added some 'mouse poo' (lavender) and pulverized rosemary, along with some lavender EO at trace.

When this is done, I should have somewhere in the range of 230-240 bars of soap! At this point, I seriously need to get some of them out of my house. Without cheeptrick's nifty drying racks, I have soap everywhere. Forget overrun with chickens, I'm overrun with soap!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Congrats cockadoodlemom and redhead83402 on your batches of soap! They look great! It's fun seeing what everyone is making!

As for the white streaks redhead83402, I'm sure the experienced ladies will be along to answer that one for you, but in the meantime, if you have TSC, turn to page 165. She gives 4 possibilities for soaps with white streaks (but not solid white pieces):
1. uneven emulsion from uneven stirring
2. temperatures of oils and lye too cold
3. synthetic fragrance oils used to scent the soap
4. stirred too long after adding fragrance.

It says to be sure that the white swirls aren't shiny, alkaline chunks of lye. Swirls created by the fragrance do not affect the purity of the soap. Further down the page, it talks about how bright white areas (not streaks but actual chunks) have to do with too much sodium hydroxide and that these bars are dangerous to use. That doesn't look to me to be what you have, which would be good news, I would think.

 

[cheeptrick]

Quote:

BYBuddies....you got it on the nose.
DO the tongue test in a week or so. THOSE bars look gorgeous!! I love the rustic appearance and shape!

Told you SO...you may as well go down and get a business license! LOL

 

[redhead83402]

well, thank you!! I bet I know EXACTLY what it was, I think I stirred it too long after adding the fragrance. I used one of those stick blenders, & I added fragrance about 3 minutes before trace, thinking I wouldn't have enough time to get the tub tea all mixed in in enough time. I now understand the times, however, lol, I think I could have added it when a light trace was reached, and then poured when a heavier trace was reached, then I bet I wouldn't get those streaks again.

Also, there is no bright white or ooze at all, so I am pretty certain it isn't the lye issue. And I know it couldn't have been too cool of temps, since I went with 110* on the soap, & 125* on the lye. My soaper book said 95* to 100*, & the MMS calculator said 100* to 125*, so I went with the MMS suggestion, because again, I was afraid it would harden too quickly. Now I know better, lol.

When the soap books say move fast, it's not quite as fast as when you have chocolate cooling ~ lol.

And BB ~ I don't have the TSC book ~ sadly, my library doesn't have it, & I couldn't wait for the one off of eBay to get here,lol.
Once I get a wild hair.......you know....lol.. gotta try it. ;-D
~Red

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Glad you figured it out, Redhead! It is a learning experience and I'm glad to be going through this with some other newbies.

My Rosemary and Lavender is setting up nicely right now. So exciting!

 

[redhead83402]

ok, here is my lavender eo batch ~
The thing I am worried about ~ with the other batch, I didn't cover it up hardly at all. So I thought, you know, I sort of skipped that step last time, and I wasn't supposed to, so I covered this batch up with another pan, sort of like a domed lid.

Now I uncovered it, and it looks like it's gelled! Is this right?? Should I stir it?
~Red

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
Does it have any milk in it? If not, I'd just let it go. It actually looks like it has already gelled and is starting to cool back down. You should see the edges getting lighter, and then the lighter color spreading all the way in to the center.

Based on several swaps I've participated in, I find gelled soaps to be much smoother in texture, although in the case of milk soaps, the ungelled bars are super-lovely.

 

[redhead83402]

no, it does not have milk in it ~ should I leave the lid on then, or leave it off?
~Red

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
If indeed it has already fully gelled (deep into all four corners of the mold), and is cooling, then yeah, just leave it be, uncovered, and it will cool faster.