Troubleshooting- When your soap making goes wrong
Soapmaking Troubleshooting!
Here are some common issues you might encounter when making soap.
Overheating
Every soapmaker will come across overheating issues at one time or another. Maybe you get in a hurry and mix your soap when the oils and lye are too hot. Or perhaps you purchase a new mould and over insulate it. It happens to us all!
Overheating is also common when soaping with any kind of additive that has sugar, including sugar itself, honey, beer and milk. Most of my overheating issues have come with milk soaps and when using a Pringles packet as a mould. I think that the silver foil lining in the Pringles packet may contribute to overheating.
Here are some common signs of overheating and what you can do if it happens.
Here are some common issues you might encounter when making soap.
Overheating
Every soapmaker will come across overheating issues at one time or another. Maybe you get in a hurry and mix your soap when the oils and lye are too hot. Or perhaps you purchase a new mould and over insulate it. It happens to us all!
Overheating is also common when soaping with any kind of additive that has sugar, including sugar itself, honey, beer and milk. Most of my overheating issues have come with milk soaps and when using a Pringles packet as a mould. I think that the silver foil lining in the Pringles packet may contribute to overheating.
Here are some common signs of overheating and what you can do if it happens.
- The Soap has a crack down the middle
Photo courtesy of Amanda at http://www.lovinsoap.com/troubleshooting/
If you find your soap cracking then try to cool it down. Remove any insulation that you might have on your soap (blankets, tea towels etc.), put your soap in the fridge if it will fit or simply leave it un-insulated in a cool place with plenty of air circulation. It should start to cool down and stop cracking. You can actually use a spatula or a gloved hand to flatten down the crack.
2. The Soap is crawling or Mushrooming out of the Mould:Some soapers call this Volcano-ing
If you find your soap cracking then try to cool it down. Remove any insulation that you might have on your soap (blankets, tea towels etc.), put your soap in the fridge if it will fit or simply leave it un-insulated in a cool place with plenty of air circulation. It should start to cool down and stop cracking. You can actually use a spatula or a gloved hand to flatten down the crack.
2. The Soap is crawling or Mushrooming out of the Mould:Some soapers call this Volcano-ing
Soap Volcano pic by Theresa at AvaBaybaSoaps.com
Soap volcano pic by Theresa at AvaBaybaSoaps.com
If you catch this happening in process see if you can dump what’s in the mold into a mixing container to let it cool off. Be careful as the soap will be hot.
Usually you don’t catch it in time and you find it already volcanoed all over the table that your mould is sitting on. Scoop up what you can and put it back into the mold. It won’t be the prettiest soap in the world but it will still be soap.
3. The Soap has a tunnel-like hole down the middle.
This type of overheating has been my most common issue. As previously stated, it is usually with milk soaps in a Pringles mould.
If you catch this happening in process see if you can dump what’s in the mold into a mixing container to let it cool off. Be careful as the soap will be hot.
Usually you don’t catch it in time and you find it already volcanoed all over the table that your mould is sitting on. Scoop up what you can and put it back into the mold. It won’t be the prettiest soap in the world but it will still be soap.
3. The Soap has a tunnel-like hole down the middle.
This type of overheating has been my most common issue. As previously stated, it is usually with milk soaps in a Pringles mould.
Soap Tunneling photo by Theresa and AvaBayabaSoaps.com
Soap tunneling pic by Theresa at AvaBaybaSoaps.com
The tunnel-like hole down the middle is another sign of overheating. Since it’s in the middle, you don’t really know that it’s happening until you cut it. Rebatch it or keep for personal use. It can be very disappointing when this happens as it is so totally unexpected!
4. The soap has a layer of oil on top
If it is just a bit, more like a sweat than a pool…then just leave it and the soap will probably reabsorb. If it is enough oil to pool up and move around if you tilt the mold then you might want to rebatch. You can do so immediately. Simply plop it into a crockpot and hot process it.
5. The soap looks like brains
I have not actually had this happen. You can look up pictures of this online. Perhaps google soap for brains!
Mixing and emulsion issues
Soap has separated in the mold
This could be due to false trace or simply not reaching a steady emulsion. Dump the mixture back into your mixing container and stir some more until emulsified.
When you cut your soap you go through a very soft layer and then a hard one
Re-batch. Cut your soap into cubes. If it is fresh soap, you shouldn’t need to add water. Put it into the crock pot or pan in the oven. Once the soap get’s loose and gel-like stir like crazy!
You cut your soap and you have pockets of oils or lye
The tunnel-like hole down the middle is another sign of overheating. Since it’s in the middle, you don’t really know that it’s happening until you cut it. Rebatch it or keep for personal use. It can be very disappointing when this happens as it is so totally unexpected!
4. The soap has a layer of oil on top
If it is just a bit, more like a sweat than a pool…then just leave it and the soap will probably reabsorb. If it is enough oil to pool up and move around if you tilt the mold then you might want to rebatch. You can do so immediately. Simply plop it into a crockpot and hot process it.
5. The soap looks like brains
I have not actually had this happen. You can look up pictures of this online. Perhaps google soap for brains!
Mixing and emulsion issues
Soap has separated in the mold
This could be due to false trace or simply not reaching a steady emulsion. Dump the mixture back into your mixing container and stir some more until emulsified.
When you cut your soap you go through a very soft layer and then a hard one
Re-batch. Cut your soap into cubes. If it is fresh soap, you shouldn’t need to add water. Put it into the crock pot or pan in the oven. Once the soap get’s loose and gel-like stir like crazy!
You cut your soap and you have pockets of oils or lye
Picture by Amanda at www. lovinsoap.com
Lye Heavy Soap pic by Amanda at www.lovinsoap.com
The soap in the above picture was scented using a spice Fragrance Oil and a bit of Clove Essential Oil. Both are FAST movers. This soap was made by mixing lye into coconut milk. The problem was that the soap and oils couldn’t be completely mixed before it started setting. You can easily see the lye heavy parts in the soap as well as lye pockets.
If you are sure that you measured everything correctly then you might have had a mixing issue, so chop it up and rematch if you can.
Fragrance oil issues
Fragrance oils can cause a lot of issues with soap making. Make sure that you purchase fragrance oils from reputable suppliers that test to insure compatibility with cold process soap. Personally, I only use essential oils and not the artificial fragrance oil. Having said that, even essential oils can be problematic and speed up trace.
You have fragrance pockets or hard waxy-like fragrance blobs in your soap
You can either reserve the soap for personal use or re-batch.
Some fragrance oil causes seizing. You bring your soap to trace, add the fragrance and it gets hard and lumpy. Some soapers like to call this “soap on a stick.” This happened to my last batch of soap. Instead of re-batching, I threw it out.
Your soap is seizing! If you do not want to throw your soap away, (and it is best not to), an option is to dump the mixture into a crock pot and hot process it.
Some fragrance oils accelerate trace. This means that once you add them to your soap mixture, your mixture thickens rapidly and you need to move fast. Not quite bad as a seize as it is still workable.
These fragrance oils (though tricky) are okay to use. To slow them down a bit make sure you use full water. A recommendation is to add the fragrance oil to your oils before adding the lye. Then stir with a whisk to trace. It won’t move as fast as using a stick blender.
You add the fragrance oil to your soap and it immediately heats up and goes through gel phase right in the pot.
Some fragrances cause your soap mixture to heat up. These include floral fragrance oils and spice fragrance oils. Soap cooler, use full water and add the fragrance oil to your oils before adding the lye. I often use a mixture of refrigerated water and ice cubes to keep the overall temperature low. Stir with a whisk to bring to trace. If your soap is going through gel phase right in the pot you can go ahead and let it gel completely in the pot (insulate if needed) and then dump it in a mold.
You go to cut your soap and it has beads of liquid or your soap is oozing a bit of liquid.
Sometimes fragrance oils can ooze or bead out from a soap. This might have something to do with overheating as well. Let the soap sit for a day or two to see if it reabsorbs the liquid. You can also wipe off if it’s a very small amount.
The soap in the above picture was scented using a spice Fragrance Oil and a bit of Clove Essential Oil. Both are FAST movers. This soap was made by mixing lye into coconut milk. The problem was that the soap and oils couldn’t be completely mixed before it started setting. You can easily see the lye heavy parts in the soap as well as lye pockets.
If you are sure that you measured everything correctly then you might have had a mixing issue, so chop it up and rematch if you can.
Fragrance oil issues
Fragrance oils can cause a lot of issues with soap making. Make sure that you purchase fragrance oils from reputable suppliers that test to insure compatibility with cold process soap. Personally, I only use essential oils and not the artificial fragrance oil. Having said that, even essential oils can be problematic and speed up trace.
You have fragrance pockets or hard waxy-like fragrance blobs in your soap
You can either reserve the soap for personal use or re-batch.
Some fragrance oil causes seizing. You bring your soap to trace, add the fragrance and it gets hard and lumpy. Some soapers like to call this “soap on a stick.” This happened to my last batch of soap. Instead of re-batching, I threw it out.
Your soap is seizing! If you do not want to throw your soap away, (and it is best not to), an option is to dump the mixture into a crock pot and hot process it.
Some fragrance oils accelerate trace. This means that once you add them to your soap mixture, your mixture thickens rapidly and you need to move fast. Not quite bad as a seize as it is still workable.
These fragrance oils (though tricky) are okay to use. To slow them down a bit make sure you use full water. A recommendation is to add the fragrance oil to your oils before adding the lye. Then stir with a whisk to trace. It won’t move as fast as using a stick blender.
You add the fragrance oil to your soap and it immediately heats up and goes through gel phase right in the pot.
Some fragrances cause your soap mixture to heat up. These include floral fragrance oils and spice fragrance oils. Soap cooler, use full water and add the fragrance oil to your oils before adding the lye. I often use a mixture of refrigerated water and ice cubes to keep the overall temperature low. Stir with a whisk to bring to trace. If your soap is going through gel phase right in the pot you can go ahead and let it gel completely in the pot (insulate if needed) and then dump it in a mold.
You go to cut your soap and it has beads of liquid or your soap is oozing a bit of liquid.
Sometimes fragrance oils can ooze or bead out from a soap. This might have something to do with overheating as well. Let the soap sit for a day or two to see if it reabsorbs the liquid. You can also wipe off if it’s a very small amount.
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Fragrance Fading Fast!
One of the most frustrating situations with Cold Process soap is fragrance fade. Often you will make a beautiful batch of soap which smells great and then you notice that the fragrance fades during curing. Sometimes there is no fragrance left at all! What can you do?
It is a sad fact that some essential oils and fragranced don't make it through the cold process environment, which is very harsh and goes through several pH changes. Citrus essential oils tend to suffer during this process as I have sadly discovered with my Sweet Orange essential oil and lemon essential oil.
Some fragrances fade more than others, and if you notice a pattern with a particular fragrance that tends to fade in your soap...then in future use more at trace, but only to the maximum recommended level, as above this can cause skin irritation. Coconut fragrances can also be particularly light once they have gone through the cold process stages.
Some soapers like to use kaolin clay in their soap to help hold scent. It also adds a nice “slip” and subtle color to soap. Others use cornstarch and orris root to help hold the scent in their soaps. It is worth making a small test batch of soap using the fragrance that you find fades the most and see how this goes for you.
Temperature is another factor to consider when soaping. Each fragrance and essential oil has a flash point, which is the temperature at which, under certain circumstances, the liquid in question can ignite with a flame. This means the liquid needs to be at the flash point temperature and come in contact with an open flame. Some people believe if a scent is heated to the flash point temperature in recipes, it can cause the fragrance to fade. (courtesy of Brambleberry.com). Temperature maybe something to take into consideration. If you’re using a low flash point scent, you may want to avoid gelling the soap. During gel phase, soap can get as hot as 83 ° C. It may be something to consider when making hot process soap as well, as the soap temperatures are typically around 72° C or hotter.
To ensure the scent stays strong during the cure, store it in a cool, dry place that’s not in direct sunlight. I like to store my soaps in a cardboard box rather than in a plastic container. You can also dip a cotton ball in the fragrance or essential oil and place it by the soap while it’s curing. That is thought to help the soap absorb some of the scent as it cures.
It is a sad fact that some essential oils and fragranced don't make it through the cold process environment, which is very harsh and goes through several pH changes. Citrus essential oils tend to suffer during this process as I have sadly discovered with my Sweet Orange essential oil and lemon essential oil.
Some fragrances fade more than others, and if you notice a pattern with a particular fragrance that tends to fade in your soap...then in future use more at trace, but only to the maximum recommended level, as above this can cause skin irritation. Coconut fragrances can also be particularly light once they have gone through the cold process stages.
Some soapers like to use kaolin clay in their soap to help hold scent. It also adds a nice “slip” and subtle color to soap. Others use cornstarch and orris root to help hold the scent in their soaps. It is worth making a small test batch of soap using the fragrance that you find fades the most and see how this goes for you.
Temperature is another factor to consider when soaping. Each fragrance and essential oil has a flash point, which is the temperature at which, under certain circumstances, the liquid in question can ignite with a flame. This means the liquid needs to be at the flash point temperature and come in contact with an open flame. Some people believe if a scent is heated to the flash point temperature in recipes, it can cause the fragrance to fade. (courtesy of Brambleberry.com). Temperature maybe something to take into consideration. If you’re using a low flash point scent, you may want to avoid gelling the soap. During gel phase, soap can get as hot as 83 ° C. It may be something to consider when making hot process soap as well, as the soap temperatures are typically around 72° C or hotter.
To ensure the scent stays strong during the cure, store it in a cool, dry place that’s not in direct sunlight. I like to store my soaps in a cardboard box rather than in a plastic container. You can also dip a cotton ball in the fragrance or essential oil and place it by the soap while it’s curing. That is thought to help the soap absorb some of the scent as it cures.
I made a delicious looking soap which smelt amazing...Only to discover that after a week of curing the fragrance faded completely! I did have success in restoring the lost fragrance by placing the soap in a cardboard box with a container of coffee grounds mixed with the coffee fragrance oil. This worked quite well. When making this soap I erred on the side of caution and used a low rate of fragrance...I now know better with this oil!
For the best scent retention, make sure the fragrance or essential oil you’re using has been tested thoroughly and is approved for use in soap. Also, do not go over the recommended rate even if you find your scent fades...it is better to have a faded fragrance than irritated skin!
For the best scent retention, make sure the fragrance or essential oil you’re using has been tested thoroughly and is approved for use in soap. Also, do not go over the recommended rate even if you find your scent fades...it is better to have a faded fragrance than irritated skin!
Other Issues you may encounter when making soap
Soap is crumbly upon un-moulding
This could be because of two reasons. Your soap could be crumbly because it did not go through gel phase. This is especially common in soap that has partially gelled. The center is solid and hard but the edges are crumbly. This is just a cosmetic issue…the soap is not bad. If you want to avoid this issue then make sure that your soap completely goes through gel phase. You might need to help it along by insulating your mould or putting it into a warm oven.
The other reason for crumbly soap is that it could be lye heavy. Wait a couple of days and do a zap test.
If you’re new to soap making throw this batch away. Some people will tell you to re-batch adding more oil or to shred and use as laundry soap. Those are certainly more advanced options you might want to consider after you’ve had some more batches under your belt.
Soap is soft, like play-dough upon un-moulding
There are a couple of reasons that this can happen. First take a look at your recipe. Is there a too high percentage of soft oils such as olive, sweet almond, castor, sunflower, apricot kernel, etc.? Did you use the full water amount? Soaps high in soft oils using full water are going to be pretty soft when un-molding. Wait two or three extra days before un-molding. Next time reformulate your recipe to include a higher percentage of hard oils (see Oils used for soap making) or a steeper water discount.
If you have a well balanced recipe with plenty of hard oils then another reason might be that you mis-measured and did not add enough lye to the batch. Since you don’t really have a way of knowing how much more to add, save this soap for personal use. It should harden up a bit with a cure.
Soap will not un-mold from a silicone mould
When soaping in silicone molds without liners you want to make sure you are using a recipe with a high amount of hard oils (60%+). It also helps if your soap goes through gel phase as it will be harder upon un-moulding. If you find yourself in this situation, put the soap in the fridge for about two hours to freeze solid. Then try and remove.
Soap will not trace or is slow to trace
Soap made with high amounts of olive oil take the longest to trace. A 1 kilo batch should definitely reach trace in less than ten minutes when using a stick blender. So if you’ve been stirring for that or longer…then something might wrong.
First check your water amount. Using high amounts of water with recipes high in olive oil have a hard time tracing. Use a water discount with recipes that have 60%+ of olive oil.
Did you add your lye solution? Don’t laugh! This has happened before to many soapmakers.
Temperature plays a big role in trace. Higher temperatures will make soap trace faster while lower ones will slow trace down. So if you have a recipe that takes forever to trace…then use higher temps. If you have a recipe that moves like a freight train…then use lower temps.
If your soap will not trace…then you might have lye issues. Are you using a new container of lye? Was it clumpy or hard when you used it? This could suggest that it has absorbed moisture somehow so your measurements will be way off. Instead of weighing out the correct amount of lye you’ve weighed out lye and the moisture that it’s absorbed. If your lye is clumpy or hard then get new lye.
The above information on trouble shooting was sourced and adapted from http://www.lovinsoap.com/troubleshooting/
A very informative and useful website. See a list of useful resources below.
This could be because of two reasons. Your soap could be crumbly because it did not go through gel phase. This is especially common in soap that has partially gelled. The center is solid and hard but the edges are crumbly. This is just a cosmetic issue…the soap is not bad. If you want to avoid this issue then make sure that your soap completely goes through gel phase. You might need to help it along by insulating your mould or putting it into a warm oven.
The other reason for crumbly soap is that it could be lye heavy. Wait a couple of days and do a zap test.
If you’re new to soap making throw this batch away. Some people will tell you to re-batch adding more oil or to shred and use as laundry soap. Those are certainly more advanced options you might want to consider after you’ve had some more batches under your belt.
Soap is soft, like play-dough upon un-moulding
There are a couple of reasons that this can happen. First take a look at your recipe. Is there a too high percentage of soft oils such as olive, sweet almond, castor, sunflower, apricot kernel, etc.? Did you use the full water amount? Soaps high in soft oils using full water are going to be pretty soft when un-molding. Wait two or three extra days before un-molding. Next time reformulate your recipe to include a higher percentage of hard oils (see Oils used for soap making) or a steeper water discount.
If you have a well balanced recipe with plenty of hard oils then another reason might be that you mis-measured and did not add enough lye to the batch. Since you don’t really have a way of knowing how much more to add, save this soap for personal use. It should harden up a bit with a cure.
Soap will not un-mold from a silicone mould
When soaping in silicone molds without liners you want to make sure you are using a recipe with a high amount of hard oils (60%+). It also helps if your soap goes through gel phase as it will be harder upon un-moulding. If you find yourself in this situation, put the soap in the fridge for about two hours to freeze solid. Then try and remove.
Soap will not trace or is slow to trace
Soap made with high amounts of olive oil take the longest to trace. A 1 kilo batch should definitely reach trace in less than ten minutes when using a stick blender. So if you’ve been stirring for that or longer…then something might wrong.
First check your water amount. Using high amounts of water with recipes high in olive oil have a hard time tracing. Use a water discount with recipes that have 60%+ of olive oil.
Did you add your lye solution? Don’t laugh! This has happened before to many soapmakers.
Temperature plays a big role in trace. Higher temperatures will make soap trace faster while lower ones will slow trace down. So if you have a recipe that takes forever to trace…then use higher temps. If you have a recipe that moves like a freight train…then use lower temps.
If your soap will not trace…then you might have lye issues. Are you using a new container of lye? Was it clumpy or hard when you used it? This could suggest that it has absorbed moisture somehow so your measurements will be way off. Instead of weighing out the correct amount of lye you’ve weighed out lye and the moisture that it’s absorbed. If your lye is clumpy or hard then get new lye.
The above information on trouble shooting was sourced and adapted from http://www.lovinsoap.com/troubleshooting/
A very informative and useful website. See a list of useful resources below.
White chalky spots
White chalky spots can be seen when you use Titanium Dioxide to create a whiter soap. Titanium Dioxide is dispersible in oil but can sometimes not fully disperse. When your cold process soap is cut, small, chalky white spots can detract from the beauty of your soap. It does not affect the quality or performance of your soap. My suggestion, is to warm your oil before adding the Titanium dioxide and mix it thoroughly, preferably with a mini-blender. The warm oil tends to help it disperse.
Oils that may cause your soap to seize
- Floral fragrance oils are the most commonly reported to cause seize - fragrances like lilac, lily or gardenia.
- spice-type essential oils like clove or cinnamon, can cause seize, however, I have not experienced this with cinnamon bark essential oil.
- alcohol in the fragrance oil.
To help alleviate seizing issues, it is useful to blend your essential or fragrance oils with some oil from your soaping allowance. This helps to dilute the oil and then add it at a thin trace. Keep an eye on temperature, and perhaps mix by hand as sometimes the heat generated by the hand blender can be just enough to tip an oil over the edge into seize mode.
Some Useful Links
Many thanks to Amanda at http://www.lovinsoap.com/troubleshooting/ for her informative website and photos.
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soap-behaving-badly/
http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/Soap/Tips_Trouble.html
http://gracefruit.blogspot.com.au/2006/07/hot-process-hints.html
http://www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking/creative/July/citrussoap.html#thoughts
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soap-behaving-badly/
http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/Soap/Tips_Trouble.html
http://gracefruit.blogspot.com.au/2006/07/hot-process-hints.html
http://www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking/creative/July/citrussoap.html#thoughts