Reg

It's soap that got a little dry in the cook and took on a waxy appearance. When you mixed it in to your batch it left the white spot.

That makes sense (since it was soapy when I got it wet), thanks!

Typically it's only really caustic for the first 48 hours or so. Once the "zap" is gone it's not considered caustic anymore. However, it will still be a bit harsh if used right away as it does continue to saponify for a while. Many castille makers swear that their soap needs to sit for a year or so before it's completely saponified and becomes as mild as they want it...

I made a batch of CP soap with olive oil only, maybe I'll save one bar for a year to see if it gets better.

I made my second batch of HP soap, and when I cut it I found 5 or 6 white spots. I picked one out, and rubbed it between my fingers - it felt slippery like soap. So I added water, and it created bubbles and leather. So what is that? A soap that solidified just before I started pouring the soap into the mold? Something that didn't melt (even though I had it in a crock pot for one hour)? This is olive, soy, and coconut oil soap with oatmeal.

Those look so nice! I think I need a sompmaking calss too. I've read the book, and watched the videos, but nothing beats the real live demonstation, and feedback.

If it won't come off with a good scrubbing it is probably ok to still use. However, most of us have utensils and soapmaking pots that we don't use for food.

Thanks for replying! I decided to soak it, and give it another scrub. If it doesn't come off, the pot will be dedicated to the "official" soapmaking tool set. I am sure dear husband won't be too happy, but at least it's not the expensive one.

i am not getting any thing i put in to bring up a recipe..

Are you following the directions at the top? Are you holding down the "CTRL" key when selecting oils?

I made my second batch of HP soap today, and after I washed and dried the crockpot, I noticed a whitish ring on the inside at the level where the top of the soap was as it was cooking. I tried scrubbing it again, and no luck. Did I ruin my crockpot, or is there something I can do to get rid of whatever it is? I am afraid to cook food in it now.

-Smart soapmaking-Anne Watson

-Everything soapmaking:Alicia Grosso

-natural soap book or soapmakers companion both by Susan Cavitch

I KNOW you asked for one book..but any one of those will NOT disappoint

but of course theres alot of resources online!

Oh my, there is definately a lot of information online! I sarted reading/watching, and pretty much got lost. There is so much cortradicting information, like one person says, "do not blend", yet others say, "use the stick blender", some people say the temperature should be 80 degrees, other say it's 120 degrees, and everything in between and beyond; cover yor molds, don't cover your molds... I thought I should just pick one person's method and stick with it for now. I am sure I'll end up owning at least 3 soapmaking books, becuse I like different perspectives on the same subject.

just wondering..you are using palm but have no idea what palm is??

wait..I just reread you said it was just olive oil that you used?? if so..it could be lye..have you tried using the bar??

So "palm" is palm oil, or is it something else?

I have not tried using this soap yet, I made it on 6/27, so I am waiting for it to cure.

Well the CP one looks like a hunk of provolone cheese to me. The white spots ... no, that's not how it looks when it cures (at least mine doesn't.) It looks like palm to me. If palm isn't stirred in well enough, it can leave that appearance. It can probably do it under other instances too though. If it were lye, it would be between wet and oozy to crusty, crumbly, white generally == will almost look like a white burn.

The HP looks fine to me. I'd just say pack your molds a little more.

Thanks for your reply!

I am really new to soapmaking, I don't know what palm is? Would it disappear if I "hand mill" (rebatch) it?

The very first post says this: "Also, make sure the lye you choose is 100% sodium hydroxide and isn't drain cleaner. Which contains metal shavings and is unsuitable for soapmaking."

The lye I bought is a drain cleaner, but it does say 100% lye on the bottle. So is this ok or not?

I made two batches of soap, one HP and one CP (these are my very first soaps), and I have no idea if they look like they are supposed to look.

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this one is CP, made on June 26th. There are some spots on the cut side that look whiter then the rest of the soap, so I was wondering if it's just the way the soap hardens as it cures, or if that's lye. This is olive oil only soap, I made it 5% superfat, so theoreticly there should be no excess lye, but I have no idea for sure.

[ATTACH]20340[/ATTACH]

this one is HP olive and coconut oil, made on June 23rd. It really looks yellow, kidn of marbled, and somewhat translucent. Is this the way it's supposed to look?

the heat will insure that your soap will gell..

or you can wrap in towels and blankets to gell too..

have you even seen a soap ..that has kind of a circle right in the middle, that is a different shade?...that is from a soap that did not completely gell.

if you don't want to gell..you keep you soaps uncovered..and place on racks so that the air will circulate..and you can even turn on a fan..

and if you make GM soaps..some even put it in the freezer to keep from gell..

I onlymade 2 batches of soap, and neither had that circle. I guess I am not sure what gell means. Is it a bit different texture when it gells, then when it doesn't gell?

this will also force gell....i do this with all my soaps..as i want them to gell..

Pardon my dumbness, but what does it mean to "force gell"?

I always use full water. For example, the soap calc on The Sage will give you a range of water to use for a recipe, say 8-12 ounces, I use the 12. Cook on the lowest setting, as this keeps the water from evaporating. (I watch my crock like a hawk so it doesn't overcook) and when it's done I take the crock out and add glycerin to my batch, stir it around then add my FO's, then colors. If it's a single color batch, I add the color to my base oils before the cook (some pigments don't work this way, though).

Barbs way of saving some water for after the cook is good, too. I do my milk soaps like that. But remember if the water is cold it will turn the soap waxy the instant it touches it. I glop (for lack of a better term) into the mold while still pretty hot and the insulation keeps it melty for a long time. I will come by and touch my molds hours later and they are still warm. I think that helps with the smoother appearance, too.

Some people add sugar to their recipe to keep the soap hotter, but I just work fast and don't let it cool down to begin with after the cook. Hope that makes sense!

Wow, I have lots to learn!!!

Thank you everybody for replying!

which one would it be?

I do HP and like it. I like that I don't have to worry about FO's that move too fast, no seizing, ricing or soap on a stick. I can use less FO, and no morphing! I can swirl and layer my HP, because I take steps to keep it thinner consistency, not waxy and gloppy. Is my CP prettier? Depends on who's looking at it.

How do you keep HP soap thinner consistency?

All the same reasons as above.

Adding; that I like hp for one other reason- I have children who think because mom is making it, it is safe for kids,..so I like hp because I don't have cp soap sitting somewhere for weeks to cure.

So how long does CP soap stay caustic, just first few days, or all those 4-6 weeks while it's curing? (I have kids too)

I am absolutely new to soap making. I tried HP method a few days ago, and made a batch of CP soap just a few minutes ago. Now I am wondering which method is the preferred and why, please post your opinions.

Did you cut it yet? We want pictures P L E A S E!!!

I looked at the MSDS of olive oil just to see what it looks like. When I started reading "first aid measures", I just about fell out of my chair:

http://www.oilsbynature.com/merchant2/docs/MSDS/OBN%20MSDS%20Olive%20Oil%20Extra%20Virgin.pdf