Gsmakinsoap Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Well, I just finished making some RT CP soap. I added the Peak lilac FO to the oils, stirring it up first before adding the lye solution. As I stirred in the solution, I felt like the whisk was hitting against something on the bottom of the bowl, and it finally detached and up comes this weird white fibrous looking mass! It was a lump a little smaller than the size of my thumb. There were also more little floaties of the same material, so I had to sieve the soap as I was adding it to the mold. Has anyone else ever had this happen? I just wonder if it was a reaction of the lye with the FO, as the amount of it was about how much FO I used (my batch was a small 1 lb batch). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Sounds like your FO was ricing. Florals are notorious for doing that. If you can, next time hit it with a stick blender and you can usually smooth it out, or add a small amount (like 2 TBSP) of cold water, and that can help it smooth out as well. Your soap will end up being fine most likely, but that's what it sounds like happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsmakinsoap Posted August 16, 2016 Author Share Posted August 16, 2016 Thanks Jcandleattic! I think however the culprit is the mystery ingredient I added. I just went to refill my smaller bottle of castor oil from the big gallon jug, and there was still some left in the little bottle. Well, as I was adding to it, I saw that it was a different color from the oil I was adding. Hmmm. I realize now that what I thought was my bottle of castor, was a bottle of something else entirely. What exactly, I'm not sure. But now I know what happens when you add it to soap! I went ahead and dumped it out. This embarrassing turn of events will hopefully teach me to become a better labeler. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 23 hours ago, Gsmakinsoap said: Thanks Jcandleattic! I think however the culprit is the mystery ingredient I added. I just went to refill my smaller bottle of castor oil from the big gallon jug, and there was still some left in the little bottle. Well, as I was adding to it, I saw that it was a different color from the oil I was adding. Hmmm. I realize now that what I thought was my bottle of castor, was a bottle of something else entirely. What exactly, I'm not sure. But now I know what happens when you add it to soap! I went ahead and dumped it out. This embarrassing turn of events will hopefully teach me to become a better labeler. I actually LOL reading your post. Sorry about your soap going bad but your post made me laugh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsmakinsoap Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Heh heh. Yeah, idiots can provoke that response sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 So did you ever find out what it was you put in the soap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponiebr Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 On 8/16/2016 at 6:09 PM, Gsmakinsoap said: Thanks Jcandleattic! I think however the culprit is the mystery ingredient I added. I just went to refill my smaller bottle of castor oil from the big gallon jug, and there was still some left in the little bottle. Well, as I was adding to it, I saw that it was a different color from the oil I was adding. Hmmm. I realize now that what I thought was my bottle of castor, was a bottle of something else entirely. What exactly, I'm not sure. But now I know what happens when you add it to soap! I went ahead and dumped it out. This embarrassing turn of events will hopefully teach me to become a better labeler. Out of curiosity, what was the color of the mystery ingredient and what fats were you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsmakinsoap Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 I couldn't figure out what it was, unless it was glycerine. It had that thickness and the color of glycerine (clear). But I wouldn't think that glycerine would do that, as I've heard of people adding it to soap before. Well, I may find out some day. I was using coconut, palm, pko, olive, shea, and castor oils BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponiebr Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 (edited) 16 hours ago, Gsmakinsoap said: I couldn't figure out what it was, unless it was glycerine. It had that thickness and the color of glycerine (clear). But I wouldn't think that glycerine would do that, as I've heard of people adding it to soap before. Well, I may find out some day. I was using coconut, palm, pko, olive, shea, and castor oils BTW. Something occurred to me the other day as I was trimming up some soaps, did you per chance have any salt in your solution? I've added about 1-3% to some of my soaps and some have had this strange blush pop out on them. It's tough stuff too. It might be soda ash, but I'm thinking it "feels" more like stearic acid. My Pomegranate Cider with Red Currant FO's soap is the worst offender of the bunch, so maybe certain FO's might be the culprit? I'm wondering if maybe you didn't have some stearates precipitate out, that it might have been sodium lactate? Interesting, none the less. Edited September 27, 2016 by Sponiebr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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