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Houston, we have a DOS problem!


prairieannie

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Okay, I have read and read and read about DOS. I have a batch of 7 bars left that seems to have a real bad case of it. I've been watching it for awhile and it's definately getting worse. The batch was made in January, and the recipe I used has Coconut, Canola, and Olive oils, along with Teatree, Lavender and Mint EO's. I'll need to dig up the exact recipe if necessary.

The bars are only 6 months old, isn't this early for a case of DOS? Could humidity and heat have a lot to do with it? It's the oldest batch I have around, and now I'm nervous that any others I have made and sold have contracted this hideous stuff as well. The soap still smells so wonderful, and I even showered with it this morning to be sure it hadn't been affected any other way. I have had a bar of it IN the shower with about 6,000 others that shows NO sign of DOS, but the stored bars have it bad. What gives? Anyone know?

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Dreaded orange spots. Signs of oils going rancid.

What % of canola did you use? Lavender can be a factor in DOS from what I've read in my research and experience. But heat and humidity are often your culprits.

Any possibility that the oils were old/not fresh? Stored in hot conditions? Did the soap cure in a dry environment?

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Dreaded orange spots. Signs of oils going rancid.

What % of canola did you use? Lavender can be a factor in DOS from what I've read in my research and experience. But heat and humidity are often your culprits.

Any possibility that the oils were old/not fresh? Stored in hot conditions? Did the soap cure in a dry environment?

% of canola was a tad over 45%

The oils were fresh as far as I know. Other batches made with the same oil were okay as far as I know lol. This is the only batch that I have any bars left of.

It wasn't hot or humid here in January, and everything was stored/cured in cool, dark and dry conditions.

Now, all that being said, it IS hot here now, and where they have been stored did probably get warm, although not hot over the past 6 months.

Maybe it was a combination of things? The Teatree/Lavender/Mint mixture that I used wasn't high in concentrations of lavender as compared to the rest, but that topped with the huge bunch of canola and the weather getting hot may have just been too much.

I'm starting to feel like it was more the Canola than anything, and despite the fact that I just bought another big jug of it, I think I'll be changing my old stand by recipe to avoid canola or sunflower (another culprit) at all costs.

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Sunflower is another DOS-promoter? Drat, I just subbed that into a recipe that was supposed to have hazelnut oil (son is allergic to hazelnuts of all things!).

Any other DOS-friendly oils I should avoid?

I know lots of people use sunflower oil and have no problems, just as lots of people use canola and have no problems as well, however, I'm thinking that there was just a combination of things here that caused the dos, and since I'm apparently prone to that sort of thing, I'm not taking any chances.

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Grapeseed oil can cause DOS too. I've had it happen before in a recipe that had that had GSO and then again in another recipe so its the only thing I could figure caused it. I've taken the % down and its never happened again.

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Well, I know grapeseed has a short shelf life, so that makes sense.

Yeah, I keep it in the fridge because of that. I like it but don't like the short shelf life so I try not to use it too many applications. I had alot of it since I ordered from a supplier not remembering that I had ordered some from one of Shutter's coop. Suddenly, I had more than I needed and I worry it will go bad before I can use it all. Darn it.

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Rice Bran oil causes DOS for me!! I tried 3 times to sub my olive oil for rice bran and ALL 3 ended up with DOS!! :undecided Never had it since!!
Oh I didn't want to hear that. Okay, I'm glad you mentioned it... but it doesn't make me happy. :(

Maybe we should start a thread about oils suspected of contributing to DOS? With the price of olive oil going up I think people are trying to substitute cheaper oils in it's place. But it would be a shame if one (some?) of those cheaper oils were more likely to cause DOS.

PA: I feel bad about your soap, hon. Here's hoping it's a one-time thing and the nasty orangies never appear again. {{hug}}

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I know a lot of people use Rice Bran with no problems, so don't let that stop you from trying it, you may never have a problem!! I just know I haven't tried it again in 2 years and still no DOS!! :D

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Rice Bran oil causes DOS for me!! I tried 3 times to sub my olive oil for rice bran and ALL 3 ended up with DOS!! :undecided Never had it since!!

I've been using RBO for a long time, no DOS here. I do use some short shelf oils, but I keep them at 10% and so far, it works (3 years).

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Thanks everyone for your input re: RBO. I had just concocted what looked to be a kick-butt recipe that includes RBO, and was looking forward to making it until I read about Chris' DOS problem. Whew! Glad to hear it's not a universal problem! :)

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Maybe we should develop a DOS database. If you get DOS (I haven't yet), post the oils, FOs, age of oils, storage conditions, age of soap, stuff like that. Maybe someday we'll see a pattern.

So maybe someone with a DOS condition could start a dedicated thread?

Just an idea.

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Not to get off subject, but when I saw DOS I thought to myself, man time to upgrade your operating system! LOL!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought this... lol I couldn't figure it out for the first few posts then my brain adjusted from the computer realm to the soapin' world...

I personally have had one bar with DOS - but it was a bar that was left in my bathroom for almost a year. Scary thing is the oils in it were cocoa butter, olive oil, and coconut oil - all very fresh. I just think it's one of those weird things that no one will understand - kinda like the Bermuda Triangle! ;)

Life & Light!

Tish

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aye - I agree but there were two other bars in there from the same batch that were perfectly fine (in my lack of caffeine state, I forgot to mention that!)... that's why I don't understand it. maybe it was a chunck of cocoa butter or coconut oil (I use the 92* stuff) that didn't get as incorperated as I thought. ;) I don't have a clue why one and not the others. But it was just for our home use so it's not a big deal. I just thought it was kinda weird...

Life & Light!

Tish

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At one time I read that packaging your soaps too early can cause DOS and somewhere else I read that if you left your soap nakid you run a higher risk of getting it too. I been soaping for a year and a half and haven't seen one case of DOS yet! (knock on wood!)

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I've read where adding a little ROE will help in preventing DOS. There are additives like BHT and EDTA that will also help, but these are not "natural" like ROE. One interesting thing I found was a bar of soap I made 2/6/2003 and shrink wrapped it. No fo...I had forgotten it. I just unwrapped it maybe two weeks ago and it got DOS in about two days! Don't know what this proves, if anything.

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