Bastille - WTH??

[Angel91805]

UCK.

Never having actually tried a bar of castille/bastille, I grabbed a bar and headed for the shower tonight. 5 months ago, 7/4 to be exact, I made a batch of 90% OO, 5% castor, 5% babassu, 5% superfat, 33% lye solution, no FO, no colorant, nada. I grabbed the end piece tonight and used it. Got what I expected....creamy lather with little bubbles. I like bigger bubbles, but no biggie. I put the bar on the top rack of the wire rack thingy well out of the water spray/mist. At the end of my shower, instead of using my face wash, I thought I'd give the ol' mild bastille a try on my psoriasis. (My skin feels AMAZING BTW!) When I went for the bar, however, there was now a 1/16" of SLIME coating the entire thing. EW. Is this the castille slime you all have been talking about? I mean, I could scrape it off w/ my finger (and did and used that on my face)! EW. Major EW.

5 months of cure time. Water discount. Should I wait longer or does it always do this?

Donna

[mystical_angel1219]

Yes indeed. And you forgot to mention the SNOT factor.

It grosses me out. Slimey, sticky and snotty.

Olive oil does contribute wonderful properties to soap, but it does have it's downfalls when used in high percentages, IMO.

I've read on the Dish where they had cured OO soap for a year.

I don't know if that would change it or not, to be honest.

[CareBear]

I have some a year old. Still does the same thing if it remains damp. I don't mind the slime. But if you do, use it early on in the shower and then keep it out of the mist as much as possible.

[MarieJeanette]

Ah yes, Castile's famous colloidal suspension. I learned from a chemist on another soaping site that the 'slime' or 'snot' is known as a 'colloidal suspension', and is caused by the high oleic acid in olive oil. High oleic acid soaps make the most soluble soaps of all. There's nothing wrong with the resulting soap; it's just the nature of the oleic beast.

Since learning what the 'snot' is, I'm personally no longer disturbed by it. Instead, I look at it as something quite beneficial.

If you are inclined to try, though, there are ways to cut down on the suspension without sacrificing any of the emmolient benefits that a high olive oil soap lend. I've found that using less olive oil, or even substituting rice bran oil for some of the olive oil really helps out in that area. HTH! :smiley2:

MarieJeanette

[deb12c]

'colloidal suspension' sures sounds a lot better than slime or snot LOL

[prairieannie]

I know what it is.. I know what it does, and I still find it absolutely freaking disgusting! LOL. I can't deal with it. Gross! I am very careful in just adding even a little OO to my soap "Just in case". lol

[Angel91805]

Ah....that was it exactly! SNOT-ish.

I'm so icked out by it....BUT....let me tell you, the patch-y/scaly psoriasis that I had at my hairline is MUCH improved today. So...while I don't particularly like it.....I guess I'll use it. :lipsrseal

I swear with that slime factor, my bar shrunk a LOT just in one shower. HAHAHA Must make more now.

[mystical_angel1219]

OO does make a luxiurant facial soap, no doubt.

My fav was Burts Bee's Honey & Carrot facial soap. I used it for years. Preferred it over Clinique. But then I used a goat's milk, carrot and honey soap from michelleb~ incredible bar. I love this even more, it is an amazing facial soap.