DOS or what??

[Sister Kya]

I soaped these sad, fugly bars using the tried and true "Quietgirl's Basic" recipe from this board. They lather like a dream and are absolutely amazing at only 3 weeks into their cure, but...

About 1 week into the cure I noticed the orange discoloration and thought DOS. But maybe not?

Recipe:

12 oz. Olive (purchased 11/07, kept in fridge)

12 oz. Safflower (purchased 11/07, kept in fridge)

7.2 oz. Crisco (purchased 11/07, kept in dark cupboard)

7.2 oz. Coconut (purchased 1/08, opaque container, stored on countertop)

7.2 oz. Palm Kernel flakes (purchased 12/07, stored on shelf)

2.4 oz. Refined Shea Butter (purchased 08/07, vacuum sealed and stored on shelf)

9 oz. Aloe Juice

9.3 oz. Water (tap...I know... but my previous soaps were all tap as well...)

6.8 oz Lye

Pinch of Silk, 1 Tbsp. Sugar dissolved in water before adding lye.

Scented with Candlewic's Sandalwood Rose (skin-safe). Stirred into oils before adding lye water.

Half of batter removed after light trace to color with liquid FD&C "Rose", stirred thoroughly then returned for ITP swirl.

Poured into Life of the Party molds. No gel.

Unmolded in 48 hours (still soft, but I'm notoriously impatient...). Looked great! Noticed the discolorations within the first week of curing...

Any thoughts? The white stuff isn't lye (tongue-tested it meself). Bars were polished with alcohol and a washcloth before pics were taken, so it's not your typical ash either...

The orange patches don't rub off on anything (I think DOS do?) and they go through the bars (as far as I'm willing to check).

For fugly soap, it's some of the nicest darn lather I've seen!

[Scented]

It doesn't look like DOS to me. DOS is orange that I've seen and it isn't snowflake-like that I've seen either.

The DOS I've had you can cut out. It doesn't rub off.

This looks more like something dried or burned, but not sure that would be the case either. Is it crumbly where you have it on the edges?

Guess reading more would have answered the snowflake look. I still don't see DOS as I don't see orange, but most sandalwood rose scents will discolor and maybe that's what you have going on.

[Angel91805]

I don't think it's DOS either. BUT....I have had the snowflake crystaline looking stuffs before. See this link...I posted pictures of my "ugly" soap. Check out the MMS Awapui Seaberry...it's the one with these same formations you have.

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67546&highlight=ugly

I never did figure it out. And the soap, though it was a tried and true recipe had a "slickness" to it that my other soaps never had. Still worked and lathered like a mofo though!

Sorry I can't be more help...... :tiptoe:

Donna

[Brat]

I've had those, and I have a theory about it being loose FO crystals or something like that

[Angel91805]

I've thought that too....or something to do with palm kernal oil.

[Meridith]

It does not look like DOS to me but it does look a bit like you got a partial gel along with whatever is else is going on. Palm can sometimes leave stearic in the soap which sorta of looks like that if not stirred in well but I'm not sure if PKO, which you have in your recipe, does that as well.

[thecandlespastore]

I don't know what it is but I do love that mold. Do you mind me asking where you got it?

[Sister Kya]

Thanks everyone!

So, a possible combo of discoloring FO and...snowflakes. Well, it sounds much better than DOS at least.

Scented, the snowflaked edges aren't any more crumbly than the rest. Which is to say, not at all. It dents, scratches and pits, but doesn't crumble.

Meredith, partial gel is a real possibility. If I'm going to keep working with these molds (which I adore, form factor-wise), I need to figure out how to insulate them so I can gel when I want.

thecandlepastore, it's the first mold I ever bought and I've gone full circle back to it. Just a plain, ordinary Life of the Party mold from Michael's. The one on the left in this photo. I bought the one on the right from NG, hoping for a similar feel in the hands, but so far nothing beats my LotP in the shower.

My main complaint is unmolding because I always end up with thumbprints from the spot where I had to press to release. I probably just need a lot more patience...

[IndulgentCreations]

Try putting a heating pad down, towel on top, then mold, then a piece of cardboard and a towel over the whole thing. This should help with the gelling issues. For releasing them, pop them in the freezer overnight, they slide right out the next day. Can you tell I started with molds like these, LOL? HTH

April

[Sister Kya]

Whoo hoo!

Thanks April, I obviously wasn't freezing them long enough.

Empty molds means I gotta' make more soaps.

[thecandlespastore]

Or just put a box over the mold upside down, and cover the box with a blanket. You should get full gel. Thanks for the mold tip, I will hunt it down at Michaels!