While you are learning to make soap there are going to be some challenges along the way.
Think of yourself as a scientist experimenting with different techniques, ingredients, colors, and fragrances. And the great thing is, you can almost always save a batch of soap that isn’t coming out right for whatever reason. In this chapter, we will take a look at some common problems, what may have caused them, and how to fix it.
My soap will not trace!
So you have been stirring, and stirring, and stirring, and stirring. Still no trace. This can be happening for several reasons. There may not be enough lye in the soap to start the saponification process. There may be too much water to start the saponification process. The temperature of the mixture could be too high or too low. To fix this, first check your recipe and be sure the correct amounts of water, lye, oils were added. Check your temperatures and see if that could be a contributing factor. If everything looks good with those things, try using a stick blender if you haven’t already. Over the course of 3 hours, stir for 5 minutes, rest for fifteen minutes and repeat. Even if it shows no sign of thickening, pour it into molds after 3 hours and let it set for twenty four hours. If it hasn’t hardened, discard the soap.
My solid soap has turned to liquid!
You may also get to the point where you have trace and you mold your soap to have it turn back into liquid. This probably means that you had a false trace due to your mixing strategy or heat level. Simply reheat and stir until you get a real trace and re-mold. If you notice streaking in the bowl it’s likely that the heat was too low. Turn up just a bit and if it traces, pour it quickly into molds.
My soap has separated in the pot!
Another thing that can happen is your mixture can separate and get the appearance of rice in your pot. This is usually a problem with the fragrance oil so make sure what you are using is appropriate for soap making. You can make adjustments as needed but make sure to check your recipe and make sure your scale is accurate. To test scale accuracy I use a canned good that has the weight on it and make sure the label matches the scale.
My liquid soap has separated!
When making liquid soap, it is pretty common to see separation, or a white, gooey layer on the top of the soap. In order to get a clear soap, it must be neutralized. Follow this process to achieve neutralization:
1. Mix 6 ounces of boiling water with 3 ounces of borax.
2. Stir very well and keep the neutralizing mixture hot.
3. Add ¾ of an ounce of the borax solution per pound of liquid soap paste.
4. Reheat the soap paste.
5. Add the neutralizer to the soap paste and stir well.
6. Let sit for a bit.
7. If the paste is not clear, add another ½ ounce of neutralizer and wait.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the paste has cleared.
My soap has seized!
Soap seizing is a very common occurrence during the ‘working to achieving trace’ part of the process. Soap seizing is when you have achieved a light trace but all of a sudden it becomes super thick and impossible to stir. This is likely to have been caused by the addition of fragrance oils that sped up the trace. To avoid this, you can mix your fragrance with some of your mixture in a separate bowl before adding to the big pot. Also, keeping your mixture around 90 degrees will help to slow saponification.
My soap is too thick
There will be times when your soap is too thick and it is hard to get into the mold. This is particularly common when making hot processed soap. Most often this is caused by not having enough water in the mixture. A solution would be to add 5-10% more water than the recipe calls for. This water can be added when mixing the lye solution or can be added to the soap right before molding to thin it out. If you choose to add it at the end, make sure the water is close to the same temperature as the soap. Stir, stir, and stir to fully incorporate. Adding sugar or sodium lactate can also be added to help thin out a mixture.
My soap is oily soap
Sometimes, you will notice that a layer of oil appears on the top of cooling soap. To fix this you first want to tip your mold over and allow the oil to run off of the soap. Let the mold set like this for several hours. Reheat the soap and melt into liquid form. Stir until trace occurs.
Remold the soap, insulate for several days. Remove from insulation and cure. Check your pH. If the pH is still too high, you do not want to use the soap. Start over.
My soap is sweating
So your soap came out great, you’ve removed it from the molds and set it out to cure. And then you notice your soap is sweating! You probably think- I added too much water! The whole batch is going to be ruined! Breathe!! Remember what goes into your soap and what happens during the saponification process. That wonderful, moisturizing glycerin is produced. And, as you know, glycerin is a humectant meaning that it captures all the moisture in the air. So the water you see in droplets on your soap isn’t coming from the soap itself, it’s being sucked out of the air by the glycerin. This sweat is actually a sign of really great quality, moisturizing soap.
However, the excess moisture does decrease its shelf-life. What you can do is make sure that you are keeping the soap in as cool and dry a spot as possible. Also, once the soap is fully cured you can either wrap it in plastic or place it in an airtight container to keep it dry. If you are going to be using it soon, you could place it on a soap dish that drains so the excess moisture will drop off the soap instead of puddling up around it.
My soap has orange spots in it!
Another heart sinking result is seeing spots in your finished soap. They are usually a yellowish orange color and about the size of pencil erasers. There can be one, there can be many. These spots can be attributed to a number of factors. The oil or fat could be rancid, the humidity could be too high, there could be too much fat, or the combination of oils used was not ideal. Now, although you can’t get rid of them, know that these are not affecting how your soap works, just how it looks. There are a couple things that can be done to prevent these spots from appearing. The first is to keep your superfast percentages at 5% or below. Use only fresh oils and fats that have been stored correctly. Use distilled water versus tap water. Canola oil and sunflower oil are known in particular to cause these spots so reducing the amount you use may be beneficial. Letting your soaps cool in a dark, dry spot away from sunlight will also help, or at least couldn’t hurt.
My soap has water pockets!
Other problems can also be noticed while the soap is in the curing process. You may observe that your soap has watery “pockets” or bubbles in it. This is likely due to the lye separating from the water as a result of not mixing well or measuring the ingredients accurately. If there are not many bubbles you could continue to cure it and hope that they will evaporate. If there are a lot of them you can use the rebatching method to try again.
My soap has oil pockets!
Oily pockets in your soap may also appear. This is almost always the result of the fragrance that was added. You can choose to either continue curing or rebatch with a different type of fragrance or different brand with the same scent.
My soap is dry and brittle!
Sometimes soap will become dry and crumbly or brittle and crackly. This is almost always the result of using too much lye. Since this will make a soap that is too high in pH to be safe, you must rebatch and adjust the amount of fat or oil. Be especially sure to test the pH on the finished soap.
My soap is soft and mushy!
The opposite problem can also happen; your soap can be soft and mushy. This is often caused by too little mixing and saponfication. It could also mean that too low of a temperature was used. You can rebatch this.
My soap is coated in powder!
During curing a powder (ash) sometimes forms on the top and sides of a bar of soap. This is usually the result of inadequate mixing or there was not enough heat retention for the gel phase to happen. To fix this you can use a mold deeper than 1 inch, use a stick blender for mixing, and/or add 1-2 ounces of beeswax to your recipe.
My soap is lighter around the edges!
You may also observe that the color of your soap is lighter around the edges. This occurs when the part of the soap around the edge of the mold does not get as hot and doesn’t gel completely. This can be fixed by allowing the soap to fully gel before unwrapping and warming your mold slightly if it is wood.
My fragrance has disappeared!
It can be very frustrating when you work so hard to develop a fragrance blend and have it fade and be virtually undetectable by the time the soap has cured. There are a couple things that can be done to decrease the chances that this will happen. Firstly, try the fragrance in a small amount of the batch of soap and see if it lasts. Some fragrances just aren’t stable enough to last in soaps, particularly when cold processed. Secondly, wrap your soaps well.
Any soap that is exposed to air for too long will lose its scent. Lastly, your nose may have just become accustomed to the smell of the soap. Ask someone who does not live in your house take a whiff and get their feedback on the scent’s strength.
When is it necessary to give up and throw away a batch of soap?
There are several problems that occur and pose safety hazards. Several of these cannot be fixed and the soap must be thrown out. If you experience the following, it is best to discard the soap:
Ï Sour or spoiled smelling soap. This can be caused by too much fat or too little lye in the
mixture.
Ï Thick layer of oil on top of cured, hardened soap. This was likely due to insufficient
stirring, too little lye in the soap, or the mixture being poured into molds too soon.
Ï White powder on top of soap during curing. This is a signal that hard water was used
and/or the lye was not dissolved properly into the water solution.