Soap made a few hours ago is turning darker in the middle and looking funny: Reason: This is a normal part of the soapmaking process called gel phase, which is when the chemical reaction between the lye and oils causes the soap to heat up hotter than it was when you first started mixing it.
Cracking is when detectable lines or crevices appear in the surface of the bar, and it is both normal and expected in bar soap. It is caused by the expansion and contraction of a bar as its moisture content changes.
Over time, certain ingredients in the fragrance oil may begin to oxidize. While this is just a natural reaction some ingredients, like vanillin, have with the air, this could lead to a change in the color of your homemade soaps.
If you're making melt and pour soap, you can use Vanilla Color Stabilizer to prevent discoloration. We recommend a 1:1 ratio with the fragrance. We don't recommend vanilla color stabilizer for cold process soap because the results are inconsistent.
The more vanilla, the more likely the soap will eventually turn to a very dark brown color. The color can progressively change days, weeks or months after curing. It is most often associated with the vanilla level in the fragrance oil.
Vanilla fragrance oil reacts with the soap-making ingredients and causes the soap to become tan or brown. As a result of this reaction, vanilla bar soap is usually dark in color.
Vanilla based fragrances will always turn color...the more vanilla, the more likely the soap will eventually turn dark brown. The color change can occur from days to weeks to months. It is most often associated with the vanilla level in the fragrance oil. It is an inherent property of the vanilla.
Rancidity and DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots) Rancidity eventually results when fatty acids and superfat in soap oxidize (break down) from exposure to heat, light, water, bacteria, or various contaminants. As this oxidation process progresses, smelly chemicals called ketones and aldehydes eventually form.
Zinc Oxide is commonly found in baby care products, such as diaper rash creams and powders, in soaps, in sunscreens, and in foot powders for its ability to form a protective barrier on the skin.
While your homemade soap has the potential to carry more fragrance oil, you shouldn't add any more than the 1% amount. This scent can only be included up to 1% according to the IFRA's standards and anymore could irritate the skin.
Normal pH is around 9-10. If the soap is 9-10 it will turn light green. If the soap is pH 11-14, it is lye heavy. The pH strip will turn a dark green or purple in that case.
If the soap is lye heavy, the soap will turn green or yellow. If it's balanced, it will turn blue.
You can certainly use tap water to make your bar soap, and many soap makers do, but it should just be noted that there is a difference between soap made with and used in hard water, compared to soap made with and used in distilled water. If you have the opportunity to use distilled water, use it!
Break Down the Soap
If your soap is crumbly, you can just crumble it all into a bowl. If it's soft, you may just need to cook it down, which is the next step. You can break down soap before or after the cure time is done, but I prefer to do it after.
Soap does expire, but if it still lathers when you wash your hands, it should be effective. Most commercial store-bought soaps expire after two to three years. Natural or handmade soaps may expire sooner, within one year, as the essential oils and fragrances can get rancid or moldy.
It's dirty, but that doesn't make it a health hazard. Soap can indeed become contaminated with microorganisms, whether it's in liquid or bar form. According to a series of tests conducted in the early 1980s, bars of soap are often covered with bacteria and carry a higher load than you'd find inside a liquid dispenser.
Soap does expire. If it's regular soap and is a few months after its expiration date, then it's most likely safe to use. However, it may not lather as well, have such a strong smell, or be very effective at killing germs. Never use soap that is years after its expiration date.
Melt & Pour soap tip: Don't overheat the soap. Soap bases may be melted in a clean, heat-resistant container in the microwave (covered in plastic wrap) for short bursts of 40-55 seconds at a time, then stirred completely until melted. Overheating soap can cause soaps to yellow or feel grainy from crystallization.
Burned melt and pour may smell unpleasant, and may become cloudy. In extreme burn cases, the soap can become yellow or brown-ish in color. Burned soap often develops a thick, gloppy texture once cooled slightly.
my cold process soap is oily
Overheating – Overheating in the mold can cause oils to separate out and cause an oily film on the top or sides of a soap. Usually if you let it sit…it will reabsorb in a few days. Fragrance oil – Some fragrance oils can be finicky in cold process soap and do weird things.
Too much extra liquid (milk, purees, etc.) on top of the water in the lye solution causes soap to not harden correctly. Water discounting soap reduces the chances of glycerin rivers, shown above. It also produces a bar that hardens faster.
Depending on your recipe, it takes about 30-60 seconds of stick blending to get there. Thin trace is the best time to add colorants and fragrances because it's easy to stir. It's also easy to pour, so it's perfect for swirl designs. As the soap sits, it will continue to thicken.
A typical cure time is 4-6 weeks, but what determines when a soap is “done”? The most reliable factor is weight. Each week, I weigh each soap on the cure rack. When the soap goes a full two weeks (most soapers wait one week) without changing weight, I know that it's both safe to use, and will hold up when used.