Learn how to avoid common soap making problems so that your soap bars turn out perfectly every time.
You spend good money on soap making ingredients, not to mention time it takes to make the soap, so it makes sense to be aware of potential problems and the steps that you can take to avoid them.
Many things can throw your soap making efforts into disarray, but they all fall under one of the following categories.
- wrong proportion of ingredients
- incorrect temperatures
- poor technique
Wrong Proportion Of Ingredients
Mixture Fails To Trace
Caused by too much water or too little lye.
Always measure ingredients exactly. Double check all measurements before you begin working on a batch.
Soap Fails To Set During Cure
Caused by incorrect measurements. Double check all measurements before you begin working on a batch. If you are able to identify which ingredients you measured incorrectly, you can re-melt the batch and make the corrections.
Soap Has Strange Smell
Incorrect amount of lye. Double check all measurements before you begin working on a batch. Can also be caused by over superfatting.
Soap Curdles
Caused by using too much of an ingredient with a high sodium count. Use a stick blender to smooth the mix as much as possible.
Soap Separates Before Pouring
Due to adding unsuitable fragrance oil. Make sure that all oils are specified as suitable for soap making.
Orange Spots Form During Curing
Caused by superfatting in the wrong proportions. Added moisturisers should be kept to 5% or less.
Soap Is Dry And Crumbly
Due to too much lye. Check quantities used and re-melt and make corrections.
Soap Is Brittle And Cracked
Due to too much lye. Check quantities used and re-melt and make corrections.
Incorrect Temperatures
Soap Sets Before It’s Poured
Caused by incorrect temperatures of either the oil or lye solution prior to mixing.
Another cause is using fragrance oil rather than essential oil.
Curdling
Oils, lye or both mixed at too high a temperature.
Poor Technique
Batch Layered After Curing
Due to pouring before mix reaches trace. Re-melt and try again.
Soap Fails To Set During Cure
Caused by pouring soap before trace is reached or by cooling the batch too quickly. Re-melt and try again, ensure trace is reached prior to pouring and insulate molds properly.
Soap Is Soft And crumbly
Caused by over stirring, resulting in heat loss.
White Powder Present On Bars
Due to insufficient mixing. Use a stick blender to ensure thorough mixing. The white powder can be wiped or scraped off.
Soap Sticks To Mold
Caused by removing from mold too soon. Place in the freezer for a few minutes and try again.
made lavender soap (Cavitch recipe) as done for years. Used ultramarine violet, but the cured soap has a uniform putty color all around and purple color inside. The putty color soap around the outside edges cracks off easily & is brittle. However, the soap cuts as usual and does not show signs of being lye-heavy. Any ideas?
I made a large batch of melt and pour soap abount 6 weeks ago and the scent is way too strong! I added EO’s and mixed them to make a tropical fruity smell, I folled the instructions for the correct scent, but it’s a sickly, strong smell and I want to re-batch the soap and get rid of the strong scent and re-scent it.
Is this possible?
Please I need some help, I don’t want to throw all of this soap away, but I don’t want to give it out either!
Thank you.
All soaps loose their fragrance after a while, so you could try leaving the soap unwrapped and exposed to the air.
I use a household soap to make laundry powder with and it has a really strong smell when I first open the packet, but if the soap has been open and sitting out for a while then the smell is pretty faint.
Have you asked someone else to smell the soap? It might not be as bad as you think.