Hand-Milled Soap Troubleshooting Information

If you are making soap, there are some problems you need to be aware of before they occur.

Making hand-milled soap is not a difficult process to follow, but problems can occur with incorrect temperature, ingredient ratios and wrong ingredients. Avoid the problems before they happen by knowing what causes them.

Oil Layering

While the soap cools in the mold, a layer of oil may rise to the top. This problem usually occurs with olive oil soap or when you add too much oil to the recipe. Remove the extra oil and save it for another recipe, and remold the soap using no extra oils.

Curdling

If you added an excessive amount of sodium to your recipe, curdling may occur. It looks like cottage cheese surrounded by solid pieces of soap. Although curdled soap based on innaccurate measurements is hard to cure, you can save your soap by adding another batch of soap and no salt, then remelting and molding it all together.

Slimy Soap

Unfortunately, there is no solution for slimy soap. It is caused by innaccurate measurements and ratios used during the hand-milling process.

Lye Bubbles

Lye bubbles are small bubbles that show up on the bottom surface of the soap once you pop it out of the mold--you will not see them from the top. They are caused by not enough oil or fat in the recipe and an overabundance of lye. If the bubbles are large, throw the soap away because it will be caustic or rancid. If they are small, cut them out under running water then allow the water to evaporate off of the soap.

References

• "The Complete Soapmaker: Tips, Techniques and Recipes for Luxurious Handmade Soaps"; Norma Coney; 1997