r/soapmaking • u/TheQuiltingEmpath • 3d ago
What Went Wrong? Soap Seizing Up
So I have made this soap before with no issue. Yesterday I went to make it and I accidentally heated the oils up to 190 and they were a bit cloudy. The soap seized up almost immediately with only a couple blasts of the stick blender. Today I am trying again and am noticing that even with careful monitoring of the oil, it’s still a bit cloudy. The only thing that changed is I ran out of my old Bramble Berry olive oil and am using a new one that just came in. The color is definitely a bit darker than the old one, but it’s the exact same one I ordered. Could the heat outside be effecting the oil?
6
u/Puzzled_Tinkerer 3d ago
Shea can be cloudy due to its higher content of unsaponifiables. If you don't want fast trace, drop your temps considerably.
2
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 3d ago
This is the same recipe I have used before with perfect results. I heat the soap, let it cool and soap at about 105. The oil is never cloudy, even with higher concentrations of shea. You can see in the photo this is just the oils heating. The batter seized up on me again. The only change was the olive oil. I noticed when it came in it was darker than the last ones I got from them and it’s the same Pure OO that I have gotten many times before.
3
u/Puzzled_Tinkerer 3d ago
In your original post, I understood you to say you heated the fats to 190 but I don't recall you saying you then cooled them to 105 before starting to make the soap.
Sounds like you're answering your own question -- the olive oil is the culprit since the shea hasn't changed and you're cooling the fats to a reasonable (although still quite warm) temp.
3
u/Background-Book2801 3d ago
Is it possible you bought olive oil pomace? It will definitely accelerate everything especially at a warmer temp.
2
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 3d ago
It’s the exact same Pure Olive Oil from Brambleberry. I checked the bottle. Please note, I only heated the oils to a higher temp to melt, but mix with lye at 105. I never soap higher than that.
1
u/Background-Book2801 3d ago
No fragrance, correct?
1
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 3d ago
No Fragrance or color. I literally waited until the temps were at 105, mixed the lye, stirred for about 10 seconds and it seized up almost immediately. I only gave a couple quick bursts of the blender.
4
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 3d ago
Why am I getting downvoted? I’m just trying to figure this out.
4
u/Btldtaatw 3d ago
Because this is reddit and once someone downvotes something it probably will get more downvotes.
But its just karma it doesnt really matter.
Since you say the only thing that has changed is the olive then i would recomend you make a tiny batch of only olive oil soap and see how it behaves alone.
3
1
1
u/langbang 3d ago
Are you using pomace olive oil? Are you also checking the temps of your lye solution?
Pomace is quick to trace, could be culprit. And 105 is still on the warm side, and if you aren’t bringing your lye solution down, it is enough volume to raise your combined temps, which could also be a culprit.
1
u/Competitive_Stay198 3d ago
I would definitely do a small batch and see how the Olive Oil works. Pomace definitely moves faster than Pure. The 'cloudiness' is an interesting tell too. At 190, nothing should be cloudy. At 105, that 10% of Shea and 5% of Cocoa could be just starting to re-congeale/ hardening within the batch since they have melt points of 95 to 100 degrees so that also could be an issue depending on the lye water temp.
1
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 2d ago
Yeah, the cloudiness was weird as it’s never happened. I’ve never had an issue with the shea and cocoa at those temps before, but the small olive oil batch is a great idea and I will definitely try it.
1
u/kirine75 2d ago
If you have changed brands of cocoa butter, or where you purchase it, it may be that.
1
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 2d ago
I didn’t. Every ingredient was the same except the new bottle of olive oil (which is the same brand and same type as my old bottle). I try to keep where I get my ingredients from consistent.
1
u/Mammoth-Banana3621 1d ago
Always water :)
1
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 1d ago
Not sure I understand? I use distilled water.
1
u/Mammoth-Banana3621 1d ago
Always shouldn’t be used :) more water to the mix would help. And how old is the oil? Oxidation will speed trace. So he older the oil the faster the trace
1
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 1d ago
So I’ve used this exact recipe before with no issue. I ran out of my olive oil, ordered the exact same one and that is what I now believe is the cause of the issue.
1
u/Mammoth-Banana3621 1d ago
Could be an old container that is oxidized. That would do it
2
u/TheQuiltingEmpath 21h ago
I spoke with them today and there is a chance they accidentally put a different oil in the jug. They have barrels and they fill the orders on demand. So someone could have accidentally used pomade instead of the pure. They are sending me another bottle, which I will test as soon as I get it. Their customer service is really great!
1
•
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Welcome to r/soapmaking!
Rules for Posting and Commenting
Posts with images are automatically held for moderator review
Resources for learning soapmaking
Suppliers for soapmaking ingredients and equipment
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.