With cold-process soap, once you have made your soap and let it set for 24 hours, if there are any issues with it, there is rarely anything you can do about it. The best thing you can do is learn from it so you can know what to do differently to make your next batch better.
Some seemingly major issues are not really problems; the technique probably just needs to be improved or perfected. Sometimes things just don’t go right, sometimes you forget to add something, and sometimes the instructions were not followed as closely as they’re meant to be. The failed outcome can often be a blessing in disguise. In this case, a fix is not needed and you can still use the soap you made. Simply take notes—if you write down what you did wrong, maybe you won’t do it again.
Some errors can be fixed, though. In fact, most are easy fixes using hot process: you just chop up your block of ugly soap and pour it in a sauce pan to remix and pour. If this is the case, make sure you constantly stir your soap, breaking up blocks until a translucent gel is attained, at which point you are ready to pour your soap back into a mold and let sit for 12 hours. Then cut and cure for 4 weeks.
The following are a few troubleshooting areas that are common to soap makers.
Glycerin Rivers
Glycerin is a natural by-product produced during soapmaking. It is a humectant and is super good for the skin. If these rivers are in your soap, it is still fully usable and the rivers will simply give your soap character. This may appear when soap heats up too quickly. They also occur when an oxide colorant is used due to the density of the oxide.
There are two things you can do to prevent these from happening: 1) blend your oils and lye at a lower temperature, and 2) if using an oxide colorant, blend it into a little oil before mixing into your soap.
Lye-heavy spots
Sometimes when you cut your soap, you may notice pockets full of white residue. This is from the lye not entirely blending with the oils and can be dangerous. I recommend tossing it.
Soap didn’t setup or soap separates in mold
This generally happens when false trace is reached. Sometimes, if you pour your soap at thin trace, it may not have actually reached a state of homogenization yet, though it may have looked like it did. If you catch this soon enough, you can simply pour your soap back into a mixing bowl and mix a bit more. If your soap has started to setup, you will need to hot-process it: put your soap into a nonreactive sauce pan and warm over medium heat, stirring to melt chunks. Once all your chunks have melted and your soap has become translucent and fully blended, you have hot-process soap! Pour this into your lined mold and set aside to harden for 12 to 24 hours, Cut and use! You don’t have to wait for hot process to cure; it’s already there.
Sometimes your soap will separate because you have forgotten something. Go over all the recipe steps in your head and make sure you have all the ingredients in your mix. (I have personally forgotten to add the lye to my water on two separate occasions.)
DOS!
If you ever see Dreaded Orange Spots in your soap, that means the oil is turning rancid, I personally toss these but they’re totally fine to use if the scent doesn’t bother you. Just know that the oils in your soap have gone bad and the orange spots will continue to grow over time as more and more of the oil in the soap goes bad. There’s nothing to be done to reverse the process. But to deter this from happening to future batches, make sure you are using the freshest oil possible. Date your oil from time of purchase; most oil is only good for a year, although some will only last six months’ while other varieties can have a two-year shelf life. Also, make sure you are practicing clean crafting: all surfaces are clean, you’re using clean, gloved hands, clean measuring, and mixing tools, etc.
Soap Seizing
I’ve been making soap for years and year and I’d never had a batch seize on me until I started writing this book. This recipe contained clove oil and beer (alcohol!), both of which may cause seizing in your soap. Here’s what happened and how to fix it:
As soon as I started mixing the lye, water, and oils, the whole batch just solidified. I couldn’t cut it up without hitting it against a hard surface, but I could by no means pour it or stir it. This problem in soap can be saved! You are simply going to make your cold-process soap into hot-process soap.
To do this, put your soap in a nonreactive sauce pan and heat it up on the stove over medium heat, stirring gently. As your soap heats, it will become translucent and melt. Once all your soap has melted (your soap will still be slightly thick, like cold molasses.) and there are no chunks left, go ahead and pour it into your lined mold and set aside to harden overnight. Cut within 12 to 24 hours and use! Hot-process soap doesn’t need time to cure.