Soda ash layer on soap.

by Darleen
(New Hampshire)

I have been making soap for a few years now. I have made some perfect batches.

The batches I make more often than not have a layer of white soda ash on top and on the edges. Some batches it is thicker than others. I have to scrape the soap so it looks right.

Sometimes the soap will come out marbled. It does not effect the use of the soap but it creates waste and does not look right.

I sell my soap. I am looking to get it in a few shops and I cannot figure this out. I hope you can help me.

Thank you,
Darleen

Answer:

Soda ash is a problem that plagues many soap makers and I'm not completely sure what causes it.

What is strange is that the same exact recipe will sometimes have soda ash while other times it will not.

One thing I have found that seems to help is to let the soap compeletely reach the gel stage and then open it up and direct a fan onto it.

When the soap gets to the gel stage, it heats up considerably and with that heat is moisture. I think that the moisture settles back onto the soap and dries as this powdery white bloom.

By placing the fan on the soap, it blows the moisture away and stops it from settling back down on the soap.

This of course is just a theory and I haven't got anything to back it up.....but it seems to work for me....most of the time!!

Hope that helps,
Cathy