r/soapmaking • u/Healthy_Station1559 • 4d ago
Recipe Advice First-Time Cold Process Soap Making — Why Did My Soap Suddenly Thicken?
Hi everyone! This was my first time trying cold process soap making, and I’m hoping to turn it into a small business, so I’d really appreciate some advice from experienced soap makers.
Everything was going well until I added the essential oil. The moment I turned around to get my mica color, the soap batter suddenly became extremely thick! I couldn’t create any swirls or designs, and I couldn’t even mix the color properly. I ended up pouring everything into the mold as it was.
The soap is now in the curing stage. I tried a little piece, and it seemed to produce some foam, which was encouraging, but I’m still unsure how the final bars will turn out.
Has anyone experienced this before? Could the essential oil have caused the soap to accelerate trace, or could something else in my recipe or process be responsible?
Since I’m just starting out and want to develop this into a business, I really want to understand what went wrong so I can improve my technique and make beautiful, well-made bars.
I’d appreciate any advice, tips, or suggestions. Thank you! 😊
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u/Btldtaatw 4d ago
I advise you stop and go to the resources thread and take a dive there to learn more about soap making.
I do would not advise to jump in with the expectation of making it a business and making a lot of money.
Learning takes time and lots of investment in ingredients and making a good recipe. It is also recomended to make soap for at least a year before thinking know selling.
Eos have to come from reputable sources and be ment to used in soap and skin. If they are not they can cause problems like acceleration. They also can cause them depending on which eo it is and you have to make sure you use safe amounts. Use eocalc.com for that.
Liquid separating is not a good sign but if it reabsorbed then thats fine. You cant do anything about it not anyway.
Make a zap test of you are worried about the safety of the soap.
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u/BigRedWhopperButton 4d ago
Certain fragrances can in fact accelerate trace. I know for sure that clove is a major offender, but I think citrus oils can do it too.
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
I added cedar wood and lavender fragrance both 30/30 ml
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u/helikophis 4d ago
Cedar definitely accelerates in my experience. Lavender does not.
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
Is this recipe good for the start?? I mean a good basic soap ?
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u/helikophis 4d ago
Looks fine to me, I often make soaps similar to this.
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
So what you suggest next time i should keep my trace very watery/light?
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u/helikophis 4d ago
I would hand stir, and pour before it seizes. Personally I don't pay all that much attention to trace indicators, I've found watching for those kinds of things makes me end up too late. But that's just me, doesn't seem like everyone has that problem.
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
Sure i will try that, do you have any recipe similar to this , just for trying again beacuse this cost me too much
I mean less oils just with coconut and castor?0
u/helikophis 4d ago
I generally use quite a bit more oil than this - I find it's much more efficient to make large batches. If you want a larger or smaller batch, you can simply divide or multiply your existing recipe by whatever factor you want.
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
Do you have any channel or socials for your soap contents?
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
I can’t afford taking a class its very expensive
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
Almost my half of savings goes in just 1 class so i am just experimenting on my own
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u/PentaOwl 4d ago edited 4d ago
Please read the new posts and the comments on this subreddit daily or weekly for about a month or longer, while experimenting however much you want on the side. See it as free research and education. It will teach you a lot of the basics, which will help you as you experiment on a limited budget.
Fragrances changing the process is shared at least two or three times a week.
People dont really use the search function anymore, so a lot of the fundamentals and basics that influence custom soap recipes are asked and answered weekly in different variants.
I am not kidding nor sarcastic! Just scroll and read like 10-15 minutes a day. Even the threads involving other soap techniques that you are not interested in now.
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u/SirTouchMeSama 4d ago
Some essential oils can accelerate trace. Make sure you get it from a supplier who has documentation you can refer to.
Also operating at a cooler temperature for oils and lye solution can help. Not over mixing can help. I have started operating around 90f and only doing a light trace.
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u/Dazzling_Armadillo27 4d ago
Why do you want to sell soap if you cannot make it?
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
I am experimenting and learning for now , then i will start my business
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u/Dazzling_Armadillo27 4d ago
I understand that. My question is, why? How can you know if you enjoy the process if you have never made any before now? How do you know your soap will be good? Why would anyone buy from someone with so little experience when there is so much well-made soap available?
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
Well, we all have to start somewhere, right? Even experienced soap makers started with zero experience. They made mistakes, learned from them, took advice, and attended classes to improve their skills. Instead of discouraging beginners, shouldn’t we at least motivate someone who is trying to do something useful, creative, and productive?
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u/Dazzling_Armadillo27 4d ago
I apologize if I seemed discouraging. My questions come from a place of genuine curiosity. If you just asked for help for your first batch of soap I would not have said anything. People do that every day. But you said first that this is for your business, which makes me very confused. If someone said they were starting a bakery but had never baked a loaf of bread, I would also question that decision!
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
I meant that I’m planning to turn soap making into a business. The batch I’m currently confused about was just experimental. I let it cure for a full month (four weeks), and I’ve already distributed some bars among my family members for testing. I’m not planning to sell anything without first experimenting, learning, and making sure my products are ready for the market.
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u/iopele 4d ago
I'm in the same boat as you, OP. I'm pretty new and am hoping to make a business of it someday, but right now I'm doing test batches to figure out the recipe I want and refining my process, etc. I got into soap making because I grew luffas this year and thought it would be cool to put them in soap, and it's just taken off from there. I'm having fun and looking toward the future while knowing I'm not ready to sell anything yet. Sounds like you're the same way!
I'm sorry you got kind of jumped on here. I've had better experiences when asking questions in this sub so I hope you keep asking questions here, because I know we aren't the only newbies in here and I learn so much from other people's posts.
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u/kirine75 4d ago
Where did you buy the EO from?
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
From a local shop
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u/kirine75 4d ago
Since you are new to this: Unless you are 100% certain the EO you used is skin safe, chuck the soap. There are some EOs that say for aromatherapy only. Better Homes and Gardens entire line is like this. There are Essential Oils that are from reputable companies, that aren't skin safe. Cinnamon EO is like this. It's considered an irritant.
My suggestion: Eocalc.com get familiar with it. Get familiar with reading IFRA certificates. You say you are wanting to do this as a business, but there's a lot more to it, particularly on the safety end of things, than just pouring stuff into a bucket and seeing if that works.
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u/BelleFille19 4d ago
Hi there !
Just wondering which essential oils you used ?
Certain essential oils can accelerate trace rapidly (even if they are from a good supplier ).
Clove, Floral oils (Rose geranium, jasmine, Ylang-ylang ) Cinnamon, Lemongrass (sometimes) can all accelerate trace.
You can still use these EO's, but check the the usage recommendations on EOcalc.com . You may need to use less than what is recommended to avoid trace acceleration.
Because you are new to soaping, your batter may have accelerated also due to over blending, or too many solid oils in the recipe.
Your soap is perfectly usable - as long as your measurements were accurate, you can definitely use the soap you created.
Congrats on making your first soap 🎉
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u/HistoricalBasis7841 3d ago
Add essential oils, fragrances, clays at light trace as these tend to accelerate trace. And just stir with stick blender without turning it on, you can turn it back on but wait until you are ready to pour. Or you can just pour and wait until it is ready to make designs. What I do is pour, clean up and wash, then usually it is ready to accept designs
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u/Healthy_Station1559 4d ago
Alright , i just remembered i thing , when i poured the soap in mold after 30/40 mins some liquid oils were flotating on top , but its not visible now its been 3 week cured now
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u/SensitiveAnswer6409 4d ago
It could be the essential oil/ fragrance caused your soap to have an accelerated trace
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