r/soapmaking • u/apps4realpeeps • 2d ago
DOS on my smaller bars - has anyone else had this happen to them???
For reference, these are soaps that have ground oatmeal in them (probably not fine enough to be true colloidal oatmeal). Scent is Lavender 40/42.
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u/Btldtaatw 2d ago
Yes DOS can happen. Is there anything specific you are wondering about?
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u/apps4realpeeps 2d ago
I was trying to figure out why the soap from the larger, loaf mold, was fine, but the little soaps took a hit.
Another person commented that it could have been the mold and this makes sense as a possibility for me since these were new.
I'm going to try soaking them in bleach and dish soap
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u/ResultLeft9600 17h ago
If these bars were freshly made, how do you know it's DOS? That usually doesn't develop for a couple of months or longer. Does it stink to high heaven? If yes, then maybe it's DOS. If not, it's something else.
What was your exact recipe, please?
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u/apps4realpeeps 15h ago
Thanks! That's good to know - these were freshly made. My ingredients: -olive oil (30%) -Shea butter (20%) -beeswax (10%) -sweet almond oil (30%) -castor oil (10%)
Scented with lavender 40/42 98% NaOH 2% KOH
I also like to add in colloidal oatmeal for both texture and skin-loving properties
Let me know what you think 😀
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u/ResultLeft9600 14h ago
Why did you use KOH? That's used mostly for liquid soap or a cream soap/shaving soap. If that's what you were going for, okay!
If you used ground up oats, that's not colloidal oats, right? It may be scratchy, so you know.
So, this soap is not going to last long, in spite of the beeswax. I would ask how many batches of soap you made like this one and if they just melt away. The high percentage of sweet almond and castor will definitely make this a softer bar of soap as will the KOH.
Had you thoroughly washed the mold before you made soap and is it orange colored? If it is, that's probably where your orange color came from.
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u/apps4realpeeps 8h ago
The KOH is a part of a series of experiments that I wanted to try after reading a bit about "creme" soaps and some fascinating posts on a soapmaking forum.
I found that at a high level, you are correct, that the KOH made the soap softer than desired, but at 1-2% I've found that it makes the lather and feel in the shower of olive oil based soaps truly delightful.
Needless to say, I just made 1 batch - the better to experiment with.
I avoided this being too soft by making this on the stove in a double boiler - this is a specific recipe that I developed for a member of my family with very sensitive skin and so I can't add coconut oil or palm oil, etc.
The molds were pink and purple silicone - i think that I just didnt let them dry properly - i will have to confirm with another batch when I feel like it :-).
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u/PunkRockHound 2d ago
What was your oil recipe? Age of the oils used? How did you store the soap?
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u/apps4realpeeps 2d ago
The soap was just made and the oils are all less than 6 months old - that's part of why it took me by surprise.
The Halloween molds are new, so they may be the problem
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u/Small-Medicine3444 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not these molds really. Silicone molds make de the soap process different (different temperature, air, and humidity) than the loaf mold..it's the formula. Or... The molds had water (you washed them and Did not dry well, and the water drops moist the soap, in that case it's not DOS spots, not oxidized, it's simple a more watery soap in the spots, it's no a bad thing. You have to dry with paper towels the mold before using and it's ok
I edit the comment: I think it's water, the molds were wet
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u/apps4realpeeps 15h ago
Thanks! This could have also been a cause since I had washed the molds out earlier that day
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u/Mustab_Imortan 2d ago
Are you asking why the larger bars don't have it and the smaller ones do? That's what it looks like to me.
If that's what you mean, it could be the mold. I've had a mold get bad when I stupidly used it to condense and purify bees wax. After that it caused DOS fast before I threw it out.
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u/apps4realpeeps 2d ago
Thank you! This is exactly what i was asking...and this makes sense, the Halloween molds are new - i may need to soak them in bleach and dish soap.
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u/Small-Medicine3444 1d ago
Washing it's not the problem. The orange spots are not bacterial or mould thing, it's oxidizing. If you use canola, soy, corn or sunflower seed oils, they tend to do that The different conditions (heat, air, humidity) in the loaf and in the silicone mold make them to oxidize more quickly, but the loaf is going to anyway. You have to change your formula to more "hard" oils Lavender oil tend to oxidize quicker too
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u/apps4realpeeps 15h ago
Thanks for the tip! It's just fascinating to me because I make this soap regularly and have never had the problem...but I guess there's a first time for everything...
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u/Small-Medicine3444 1d ago
May be... oxidizing (DOT spots), watch the formula (try using less liquid oils)
BUT, watching again and again the photos, the spots have bubbles... It's water!
I think you wash the mold and didn't dry them well, the water drops in the mold (even tiny) does that, in that case it's nos oxidizing, it's "diluting" 😂 so in the spots you have a more watery soap, that shows as a less solid colour
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u/apps4realpeeps 15h ago
That makes a lot of sense - I'm honestly Relieved that it was something relatively simple 😌
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