# Oil bubbles?



## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

So I'm making CP soap. Same recipe I always make. But for the first time I'm using a log mold, to try and make bar soap. Now, you're supposed to cut it while it's still soft, right? Because I just cut into my first log and it's full of bubbles of oil! What the hey happened? It was still slightly warm inside when I cut it, but the soap is quite firm - it came out of the mold no problem, and cut nicely. Did I just not wait long enough? Is this a thing that happens? Or has something else gone wrong? The soap was thoroughly traced, even a little on the stiff side, when I poured it. The other question is, safe to use? I'm thinking I'd better at least re-batch it...


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## Jlynnp (Sep 9, 2014)

You didn't mention what FO you used or your recipe but either could be the problem. I never cut until the soap has completely cooled. What I would do is simply rebatch this and it should be fine.


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## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

No fragrance oils - I scented it with peppermint EO. I don't like FOs, too many of them give my daughter rashes.  I did another batch, it did the same thing - I waited until it was completely cool to cut, and a lot of the separated oil that I saw early in the process did reabsorb. Not all though so I'm rebatching that too. I've made this recipe LOTS of times, and so has my mom, and neither of us has ever had this problem before!

That being said the rebatched soap from the other day looks pretty good, so it's not a total loss! I got a thermometer so I can track it more carefully, and will try again with a completely plain batch in a couple days. Hopefully I can figure this out!


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## JudyM (Jan 9, 2015)

Have you tried it again? How did it turn out?

What is rebatching?


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## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

Rebatching = I chopped it up, scraped the whole mess into a crock pot, and melted it back down into goo. Poured into molds and let cool. Nice thing about it is rebatching cuts about two weeks off of cure time. Not so nice thing is hot soap is gooey and ropey and it's a mess. 

I've done two more batches now - both turned out fine, no oily stuff. What I ended up doing was putting the milk in a glass canning jar, mixing in the salt (I add a teaspoon of salt per batch, it makes the soap come out of the mold better), and freezing it solid. Next day I'd get out the milk, measure out my oils, then dump the lye onto the milk. Takes a lot of squishing and stirring, but no more craziness, and the color of the soap even turns out better. Win! I think it was overheating from the sugars in the milk. Having the milk container in an ice bath when I add the lye has always worked before, but the climate must be different here or something.


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## NostalgicGranny (Aug 22, 2007)

It's possible you had a false trace, that would explain the oils leaking out. Rebatching is about the only thing you can do with that. Most soaps are cut after they are hard in the mold. Pure coconut oil soap is the exception - that needs to be cut asap or it crumbles around the edges. That is the only one that is cut while warm but firm.


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