# Soap Making Mistake



## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

I've been making my own soap for 15 years, 14 of those without a single bad batch.
Well, I've made a bad batch and I'm so bummed.
I used Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil and Castor Oil, beeswax and Sweet Orange EO. Two weeks after taking the soap out of the molds and cutting, the soap has a horrible rancid smell. The stink is so bad my son said what smells so bad?! I knew what was polluting the air, my soap.

The Olive oil is new, the coconut oil is new, the culprit is either the Palm or Castor oil. 

Lesson? From now on I'll be tasting my oils or making larger batches so there won't be any leftover oil...although Coconut oil has lots of other uses, no need to use it all up!

I now have 10 bars of soap for garden pest control...boohoo!


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Oh rats, sorry about your soap. I remember reading on another forum that some members add Vit. E to their oils when they get them. They claim it lengthens the shelf life. Of course, you would have to melt the solid oils first.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I'll put my money on the palm oil. That stuff stinks to high heaven when it is rancid and it always comes through in the soap.

About 12 years ago when I started making soap, I switched from lard to palm oil (since I heard that animal oils clog pores --- what a false myth!) and bought a 25 lb bucket of palm oil. I used about 10 lb of palm before I decided I liked my soaps better with lard. I repackaged the other 15 lbs of palm and tried to sell it at a discount price. I was left with about 10 lb of oil, which I stowed away and forgot about. Fast forward a few years when I was reaming & cleaning the soaping supply closet and found the palm oil. Dang, did it stink! I made a simple soap using 1 lb of palm oil ... like yours, the resulting soap was destined to the garden for pest control.

At least you're all set in that capacity for a few years!


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Yup, I suspect the palm even though I had stored it in the fridge. I'm replacing the Castor oil since it is a couple years old.

I do use Vit. E in my recipe. I've also heard of using Benzoin for preservation purposes.
In the herbalist community there's discussion of using Slippery Elm powder to prevent rancidity.

I still have a bar from my very first soap making, too bad I can't find it's recipe.


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## JDog1222 (Aug 19, 2010)

Oh, crap..........and I just bought 2gal. of caster oil. I'll never be able to use enough soap to get rid of that much oil, if it goes bad. How soon do you think I'll need to use it by?


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Add some Vit. E or Rosemary Oil Extract to the Castor Oil. That should extend its shelf life.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Maybe you can package it in smaller containers and sell it on the Barter Board?


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## Valleyguy (Jan 5, 2011)

The funny shelf life of Palm. Indeed it has a slight "off" odor to me when it is fresh but it takes a long time to go bad, at least for us. Had some 10 year old vintage that was a little more than I could take but it had been opened (and lost in a move shuffle). However the 8 year old 50 lb container that was sealed turned out fine. 

I would never use that one in the _for sale_ soap but it works for personal use batches just fine. We do live in AK and it has never seen temps over 60 degrees so, hmm? 

Marinemomtatt, interesting on the Slippery Elm powder. Since I ditched canola oil a decade ago I haven't had any DOS or other rancid issues. But too many people want to keep the soap laying around their bathroom for years because it smell so good :shrug: and it worries me that 5 years later I will get a "hey, your soap stinks:yuck:" call. 

BTW, our outdoor dog loved the marginal palm better'n an old dead shrew.

Rick
*Homepage*: www.power-talk.net
*Forum*: forum.power-talk.net/


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

I hadn't thought about feeding the oil to the dogs, good idea!
Should make their coats nice and purdy!

The soap is stinking less now...but...


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Valleyguy said:


> BTW, our outdoor dog loved the marginal palm better'n an old dead shrew.


Love it!

Welcome to HT, Rick!


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## Valleyguy (Jan 5, 2011)

Thanks for the Welcome Cyndi. 

I'll try my best not to be too weird :ashamed: but that backwoods, Alabama'n/Alaskonian thing sometimes shows up. 

Rick
*Homepage*: www.power-talk.net
*Forum*: forum.power-talk.net/


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