Guest guest Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 We have talked about this many times over the years and I was asked about this again and thought I would share what I have found in my experiences. Hope this is of help. What do orange spots mean? This is what you will see called " dreaded orange spots " (DOS when talking about it through email) and it is said to be the first sign of a soap going bad. I have had soaps do that and I take the spots off and they don't come back. I really can't say that it means that the soap is going bad or is bad, because we have used these soaps after taking the spots off and they were fine. I find that a lot of time it is something not stirred into the soap mixture completely that causes them. I have had batches that I made that I did not get the reconstituted powdered Goats Milk stirred into the mixture really well before it traced and this causes orange spots in the soap. This was when I was only hand stirring and had not started using a stick blender or hand mixer to help with stirring. There were even a few dry spots of milk that did not get reconstituted well that showed up when I cut the soap. All I did was take off the spots and the soap was just fine. Also from time to time if the fragrance, whether Fragrance Oil (FO) or Essential Oil (EO) do not get completely incorporated into the soap it will cause these same spots. Even an oil added at trace for superfatting that is not stirred into the mix well, can cause this same problem. I have never had mold grow on any soap except a soap that had gotten to moist from a show that I did. I did not realize when I put them in the plastic container for storage that it would cause mold to grow because of the excess moisture not being dried out of them. But all I had to do with them was cut off the molded, orange area and it was fine soap to use. Another thing seems to be hydrogenated soybean, (shortening) listed in most cases as vegetable and even liquid soybean. They just don't seem to do well in our warmer climate here in Georgia. So when I first started making soap with lots of shortening, I had a lot of the DOS on my soaps. But when I figured out that this was probably the problem and started using less, it worked out fine and I did not have the problem unless I was in a hurry and did not stir something in well. Liquid soybean was never a good thing to use for me, so that one went out a long time ago. Some have said that cold pressed oils are not good for making soap and will cause DOS. I have not found that in using the small amounts that I tend to use. Many times these are special oils and only small amounts are needed anyway. Now say that you wish to use a lot of the special oils in your formula. What I suggest is to use at least 50% of your oils as a lathering oils such as Coconut or Palm Kernel and then 20% of either Olive or Canola and then 30% in your special oils. Only superfatting between 4% and 5% because the cold pressed oils will have some parts of the oil that will not saponify, so your superfatting will be higher than that anyway. It has been a long time since I made a soap this way, but it was a wonderful soap and I am now wanting to do this again. I do only make small batches of these soaps, about 3 lbs. to 5 lbs. and I do not allow heat to dry them, just a fan and air movement in a climate controlled area. I hope this will be helpful. TTYS :-) Written By Rita Scheu TLC Soaps and Sundries ******************** NOTICE: You are welcome to use these to make your products that you sell as well as for personal use. NOT to be place on a site or printed materials or any other form of media to be sold or other wise distributed, without written permission. Make sure you know that you are not allergic to anything in any formula before using. If you find that you are sensitive to anything, discontinue use. I'm not a Dr., the formulas shared are some that I have made and have found are of help to some people. ********************* --- God Bless your life's walk Rita...Homeschooling Mom in Georgia May the ~A~ngels up ~A~bove Guide you with Love ~A~ http://www.tlcsoaps.com/soapmaking.htm --- My Self-Published Books, full of info and formulas to help you with your soaps and sundries making. http://www.tlcsoaps.com/book.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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