jenniejr Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Not sure what the problem is and I'm hoping the M&P experts here can help me out. I used 1lb clear M&P2oz shea butter1oz FO6 drops liquid B&B colorMelted & mixed everything Sat the container down so I could move my molds. I instantly noticed oil come to the surface! I mixed more, same thing! So I used my stick blender. It seemed to go away so I poured it in the molds. Spritzed them to get rid of the bubbles. As they started to cool ... here comes the oil again! I decided to let them finish cooling to see what would happen. Once cooled ..... the bottoms (side facing up in the mold) have little craters in them all filled with oil!! This is the second time this has happened. 2 different FO's. At 1st I thought I used too much FO. Then I thought maybe I used too much shea butter. I decided to "wash" them gently to see what would happen. At 1st they feel like wax! I even rubbed them and NO bubbles ..... just the waxy feeling! So I took a sponge and rubbed the "cratered" area while running it under water. I managed to rub the oily, cratered layer off. Finally, BUBBLES! When I look at the sponge, it has a film on it that fees waxy/oily. The way grease feels when it is cold and you are trying to wash it off with cold water. Any ideas as to what I did wrong? Could it be that these 2 FO's aren't soap safe? Or does that not happen with FO's that aren't soap safe? Ok, shutting up now! :lipsrseal Sorry for babbling, I just wanted to make sure you have all the info. tia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerrie Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Only time I've had that happen is when I've over done the FO. I never use more than 1 T. per lb of soap base, and there have been a few FO's that this is even to much and I get what you are experiencing. I've never used any FO's that weren't B&B safe, so I don't know how they would react, but I don't think it's anything I want to test to find out :undecided Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniejr Posted April 1, 2006 Author Share Posted April 1, 2006 Forgot to say that both FO's are listed as "soap safe" ..... I just thought there might be a possibility that they really aren't, if you know what I mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I always thought you could only use 3% fo per # of m&p base and it looks like you have about 6% fo. I dunno if that might be the problem. I have one scent that I can use at about 1% otherwise I get a soft bar. Maybe try cutting back on the amount of fo. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Girl Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I think the shea is too heavy. 2 oz. is quite a bit for 1# of MP. I usually only use one TBSP per pound of MP. I also use 1 oz. FO per pound of MP and never see an issue out of the FO... I bet it's the shea if I had to guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniejr Posted April 1, 2006 Author Share Posted April 1, 2006 I think the shea is too heavy. 2 oz. is quite a bit for 1# of MP. I usually only use one TBSP per pound of MP. I also use 1 oz. FO per pound of MP and never see an issue out of the FO... I bet it's the shea if I had to guess.That was what I was thinking in the end. I have made M&P many times before and I almost always use 1oz pp. However, this is the 1st time I dared to be adventurous in adding extras to my M&P. Guess that's what I get for walking on the "wild side"! Thanks for the help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 The way you described what was on the sponge, it sounds just like shea. I've never tried putting any additives in the clear bases, don't know if that has anything to do with it or not? How many teaspoons in an ounce? I can never remember this stuff. LOL Anyway, I've put shea in white bases up to about 2T without any separation, but any more than that it seems to make my bar soft and crumbly like. I'll bet it's the shea butter and maybe even a combo of the shea and the clear base.All you can do at this point is add another .5lb. of base and see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Aww, don't let this discourage you from taking another walk on that wild side though Shea can be a bugger, and the line between just right and too much is very fine with M&P. I'd start with 1 TBS pp, but I often go up to 2 TBS pp with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc26 Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I would say that it was the shea too. 2 oz. is to much for 1lb of base. I start at 1 tbsp too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaD Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Way too much FO used there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniejr Posted April 2, 2006 Author Share Posted April 2, 2006 Aww, don't let this discourage you from taking another walk on that wild side though Shea can be a bugger, and the line between just right and too much is very fine with M&P. I'd start with 1 TBS pp, but I often go up to 2 TBS pp with no problems.Oh..... I won't let it chase me away. I WILL lay off on the Shea though. I have used it before in the white base M&P and it did okay. I do remember now that I used 1Tbsp..... NOT 1oz! (or 2oz) Guess I should clear out the cobwebs in my head! Thanks for the tips! You too, TLC! MommaD : How much FO do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 What brand of m&p were you using? I see a lot of m&p does not recommend adding additional oils or butters, as it may diminish the lathering ability.To anyone who adds extra butter and/or oil, can you really tell any type of difference? I mean, only 1 or 2 tbs doesn't seem like it would have much of an effect. Do you just do it so you can say you have shea soap (or whatever) when you're using plain bases to offer more variety, or is there really a difference? I see that SFIC adds 5% shea to its m&p. Which, that's not a lot either, but it certainly seems more substantial than a couple of tbs. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 In my experience, every single M&P base that I have tried is odd feeling when it is just melted and poured. It all has a little bit of a rubbery feel to it, and NONE of it really lathers well. I have seen many a post here saying that there isn't a thing you can do about that, but I'm here to tell you that's simply not true. Additives can and do make a huge difference. My MP soap lathers a LOT and the lather is creamy AND bubbley. 2 TBS pp of butter makes more difference than you would think.. and in addition I add jojoba oil, castor and a pinch or two of sugar.. I do it because of the difference it makes in lather and the whole soap experience, not because I want to call it Shea Butter soap, or Mango Butter Soap or whatever.. I can certainly understand skepticism about this though, because I felt the same way until I tried it I buy the base I use now from Essentials By Catalina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc26 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I think it makes a huge difference. You can see and feel the difference in the soap. I use a combo of bases, some form NG and some from WSP. Hey PA, how does the sugar work for ya, or what about salt. I was giving that some thought because it does help with cp but the stage it goes in makes me think it wouldn't help with mp. What do you think? Have you tried any mp without any extras other than salt or sugar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I think it makes a huge difference. You can see and feel the difference in the soap. I use a combo of bases, some form NG and some from WSP. Hey PA, how does the sugar work for ya, or what about salt. I was giving that some thought because it does help with cp but the stage it goes in makes me think it wouldn't help with mp. What do you think? Have you tried any mp without any extras other than salt or sugar?I've gotta admit I have not. I should try that.. but I keep thinking that the MP would still feel rubbery if I didn't add a few "stuffs" to it I can only say that since I started adding a pinch or two of sugar the bubbles are fantastic... and I know there are a few others who do MP here who have noticed it as well.. try it and see if you notice a diff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc26 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I will. I was wondering what I could add to the clear that would not affect the clarity. I think sugar would be great if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CranberryGirl Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I notice too that M&P is rubbery feeling and i don't like that...Very plastic...LOL!I have my base from BCN and I think i am gonna try some of your suggestions! what do u really think takes out the plastic feel? and look...better..butter or castor?Thanks and sorry to hyjack... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I use both in every batch now lol.. but I would think it was the butter if I had to guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 The m&p I use feels rubbery--tacky feeling when it's first unmolded, but then I let it sit out a few days and it hardens and feels just like any other soap. I bought some goats milk base from Aztec and it really didn't lather very well at all. Then I bought goat's milk bases from SFIC and Stephenson's and I could really tell a huge difference in the way they lathered. You need to rub it a little in your washcloth, but they make a very nice, frothy lather.I don't object to adding anything additional to m&p bases, I just haven't experimented with it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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