What causes separation in soap...?

Major disaster from the other night...

I had goats milk in my soap... coconut milk and cucumber...

It heated up pretty fast in the mold and not long after I poured it it had already started to separate... did I simply not blend it well enough? funny it got really thick before I poured it and it still separated...

with people watching and talking and everything else... was I just distracted? I poured two small single bars in single molds and they were fine... the soap left in pot were beautiful... then why is the soap in the mold such a mess...

hehe! sorry guys... trying to make sense of this latest disaster... any ideas on the whys and possibilities are very welcome...

Whenever my batter seperates it is because I did not blend it good enough. I just dump it out of the mold and sb the crap out of it again. Sometimes I dont know it is going to do that beacuase it is nice and thick and looks perfect til its in the mold and starts seperating. Sorry this happened to ya.

i agree with Billie. I've had soap that got thick, but it was from the EO/FO, and not the soaps actually saponifying. so, when i poured it, it quickly separated

I have had that happen when my soap batch overheated Riaan.....so many variables! Fruits, veges and milks can contribute to overheating.

Thanks you guys... I guess I'm wondering about what it all could have been... overheating... or as you say just not beating it enough... not nice if it isn't your place you're working in... feel as if you don't want to make a mess... hehe!... maybe I was too careful...

The only time I ever had separation , it was a heat issue,it was an OMH it separated and burnt it got so hot.

I suspect heat as it got quite hot quite fast... if I was home and it wasn't a class I could have rescued it on the spot... as it was it was part of a demonstration and I needed to carry on with the rest of class... it was also at somebody else's house... oh well... I have to get that soap back to my house somehow... separated or not to try and rebatch and rescue... I loved the feel of little bits off the soap pot... can't throw it away... can you imagine me with 2kg's of soap bagged on the metro and on a scooter on my way back home... ?

On the Metro and on the scooter. I love the way you live and where you live. You are so lucky! Wish I was living anywhere but in the US right now, Economy wise speaking.

Billy, I sometimes think of the weird and wonderful way I live now... remember where I am from... It is such a long way from a farm in Africa... funny that wherever you land feels just like any other after a while... you have to really step back sometimes to still see the wonder...