I am no expert but there are a few things that can lessen this problem. Not having your mixture evenly mixed will exacerbate the problem.When you add your lye and stick blend there are three stratifications of 'mixing' that are going on. First is the 'macro' mixing that begins as you are pouring the lye in. There are many areas where the lye and oil are not contacting each other as 'pools' of both exist in the beginning. If you stir the mix you will get a transition to what I call 'mid mixing' where there is more and more lye in contact with oil as the actual molecules start interacting. When you stick blend you really accelerate the mixing on the molecular level but that does all not equalize immediately. It takes a little time for all of the mix to get to the molecular level. IF you stick blend too much and stir too little what you get are micro pockets of molecular interactions from the stick blending, surrounded with pockets of lye and oil in various stages of mix. You can get a false trace and if you call that trace and pour it then you will have areas of your soap that are very high lye and others that high oil along with the properly mixed areas. You get chalking with the high lye and greasy soap with the high oil areas. Colors vary. Fragrance seizing is easier. I soap at 130 degrees F because I want to be sure that gelling occurs as I prefer the deeper colors and 'waxy' look of the finished soap. I initially use a whisk when adding the lye and stir vigorously. Then a brief stick blend to emulsify. I let it set then for a minute as I prepare or clean up. I then stick blend again followed always with whisking. I let it rest a little as I go. In my mind I am spreading out the highly reactive blended product with any macro and mid areas of my mix-increasing the reactive area between the lye and oil. I learned not to rush the process. Those reactions are accelerated with a blender, but it still takes time for that consistency to be evenly distributed. If I am using a floral scent (they seem to be more inclined to seize) then I mix until light but consistent trace. Let it set a minute to insure I have not artificially produced a non viable trace. I have added my colorants early on so I can still stick blend them in without over blending. I heat up my fragrance in the microwave for 12-18 seconds so there is not a great temperature difference between the mix and what I am adding. I never blend in a fragrance-I whisk in the fragrance--rapidly--and then be prepared to pour quickly. The more likely the fragrance is to seize, the less trace I produce before adding the fragrance. I can get some swirl in there but some, like wisteria, are unforgiving regardless of what I do. There I do a light trace. Have my swirl colors separated from the main batch. Fragrance only the main batch-pour it in the mold--pour in my swirl colors--and swirl. If you are fast enough you can get pretty close. Again, not an expert, but just some observations I have pieced together over the years. One last note. IF you make extra lye solution to use later always shake it before pouring as it will stratify in the jug and the top will be low in lye and the bottom will be higher.

Seized soap is great! Hardens quickly, cures fast and usually smells great.

Using your stick blender will make it seize faster. Hand stir gently. It will still seize up but give you more time

Seized batches used to devastate me. Good to know that it can be saved and still be made into a decent loaf of soap. Thank you for posting.

The problem is that you are using your stick blender to mix in the fragrance oil. Don't. Just mix gently with a spatula, then you won't have this problem.

Thanks for sharing this. I am fairly new to soaping and so this 'seizing' was very well explained to me. A lot of people love to share their highlights of soap making on youtube - but not so many are willing to share all the things that can go 'wrong'. I really appreciate your sharing with us and hope you can share some more thngs like this in the future.

Those floral scents always get ya...I usually just transfer everything to the crock pot for a hot process when my soap misbehaves like this. I like to soap hot so I really have to watch which fragrances I use

thank you for the video. I just made my first cold process loaf, and i'm still reading and watching a lot of videos, without seeing this video, I really wouldn't know what I would have done. thanks again

Thanks so much for the video! I have been making soap for a smidge over 3 years and I started with Hot Process, which I really liked but I did not love the limitation of the design/color swirls, etc. I went to CP, didn't love the cure time, so found a great middle ground, CPOP, I get the best of both worlds. I have found that with both HP and CP you will have F.O.'s that seize no matter what. Mostly florals will do it for me and my oils are similar to yours, but I use coconut, olive and shea mostly but I also use a steep water discount. Now I have had batter move fast, but I was able to still pour it - barely! I was chuckling because just a couple hours ago I too had a near disaster and for the first time, the soap actually seized, I mean 'soap on a stick' kind of seized. I had already made my separate colors, etc, so I couldn't throw the mess into a crockpot to save it. I ended up doing the exact same thing you did, i scooped it all in with my hands, what a mess! So I hope it all turns out alright, but wanted to say thank you for this video, super important to always have a back up plan! :-)

I just had this happen today while I was going live on Facebook however I didn't panic I threw it right into the mold and was even able to texture the Soap. I didn't get to swirl my soap since it seized but I tried so just waiting to unmold it tomorrow and hope all goes well. If anyone uses the pumpkin spice fragrance from bramble berry be careful it will seize. All my fragrances I got for my fall batches speed up trace. Also I'm knew to soap making this is only my 2nd batch of soap but I'm confident that this one will turn out great. Thanks for the video helps me be more aware when I'm working with fragrance and what to prepare for in cases of seizing.

Well now I know what happened to my soap. I thought I lost my mind. I split the batter and it was pretty light and then added the colors and fragrance oil and it got thick so quick. Not as thick as yours did but I had to glop it in the mold and spread it as if I was icing a cake. Good to know the end results won't be so bad.

Wow! That's extreme seizing. Glad you got it in the mold :)

I experienced seizing for the first time, (used a coffee fragrance) I kind of knew what seizing was, but never experienced it before so I wasn’t sure if I could still use the finished bar.Happy to know I can still use my soap, as I got it into the mold ASAP! thank you for showing that process! 💕

I had 2 batches seize up on me. Once like a brick when my stick blender got stuck in it. I did a lot of research and it has never happened again. My secret: make sure yours essential or fragrance oil has NO ALCOHOL in it. Also wait until the very end and you are ready to pour, then and only then, HAND MIX you scents in. Believe me, I have a soap business. This works.

I am new to soaping and this exact thing happened to me using Rose fragrance. Freaked me out because I thought I did something wrong. But I just crammed it in the mold like you did and hoped for the best. Took it out of the mold 24 hours later and it looks fine. whew.

Plumeria and rose so far seized up on me , I just try to buy fragrance oil‘s from companies that have a perfect description saying it behaves well etc. but you do so well with this it makes me less scared to try some of the fragrances I would like to use and still go with it:)

😂😂😂🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ omg that just happened to me!! Thankfully i can still use it but gosh it looks horrible and feels worse. Thank you for the video!!! 😍

Your soaps still look good though. They have this natural, rustic look to them that appeals to me.

Thanks! This happened to me last year on my first batch of soap! Lol!! Memories! I used clove and it seized!

Soap making newbie here! I just had my first batch of soap to seize on me. I have heard of people talk of soap seizing but never actually knew what it meant. Well, I found out tonight! I wish that I had found your video before tonight. I was able to get the soap into my mold, but it will probably fall apart.

One of mine did seize and separated at the same time! A real disaster!!

Mine just turned like that because I didn't wait for the lye solution to cool down. I put it straight away into molds and insulate them like you did. I never knew about this. Guess mistakes help us learn.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS TUTORIAL. When I changed my recipe by adding castor oil and eucalyptus fragrance oil it seized. My hardened bars had cavities.

it happened to me today... thank you for your best video.. you answered my headache .. love ... hahahhaha

Nice video. I experienced that once. Like you did, it's helpful to mix your color first. One other helpful tip is to use a whisk to mix the fragrance, it helps slow acceleration. I was actually able to make a 2 colored layer of soap when I use a whisk rather than the stick blender after adding the fragrance.

I looked away for a second after using a new fragrance oil, BIG mistake, it was hard instantly. I didn't even get that "mashed potatoes phase. I microwaved it for about 2 minutes, until it moved just a bit, and got it into my mold super fast. Looks ok.

thank you ... I've had this issue and got scared and rebatched with tears... lol when I do it again I'll definitely just work fast and get it moving.

I am new to soaping so last night i was making one with fresh passion fruit papaya and mango ... i had got this passion fruit fragrance from china and added it...turn my back for 5 mins to get something came back my hand blender was stuck in the soap.. lol i put it in the mold as it then it started to volcano ..it got soft inside and hard on the outside . I poured it back and started to mix again then plopped it back in the mold.. cant wait today to unmold and see the mess. Didnt know what i did wrong but now i realize its the fragrance.

Thank you for sharing this.

Thank you very much for this tutorial! You are very generous! Thank you again🙏🙏😁😁

My liquid soap is seizing as soon as I add my lye solution what can I do to prevent that.....

Thanks for posting this, I had this happen with a Daphne fragrance the other day but I wasnt expecting it coz I'd used the same fragrance before but in a different recipe , it behaved beautifully in the first batch which was a lard based soap but the second one which had more oils and tallow it sized I managed to make it work but I was concerned about the spots coz I thought they might be lye pockets but they pass the zap test

from what I understand to save the batch you can also throw it in a crockpot and hot process it. it will save the soap. correct me if I am wrong, I am new to soap making.

Thanks so much fort sharing with us.

Just found your channel. Thank you for showing “problems” and how to fix them.

I had this kinda thing happen when I mixed my tallow, olive oil, coconut oil base to my lye water (before adding any essential oils or coloring) it was at 109 degrees (both oils & lye) when I started using my stick blender the bottom got gloppy so fast I could hardly get the top incorporated 🤯 added my EO and got it into the mold asap but it was not the prettiest batch. What do you think happened? Was 109 to low for that fat heavy soluble batch you think? I noticed you were at 120 you said

Wow! Thanks for this! I haven't had it happen...but now I KNOW what to do if it does!

This happened to me today I thought I lost an entire batch 😓😓. Thanks for posting

I appreciate you taking the time to make this video

I feel your pain , its just happened to me !! Thanks for posting the tip about the fragrance acceleration .

Thanks for sharing this! I just went thru this for the 3rd time. I think part f the trick is to not use the stick blender. Stir in the fragrance with a silicone spoon. Its so frustrating when you want to make swirl designs or embeds

yes this happened to me a couple of times now but with different recipes and and essential oils not sure why ?? i live in a warm climate ,. i do use underground spring water could this be causing it . i threw the batter out because i didnt think i could fix it , Such a waste and so dissapointing. thanku for sharing this video xx

Are we not supposed to just stir in the fragrance and not use a stick blender? Just curious

Never had a problem using that fragrance. But will remember to be more alert. My niece loves Jasmine and we've never had a problem. Only problem I had was making a Facial bar with Charcoal & Tea Tree EO. First time was close, but we figured out our water percentage now it's better.

this is what happen to my very first batch of cold process soap... been SEIZEd i think, everything is fine until i pour my EO into the mixture and BOOM in few secs i was like WHATS GOING ON! disaster.. i just hope we can still use the soap though :)

Tysm for explaining this. My soap seizes before I add fragrance sometimes

Hi there! I'm absolutely a novice (planning to have my second go making soaps tomorrow, first attempt was surprisingly successful!), but I have read about adding fragrance oil (literally planning to use jasmine oil tomorrow... very worried now), and I wondered if these things might reduce the soap batter thickening too fast? I read that you can: 1) blend the batter till it's barely at trace, let it sit to cool a while before adding diluted (in oil) fragrance oil 2) mix the fragrance oil in with a spoon/spatula instead of stick blender to slow down how fast it's mixing Do you think either of these methods might help prevent seizing?

thank you so much for showing us that. It really helps

what caused it to seized the oils or fragrance oil

Yep. My batter seized today. Was using a patchouli fragrance oil. Never again. I’ll make sure I only use essential oil next time.

Thanks so much for your video..... I was making a soap for a friend, with jasmine, I dont usually use fragrance oils, it caught me out! So cross but thanks for showing what to do next time!

Thank you for explaining.

Thank you

Thank you for sharing this! I'm just starting & kept hearing the term "ricing" so I'm glad I know what it is, what it looks like.

Thank you so much, I thought I was going crazy

Thank you for sharing this. I just had the same thing happen with lilac fragrance lol

i soap at room temp and never had a problem.That is with jasmine scent. But the bars are still pretty. I love the color.

This happened to me just today when I added Vanilla fragrance to my batter. I just quickly squashed it into the mould and will keep fingers crossed it is ok when I unmould tomorrow. First time it has happened and it probably won't be the last.

Thanks for this😀

Thank you for sharing, that happened to me in hot process soap

thank you so much!!!

I've just had my first CP soap making disaster. Mine went like mashed potato in an instant. I'll see what happens but I might be able to use it in my laundry powder. By the way I used blend of Rosemary, grapefruit & thyme essential oils. First time using thyme so maybe it was that.

I have had soap sezies up on me on the same recipe same ingredient, same coloring and same fragrance oils, heck even the lye water was the same temperature, when it hadn't happened many times prior with other batches.I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong! Ugh! It's so frustrating! Oh and it only happens (or doesnt) when I make activated charcoal soap. It's my second best seller so this issue is really starting to bother me because I never know what kind of batch I'm going to get!

I literally did the same thing today on a batch, frantically shoving it into the mold 😂

This literally just happened to me... Thankfully, I saw this video so I knew what to do! Time will tell how I did. lol

instead of soaping at 125 degree's can you soap at a lower temperature??

thanks for the info!

I just messed a good oils same as you..but the soap remained in the can I used to make the soap. How I can save it..how I can rebach it...it's an amazing coconut soap and I used a nice coconut esențial oil...I don't want to trow it away..help please..any advice will be amazing 🙏🙏🙏

is it safe to used soybean oil as my base

This just happened to me😡 I'll wait and see how the 18 bars come out thanks for the video

Just had that happen to my soap today. I added the FO after the colours were mixed. Just got it into the mold as fast as I could😥

what temperature you had the oils an Lyle solution?

hi, i do not understand english a lot but the you are making the block soap with domestic oil ( how many ? ) water ( how many? ) and color . NO need anyelse , isn't ? thanks

so why are fragrances not labeled as safe for CP soap or not ? especially when we purchase from soap making suppliers ? how can you tell if a fragrance can seize your soap ?

Thanks for sharing

Hellooo!! I just came upon your video! I recently bought a new citrus fragance and it seized a big batch for 57 bars.. I worked up quick just as you show but had two different colors... I used the mixer and mixed the colors everything fine and at the very end I added the fragance with no mixer just mixed with a spatula! And still it seized! Horrible fragance!! I was able to put it all in the mold, but about an hour later I sneaked to see the soap in the mold and was able to see it going through gel phase and a bit of liquid on top 😫 I mixed it just a bit in the mold with a swirl mixer, swirling a bit. Do I still wait for the full 24 hour to see how it goes???

Have you tried mixing the lye water and oil at a cooler temperature? Maybe it is getting too hot too fast?

WOW!!!

Couldnt temperature change diffremce also casue siezing?

Let it sit until gel phase, then pour it into a mold = hot process.

Omg that is what happened to me tonight. Mine is in the mold but I was thinking of rebatching Tom? Sue.

This happened to me and after I let it sit for 36 hours, I went back and it was all grainy and falling apart. Can I save that??!

How much fragrance was that per pound of oils? That looked like a lot of fragrance! Any way, to get to why I'm responding. I've made a loaf with Civet Jasmin. I don't know what Jasmin is supposed to smell like but it smells like French toilet paper... Wait for it.... after its been used. I thought it was supposed to smell sort of flowery when I ordered it but the bottle smelled kind of ok but then I put it in soap with a 50/50 water/lye ratio and 5% superfatting. So you see if something is going to seize with that ration it would have definitly seized. Nice soap but Civet Jasmine is definitly not my favorite. I used .8 at 36oz of oil and it turned out pretty strong. That is why I said it looks like you put a lot in there.

Okay...Your seize was HORRIFYING! The same happened to me when I attempted to make my very first cold process soap. I was able to save mine's by quickly packing it into my rectangle mold. It was a mess!

If I'm working with a fragrance that is known to seize, I just whisk by hand to emulsion, add colour, whisk and hand mix in the fragrance. I don't even bother with my stick blender. Yes, I have had some epic seizing soaps too. All you can do is blame the soap gremlins and hopefully rebatch.

You can always rebatch the soap if it gets too hard.

Yes omgoodness 😢

I've used Jasmin. Smell like sh#t. Didn't want to throw it away so I threw all the bars in a plastic bag and tied a knot. 2 years later I opened the bag. Still smelled. I threw them all away. I have never ordered Jasmin from essential depot again. No soap seizures though. Funny thing is my soap was the exact color.

W which oils do not cause fast seizing ?

Why not Hot Process your soap with those particular fragrances. Makes a nice batter everytime. 👍

cant u just put it in the microwave to heat it up?

Oh my, this what happened to me today! I did it twice using different fragrances, I was so disappointed ! I hope it will still be ok

Thank you