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Orange spot (or DOS - Dreaded Orange Spot) is a common problem in home soap making where the fragrant oils oxidize within the soap resulting in an orange discoloration on the surface of the soap bar. The spots are most likely to occur within the first three months of the curing process, and it is generally agreed that Orange spot is caused by either using hard water (which has a slight metal content); or using old and rancid oils, or a mixture of different oils, in your preparation of soap.

While orange spot is in no way harmful it can spoil the aesthetics of your soaps and often means a batch of soap is ruined. Orange spot will usually effect the smell (often described as a 'stuffy' smell) or appearance of the batch, but will not effect its usefulness. While there are additives that can be used (BHT etc.,), and are done so in industrial soap making processes, I want to outline some suggestions that do not resort to unnecessary additives, and can be used by all home soap making fans.

To help avoid the problem a few simple steps can be taken when making soap:

1. Make sure that only distilled water is used.

2. Avoid, or at least reduce sunflower and canola oils.

3. Keep the superfat to below 5%.

4. Make sure that oils are in a good condition using only fresh oils.

5. Finally, but most importantly, make sure you allow your soap to cool naturally in a dry area, away from sunlight, and away from metals.

In order to eliminate orange spot from your soap making process it is best to address each of the above tips separately. If you change one at a time and make a note of the changes then Orange spot can be eliminated without having to change the way you make soap radically. If you start by using distilled water and this cures you spot problem then there is no need to undertake the other changes at all, and your tried and tested method remains largely unchanged.

If you are unsure about whether or not your soap has suffered from Orange Spot then have a look at http://www.soapnaturally.org/i mg/dos.jpg and see if it resembles your soap bars!

Learn more about this author, John Benson.
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