by G. Lee

Created on: September 28, 2007

Have you ever experienced tiny orangy spots, comparable to the size of pencil erasers, on any of the soap bars you have made thus far? If you have, do you know what are they? Basically, these spots are known as Dreaded Orange Spots, or DOS is short. The reaction that occurs to produce these spots are actually the oxidation of oils within th soap. These spots normally appear within 3 months of the first full-curing process, and are commonly associated with humidity.

Among the potential causes of DOS include:
- inadequate curing of the soap.
- usage of soft oils such as sunflower or canola oils.
- over-superfatting the soap.
- usage of expired soft oils in soap making.
- soap that come into contact with materials that can rust such as metals (because they promote oxidation).
- high humidity or extreme changes in weather patterns.
- unwrapped cured soap (exposure to humid air).

Some of the most effective ways to avoid the DOS from appearing on your soap include:
- trying to minimize the usage of soft oils in your soap making recipe such that other oils take precedence in the recipe.
- avoiding the use of expired soft oils.
- making sure the layer of oil is removed from the mold, if oil was used to lubricate the sides of the mold in order to facilitate soap removal.
- mixing your soap with tocopheral, more commonly known as vitamin E (antioxidant).
- undergoing the soap-curing process in an area with minimal heat and light exposure.
- using rosemary extract (more specifically rosemary oleresin).
- ensuring soaps are completely dry before storage.
- using an anti-humidifier or a heat-drying lamp if the storage area has high humidity.
- wrapping cured soaps with plastic wrap in a tight an secure manner, and as an extra precaution, store the wrapped soap in a sealed plastic container.
- ensuring that your soap's superfat percentage does not exceed 5%.
- making sure that only distilled water is used for soap making.

If you already have orange spots on your soap, just use a blunt knife or a scraper to cut or scrape the orange spots so that they are removed. If you do not feel secure using the soap with DOS, you can always recycle them by grating and rebatching them and turning them into mechanic or kitchen scrub soaps.

In conclusion, do not be distressed if your soap appears to have DOS, because the soap is not harmful to your skin whatsoever and it is still perfectly safe to use as a soap.

Reference:
1. http://www.soapnaturally.org/DOS.html
2. http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapglossary/g/dos .htm

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