The texture of soft black soap paste can vary from batch to batch. Typically, it has the appearance of a soft black soap paste, sort of like glue paste that you may have used in school. Occasionally though, it may start to separate and even have a seed-like appearance. We have consulted Marius Fabre, the manufacturer, and they have assured us that this can be perfectly normal. Sometimes the paste can separate causing chunks. Their recommendation is to stir the paste back to a consistent texture. Additionally, the smell can seem a little stronger than usual.
A customer recently wrote us with his notes on bringing the soap back to its normal texture. He found that stirring it alone did not help return the soap to its usual form, so he tried heating the soap, which worked perfectly.
His instructions for fixing the consistency of the soft black soap paste:
- Get 2 one quart canning jars and place an equal amount of soap in each jar
- Place both jars in a large saucepan and fill the pan with water until it’s over the level of the soap in the jars
- Slowly heat the water to boiling and give each jar of soap a little stir as the soap begins to melt
- At a certain point, you will be able to fully reconstitute the soap into a smooth, thick liquid by stirring – at this point, turn off the heat
- Once cool, you have a small layer of foam on the top and smooth, reconstituted black soap below
We want to thank Kevin for sharing his technique with us. These steps can be adjusted for your needs and how much soap you will be using at a time. Please let us know if you have any other tips for reconstituting the soft black soap paste if it separates over time.