Was this mixed enough?

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Gravy

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This is my first ever batch of soap. Notice the blotchy appearance. I'm wondering if I didn't mix it enough. I used an emersion blender in short bursts.

The attached photo is of a batch that is 9 hours old, using Palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, safflower oil, and sweet almond oil. 6.75% superfatting.

20170525_071049.jpg
 
I have another screenshot for additional information...

20170525_071058.jpg
 
Last edited:
But wait a couple more days to zap test, please! You are still a new soaper and your soap is still very young. Give it a little more time before zap testing for safety's sake. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=63199

I agree with the others that what you're seeing is probably soda ash (sodium carbonate) on the top of the soap and the amount varies due to the way the batter was poured into each mold cavity. Another thing to consider is your soap may not have been quite as fully mixed as you would like. Using a stick blender is good to emulsify the soap properly (and it looks like you got that done fine), but stick blending alone will not do a perfect job of mixing all of the batter together. It is also a good idea to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and stir everything together by hand before you pour the batter into molds.

A tip on stick blending -- until you get more experience, remember that less is more. The soap batter only needs to be emulsified with the SB and you can get that with just a few good pulses (maybe 3-5 seconds tops, often even less). STOP with the stick blending at that point -- just hand stir for a bit, and evaluate where you want to go from there. If you want the batter thicker more quickly, then SB some more. If you want a thin soap to color or swirl, then don't SB any more -- hand stir only. You might need to stick blend colorants into the batter to get them mixed in properly, but again, less is more -- a burst or two on the SB'er may be all that is needed.

I echo Brewer George's "huh?" in Post 4 -- your second picture isn't any much different than your first one.
 
The feedback here is invaluable. Thank you!!! Especially the part about hand mixing to get the sides!
 
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