Can Someone Tell Me What Ive Done Wrong

[Cameron]

4B536272-9F0C-4888-B912-5F7A0CA3A173

• Cameron
• Jul 9, 2018

so I’ve just started out making soap and I’m testing different recipes. I’ve tried different temperatures and colours and fragrances but I keep having the same issue. As you can see there are weird dots all over it? What is that ? My recipe is

Palm oil
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Lye
Distilled water
Bubblegum fragrance oil
Titanium Dioxide
Blue Mica

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong ?
Please could someone give me some advise ? Thanks

 

[artemis]

That looks like some severe glycerin rivers to me. That can happen with titanium dioxide. Try searching the forum for glycerin rivers and you should be able to find lots of info on why they happen and how to prevent it, if you don't like it. It is still useable soap. I like how your soap looks. It's like it's snowing!

 

[SoaperForLife]

Looks like glycerin rivers to me - happens a lot when you use titanium dioxide. Brambleberry recommends:

• Mixing your colorants well, particularly if you use an oxide and especially if you use Titanium Dioxide. We recommend dispersing 1 teaspoon of colorant in 1 tablespoon of light liquid oil and then stirring with a mini mixer.
• Low temperatures are your friend! If you are getting glycerin rivers, lower your temperatures. If lowering the temperatures of both your lye water and oils by 10 degrees doesn’t do the trick, you can use room temperature lye water and oils heated to around 100 degrees F to lessen the chance of rivers. Then, consider popping the soap in the freezer or running a fan over it to keep it cool and prevent gel phase.
• Reducing the amount of water in your recipe can also help prevent glycerin rivers, this is called water discounting your soap.
• Be conscious of the fragrance or essential oil you choose too. Some oils will heat the soap no matter what you do, so be careful to choose a fragrance oil that behaves well in cold process.

I tend to stay away from titanium dioxide just for this reason. I now use white mica which doesn't seem to have the same effect.

 

[Obsidian]

Try reducing your water. Do you use soapcalc for your recipes?
Up top there are different settings for the water amount. Check lye concentration and add 33% to the box.

 

[lsg]

I agree, glycerin rivers and titanium dioxide is the culprit.

 

[soapmaker]

Ditto all the rest. It's the titanium dioxide. Soap cool, 33% lye concentration is what most recommend here (I use 34%) and don't let it gel. (Don't insulate, blow a fan over it or place in a cool room on a wire rack so air can get on all sides or do all three) Whatever it takes not to let it gel.

 

[dixiedragon]

I am also totally digging the snowy look! TD can be water dispersable, oil dispersable, or both. I think the variety that BB carries is both. If you don't have a mini mixer (they are very nice!), put some TD into a small cup with your oil, water or glycerin and stir vigorously.

 

[DeeAnna]

I agree with the advice to reduce the amount of water in the recipe. Be sure to account for ALL of the water added to the batter -- including water in any additives and colorants.

It's really not necessary to avoid gel or to go to great lengths to keep the soap cold, however.

The reason why "rivers" happen is the combination of two things -- the soap going into that liquidy gel stage AND THEN the slow cooling of the soap batter. If the soap doesn't go through both things, "rivers" are unlikely.

Colorants, titanium dioxide especially, enhance the appearance of "rivers" but they don't cause them to form. I've seen "rivers" in uncolored soap, although the streaking and mottling are much less obvious than if I'd used colorants in the soap.

You can prevent the soap from going into full-blown gel by reducing the water content. Less water increases the temp at which the soap will gel. If that's all you do, that should be enough to prevent rivers without having to jump through a lot of hoops to also keep the soap cold. Most of the soapers who soap with about 33% lye concentration (I mean lye concentration, which is not "water as % of oils") don't see much if any "rivers." At lye concentrations of 31% or below, rivers are more likely.

But if you want extra insurance, just set your mold on a cookie cooling rack or put it on some cans of soup -- anything to get some air underneath the mold -- and put a fan so it blows on the mold. That will help the soap cool down quicker and further reduce the chances that "rivers" will form.

More: https://classicbells.com/soap/streakMottle.html

 

[amd]

Nothing. You have done nothing wrong. That soap is gorgeous! I would love it if my soap did that. (But yeah, ditto what everyone else said. I just wanted to comment because I think that soap is awesome... I licked it, it's mine. ha!)

 

[earlene]

I agree that it is beautiful soap. I know you didn't want the 'spottled' effect, otherwise you wouldn't be asking what you did wrong, but that is really quite striking. Everyone else has already addressed how to prevent glycerin rivers, but one other thing to think of is how much TC you used and how well you mixed it into the batter.

I have found that if I don't mix it thoroughly, I get more spots of unmixed TD that when I cut the soap, I can smear it with my finger and it makes a white streak. And it's harder to mix it in well if I use too much TD, so I have learned to use less.

 

[Terri E]

I agree with the advice to reduce the amount of water in the recipe. Be sure to account for ALL of the water added to the batter -- including water in any additives and colorants.

It's really not necessary to avoid gel or to go to great lengths to keep the soap cold, however.

The reason why "rivers" happen is the combination of two things -- the soap going into that liquidy gel stage AND THEN the slow cooling of the soap batter. If the soap doesn't go through both things, "rivers" are unlikely.

Colorants, titanium dioxide especially, enhance the appearance of "rivers" but they don't cause them to form. I've seen "rivers" in uncolored soap, although the streaking and mottling are much less obvious than if I'd used colorants in the soap.

You can prevent the soap from going into full-blown gel by reducing the water content. Less water increases the temp at which the soap will gel. If that's all you do, that should be enough to prevent rivers without having to jump through a lot of hoops to also keep the soap cold. Most of the soapers who soap with about 33% lye concentration (I mean lye concentration, which is not "water as % of oils") don't see much if any "rivers." At lye concentrations of 31% or below, rivers are more likely.

But if you want extra insurance, just set your mold on a cookie cooling rack or put it on some cans of soup -- anything to get some air underneath the mold -- and put a fan so it blows on the mold. That will help the soap cool down quicker and further reduce the chances that "rivers" will form.

More: https://classicbells.com/soap/streakMottle.html

I totally agree with you! It is the water. I reduce the water to a 2:1 ratio and CPOP with great results. An added bonus is no soap ash

 

[Cameron]

Thank you all for all your replies.

 

[VanAshwood]

This isn’t going to be helpful at all but think your soap looks awesome!! I just got some titanium dioxide of my own so this thread will actually help me out, so thanks for posting!!! And again awesome soap!