Some troubleshooting questions..soda ash? Steric spots? Ghost swirls?

[Abforeal]

Hello!
Any ideas as to what’s going on with these loaves? All pictures are using basic palm/coconut/Olive oil recipe at 33/33/34 no water discount. The first two have these spots on top... are they steric spots or soda ash? I spray with alcohol right before covering the mold up to gel and then again 30 min later and don’t normally have a problem with ash. It scrapes off during saponification but does not scrape off or rub off once cured. Why would it be just on the side of the top of the loaf like this if it is ash or steric spots? They are not throughout either- just on top. The only thing I can think that I did different is that my oils cooled to about 108 and I mixed my lye in at 120(I usually try to keep them pretty close). No zap with a zap test.

As for the third picture, it is the same recipe but with peppermint essential oil. No oozing and the darker parts are not softer and feel the same as the lighter parts. When I cut the bars they look the same as the loaf but smaller- no hidden surprises inside.
Thanks!

 

[Todd Ziegler]

In the first picture, that appears to be soda ash. In the last picture, that could have been caused by partial gelling or a glycerin river but it is hard for me to tell from the picture.

 

[earlene]

In the first 2 images, it looks like soda ash to me. The center of the soap seems to have heated up, and doesn't have it, but it could still develop. Soda ash tends to show up on the surfaces more often than not, although it does apparently occur within the soap with activated charcoal sometimes. I have found that spraying with alcohol even 3 times, as suggested byAnne-Marie Faiola, does NOT totally prevents soda ash.

Using a higher lye concentration (less water in the lye solution) helps reduce/prevent soda ash far more consistantly than the use of alcohol.

As for the 3rd photo, if that's partial gel, it's the oddest shape of partial gel I've seen. I'd suspect an incomplete mixing of an additive. Was a colorant added? Or some other additive?

 

[Abforeal]

In the first picture, that appears to be soda ash. In the last picture, that could have been caused by partial gelling or a glycerin river but it is hard for me to tell from the picture.

In the first 2 images, it looks like soda ash to me. The center of the soap seems to have heated up, and doesn't have it, but it could still develop. Soda ash tends to show up on the surfaces more often than not, although it does apparently occur within the soap with activated charcoal sometimes. I have found that spraying with alcohol even 3 times, as suggested byAnne-Marie Faiola, does NOT totally prevents soda ash.

Using a higher lye concentration (less water in the lye solution) helps reduce/prevent soda ash far more consistantly than the use of alcohol.

As for the 3rd photo, if that's partial gel, it's the oddest shape of partial gel I've seen. I'd suspect an incomplete mixing of an additive. Was a colorant added? Or some other additive?

Ok thanks! Usually when I have soda ash it’s more of a coating- not so spotty so I wasn’t sure! I’ve never tried a water discount but I guess I should give it a shot!
For the 3rd photo, could it of been an uneven mixing of peppermint fragrance oil? I hand whipped the heck out of it when I added it but maybe it starting heating up faster than I could whip? maybe I had too heavy of Trace when I added it? I poured at medium trace though and it was already mixed in at that point.
It’s not wet or soft or anything like that so I wasn’t sure that that could be the case.

 

[earlene]

For the 3rd photo, could it of been an uneven mixing of peppermint fragrance oil? I hand whipped the heck out of it when I added it but maybe it starting heating up faster than I could whip? maybe I had too heavy of Trace when I added it? I poured at medium trace though and it was already mixed in at that point.
It’s not wet or soft or anything like that so I wasn’t sure that that could be the case.

I am not really sure, Abforeal. I have never used peppermint FO, so have no real experience with that particular FO. Does it overheat? I almost always add my FO's to the oils & mix very well with the oil prior to mixing in the lye solution, so I haven't had much experience with what happens when the FO is added toward the end.

Maybe someone else who has had a result that looks like yours may come along and share their experience.