Still new to this - clear lines/streaks in my soap

[CarolynD]

Hi all! Let me preface this by saying that technically I've been making & researching soap for over a year, but given the expense and the fact that I'm at home with a 2 & 4 year old, I've only just completed my 7th batch, so I'm still pretty new to this. So far I haven't had any real issues or failed batches, just a few DOS, so this year I'm trying to make some soap to use as Christmas gifts for my family, who have all loved my attempts so far.

That brings me to the issue at hand. Last night I made a batch of CP for my sister-in-law, which you can see in the picture. All was well until I sliced it and saw all these clear lines/veins/streaks. (This happened to a lesser degree in my last batch too, but because that one was a swirled soap it wasn't as noticeable.) In doing some research online, the most likely explanation I could find is that they are stearic acid streaks. Can anybody confirm this?

This is the recipe I used:

51g canola oil
52g castor oil
330g coconut oil
330g palm oil
114g lye
251g water
1/2 oz Fresh Picked Strawberry fragrance oil from WSP
1/2 tsp burgundy oxide from Brambleberry

Just for added detail, in case it would be important, I did melt the palm oil in the container before measuring. I added the oxide to the oils before mixing and added the fragrance at trace. (By the time I had it all incorporated, the batter was rather thick - thick enough that I had to smooth it out in the mold with my spatula.) I'm thinking, if these really are stearic acid streaks, that I was soaping at too low a temperature. Following the instructions in Smart Soapmaking by Anne Watson, I had both the oils and the lye between 90 & 110 F. My oils were around 98 or so and the lye around 101 when I mixed them. And the soap definitely gelled - I peeked around an hour after mixing and could see the gel and the soap was about 135 F at the top at that time.

Any thoughts? Did I soap at way too low a temp for palm? Other than the aesthetics of the streaks, the soap seems perfectly fine, though I did notice it was a little harder than my other batches at slicing time.

Would you recommend rebatching?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

I'm assuming you checked for zap? If the streaks don't zap, it's probably the Stearic Acid from the Palm, as you suspect, though if your oxide wasn't thoroughly mixed, it could just be uncolored soap. Either way, it's just aesthetics...but I think it looks like pretty marbling...so a lucky accident!

 

[CarolynD]

No zap. I'm pretty certain the color was completely incorporated - I added it to the oils once they were all liquid and used a mini electric whisk to blend.

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

If the streaks don't zap, it's probably the Stearic Acid from the Palm, as you suspect

I agree

and I love the effect so I agree with the lucky accident part too :wink:

 

[SoapySmurf]

Nice job. I wish my soaping accidents turned out that awesome.

 

[new12soap]

I do think it looks pretty, and I don't see any reason to rebatch if there is no zap. You said that you warmed up the Palm Oil before using, did you stir stir stir thoroughly before measuring it out? Yes, my guess is that you soaped it too cool, I would recommend between 110-120F.

You also mentioned that you have had DOS in the past, and your recipe includes canola. Even tho it is a small amount, I have never found that canola adds enough to the soap to make it worth the increased risk of DOS. JMHO, others have used it with no problems, but I would drop it entirely and consider adding another oil like Olive in a larger amount to make a more balanced bar. The recipe you posted is almost all coconut and palm so yes that would make a very hard and VERY cleansing bar.

Keep soaping, and keep accurate notes because every batch is a learning experience. You are already off to what looks like a great start!

 

[CarolynD]

Thank you! The container that the palm oil came in is like a squirt bottle, so there was no way to stir it, though I did shake it. I'm wondering if, since it was hard to see inside, it maybe wasn't completely melted like I thought it was. Next time I will be extra careful to mix it fully and try soaping at a higher temp to see if that works.

As for the DOS, the first batch that developed them had nothing but coconut and olive oil in it. It took awhile for them to develop and I suspect it was from improper storage on my part. The second batch that got DOS did indeed have canola - and a lot of it, at 191g for a 2.5lb batch. That batch had one DOS before the soap had even fully cured, which surprised me, so I did some research and read about the connection to the canola. Time will tell if my current batch does okay. Since I'm making so much soap for Christmas, and since my family understands I'm still in the learning phase, I figured I would try out a whole bunch of different recipes and see what happens.

The soap I made that got the DOS so fast was otherwise wonderful. I wanted a nice hard bar for my husband, since he goes through soap so quickly. This was the recipe I used. What would you suggest in place of the canola if I wanted to cut that out to avoid DOS? It already has olive, would you just increase it?

191g canola oil
223g coconut oil
286g lard
64g olive oil
106g lye
255g water

On a happier note, I made a batch of lavender oatmeal soap last night that is waiting for unmolding in my kitchen and smells wonderful! As far as I can tell, all is well with that batch, though we'll see when I slice it. There wasn't any palm, though, so I'll be very surprised if I find those clear streaks this time!

 

[new12soap]

That's great, try a lot of different things! And wonderful that you have a family of testers for your soaps

It doesn't sound like your palm was the culprit, so I am going with temp. As for your recipe, yes I would just cut out the canola and use olive. 1/3 each of lard (or palm, or tallow), olive, and coconut will make a nice hard bar with a good cure, and it would be very cleansing which IME men seem to like. You could also throw a bit of castor in, but I would stay around 5% so it doesn't get softer.

Play around with your recipes in soapcalc

http://www.soapcalc.net/

and you will learn what oils bring what properties to your soaps and how to formulate what you like. HTH

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

That batch had one DOS before the soap had even fully cured, which surprised me, so I did some research and read about the connection to the canola.

Are you sure it was DOS? DOS would not appear that quickly, unless the oils you soaped with were extremely rancid to begin with, which you would have noticed from the smell. DOS occurs over a period of months. I suspect that what you thought was DOS may have been something else, like an additive or colorant not mixed well or the like. Sometimes the surface that your soap sits on while curing can cause weird anomalies on your soap, too.
I'm with new12soap - I don't use Canola (or any other "risky" oil, for that matter) due to it's high DOS factor, and I don't think it brings any extra "oomph" to the soap to make it worth the risk of having to throw out soap.

 

[CarolynD]

Well, here's a photo, see what you think. This is the batch that I listed the recipe for earlier, with lard and 191g of canola oil. It also contains 1 Tbsp of ground oatmeal, I colored half of it with cocoa powder, and I left it unscented. You can see I had some divider issues, as the colors aren't even as I'd hoped, but hey, it was my first try.

I photographed two bars together so you can see the difference. You can see the flecks of oatmeal throughout, and then in both bars you can see a small brown mark in the white section. That comes from my divider issue and some transfer of brown-colored soap from my spatula into the uncolored soap. Then on the left-hand bar, you can clearly see a more orange-colored spot, which seems to me to be a DOS. What else would it be?

This batch was poured 7/26 and I first noticed the DOS on 8/23. I'm a meticulous note keeper, so I trust my dates, and I remember being surprised that it had shown up so quickly. The other strange thing is that the other 7 bars are fine, even now in mid-October.

As for the ingredients, I keep all my soaping oils separate from my cooking oils, with one exception - canola. So while I did use up one bottle of canola and start a new one for this batch (told you I was meticulous!), I would be really surprised if it was rancid, because it's the same bottle I use regularly for my pancakes, and I would have noticed. The coconut oil was a little older, but I used more from the same jar in a subsequent batch with no trouble. The lard was freshly purchased from the store, and I used distilled water. I guess the olive oil would be the only questionable one, but as I said, the other 7 bars were fine (and still are, what's left of them).

 

[Pepsi Girl]

That strawberry soap is beautiful! If it were my soap I'd just be doing the "Happy Soap Dance"