Weird white specs

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

cascarral

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2019
Messages
144
Reaction score
39
Location
Mexico
Hi!

I made tis soap yesterday and when I cut it it looked like this :s

My recipe was:

OO - 40%
Canola - 20
CO - 20
Cocoa- 10
Shea - 10

It has 3 different colors: beige (pink clay diluted in water), orange (turmeric and rhubarb infusion), dark red (rhubarb powder non diluted).

My first guess was stereatic spots but I'm afraid it could have something to do with separation...

When I first combined my oils and lye I mixed very little, since I needed a very thin trace. Then colored and after mixed more but only the beige part, as you can see the specs are mostly on the orange and red. (The beige has a lot of air bubbles though jaja, but that's a different story).

Maybe someone here has had something similar?

Also, I cut with a wire cutter.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6495.jpeg
    IMG_6495.jpeg
    127.3 KB · Views: 53
How soft was the soap when cut with the wire cutter. It could be wire cutter bumbs. Usually happens when the soaps are cut too soon or too soft.
It doesn't look like separation to me. Could either be stearic spots, or the wire bumps. My guess is the wire bumbs.
 
Hi!

I made tis soap yesterday and when I cut it it looked like this :s

My recipe was:

OO - 40%
Canola - 20
CO - 20
Cocoa- 10
Shea - 10

It has 3 different colors: beige (pink clay diluted in water), orange (turmeric and rhubarb infusion), dark red (rhubarb powder non diluted).

My first guess was stereatic spots but I'm afraid it could have something to do with separation...

When I first combined my oils and lye I mixed very little, since I needed a very thin trace. Then colored and after mixed more but only the beige part, as you can see the specs are mostly on the orange and red. (The beige has a lot of air bubbles though jaja, but that's a different story).

Maybe someone here has had something similar?

Also, I cut with a wire cutter.
Looks like your first guess was right, the larger spots in the orange and red are stearic soap spots
More mixing of the beige portion warmed the batter
Cool and thin orange and red batters formed the larger spots

Little air bubble spots are enhanced by wire cutting while the soap is soft, just as jcandleattic referred to as wire bumps

I like your swirl design
 
Thank you :)

Can stereatic spots be this large? (bottom corner)

I'm worried about lye pockets but they don't zap!

IMG_6501.jpeg
 
How soft was the soap when cut with the wire cutter. It could be wire cutter bumbs. Usually happens when the soaps are cut too soon or too soft.
It doesn't look like separation to me. Could either be stearic spots, or the wire bumps. My guess is the wire bumbs.
Oh I didn't know this! They were toooooooo soft! Jajaja I was desperate to see the inside!
 
Thank you :)

Can stereatic spots be this large? (bottom corner)

I'm worried about lye pockets but they don't zap!
It is more of the same cool batter spotting in the orange and red batters
The issue is cosmetic

Oh I didn't know this! They were toooooooo soft! Jajaja I was desperate to see the inside!
Air bubbles show some air holes when cut with wire
You could cut a test bar with a knife today, to check in the way penelopejane described
Clean the knife with warm water between cuts

The photo in your first post shows soapy hairs on the trailing edge of your soap
Wait to cut and let the soap become firmer if you see these

It is possible to create multiple types of spots in a single soap
 
Back
Top