Weirdness in colour and texture

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Purplerain

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So, I made soap yesterday and got this weird result......
ImageUploadedBySoap Making1423329825.384855.jpgImageUploadedBySoap Making1423329852.274276.jpg
I've just started playing with micas and the last one I made had a little bit of a similar result but not quite so bad.
This is a pretty basic lard/co/oo/castor oil and almond oil recipe that I have made a number of times with good success. This one has micas, kaolin clay and FO. Blended everything very thoroughly. Did a cpop for the first time because I wanted to make sure it gelled.
So what happened? Are those glycerine rivers? Why is it so rough?
Also, I thought kaolin clay was a bit of a whitener. I'm surprised at how yellow the part only coloured with the clay is. All the oils were quite clear, not yellow. ?????????
 
Yep, those are glycerin rivers. They usually come from the soap getting a bit too hot, using a water discount really helps prevent them. I've not used kaolin clay but when you gel, it darken the soap some. What scent did you use? Some will discolor to a yellow.
 
I used Champaka and Sensual Amber. Meant to check whether they darkened the soap or not but forgot!
How much of a water discount do you use? I've not done that yet. Do the glycerine rivers make the soap kind of rough?
 
I know some Ambers will darken and if the Champaka is like Nag Champa, it will darken some too. Sometimes soaps with glycerin rivers will have a less than smooth texture to them, like they are ridged. Having recently added too much colorant to a soap that gelled, I can say that adding too much mica and maybe adding too much clay can contribute to the rougher texture. It's still pretty! And very much usable.

Some people will use a 2:1 ratio of water to lye but discounting water is as variable as can be. You can use anything from the same amount as your lye to the "full" amount and even more than that. Hopefully someone who discounts their water regularly will hop on and tell you what they normally do.
 
I used Champaka and Sensual Amber. Meant to check whether they darkened the soap or not but forgot!
How much of a water discount do you use? I've not done that yet. Do the glycerine rivers make the soap kind of rough?

Yes glycerine rivers do make a rough texture. They evaporate at a different rate so you get ridges along the river.
 
If it was Champaka EO it does not darken. The fo will. I have never found that Kaolin does much for whitening, at least not compared to TD. Just a hint on td, I find oil soluble td, not water soluble or the dual td, with a water discount helps stop glycerin rivers and td crackle. Oil td is harder to use than water soluble td, but I have much better luck with it even when using no water discount
 
Those are really cool looking! Nice little surprise!
I regularly do 2:1 also. Love how it hardens up the soap, especially in silicon molds. Also, if I forget to change the soap calc setting, it is easy enough to figure out what the water amount should be.
 
So, I noticed, when this soap was in the oven, that it developed a few very light cracks in the centre. Should I have taken it out of the oven at that point? Put it in the fridge? It was awhile after I put it in the oven. Maybe a couple of hours.
 
Nice looking soap! I always get an odd texture when I use clay in part of the batter and not the rest. Where the clay is, the evaporation is a bit more pronounced so those areas are a bit more concave than the rest of the bar. It happens for me even with a water discount.
 

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