Would anyone mind telling me if this is salt or LYE or maybe air pockets?

[Val’s5]

Thank you!

 

[steffamarie]

Looks like maybe stearic spots? Does the soap zap? What's your recipe? Hot or cold process? Additives? All these things will help us help you

 

[Val’s5]

Ok here is the recipe, I did add orange zest, salt, vitamin E and orange & peppermint EO.

• 12.5 oz (354 g) olive oil (44.64%)
• 3.5 oz (99 g) sunflower or sweet almond oil (12.5%)
• 8 oz (227 g) coconut oil(28.57%)
• 4 oz (113 g) kokum or cocoa butter (14.29%) (OR use tallow or lard)
• 3.95 oz (112 g) lye (sodium hydroxide)
• 8.5 oz (241 g) distilled water

I did cold process, with cocoa butter and soaped @ 120

 

[shunt2011]

Did you put the recipe through a soap calculator with the oils you used? Did you dissolve the salt in your water before adding your lye?

 

[Misschief]

It looks a lot like salt to me. This is my Salt & Pepper soap. The white spots in the dark part are salt.

 

[Val’s5]

Idiot MUA! Just remembered I panicked because I saw the salt sitting out (hence I forgot it) and added it at the end right before pouring in mold !

So appreciate you sharing your photos, btw your design is very cool mind sharing your technique? Next challenge is a swirl

 

[cmzaha]

Looks like maybe stearic spots? Does the soap zap? What's your recipe? Hot or cold process? Additives? All these things will help us help you

The specks in the above soap could very well be the salt, stearic or a combo of both. They do not look like lye specks and the next paragraph will explain why

I have to bring up a point about zap, that I was not going to admit, when I ended up with lye crystals in a soap batch. Yes it was lye crystals no doubt. Where I am going with this is the fact the soap did not zap later that day okay, the air contact changed it to sodium carbonate (washing soda). My very first suspicion was the specks looks like they had bloomed, which they did when the air changed it to the sodium carbonate. This soap was poured on Oct12th. I got to thinking the crystals inside the soap are still going to zap, so a day or so ago I cut one, yet the specks still zap and quit zapping after a short time with air contact. Only the specks zapped, not the entire soap. I may or may not start a new thread about how it happened

 

[shunt2011]

It’s salt more than likely since you added it last. I wouldn’t be too concerned.

You didn’t respond regarding running your recipe through a soap calculator. I would recommend zap testing to be sure just the same

 

[Val’s5]

It’s salt more than likely since you added it last. I wouldn’t be too concerned.

You didn’t respond regarding running your recipe through a soap calculator. I would recommend zap testing to be sure just the same

Nope, but will be running it this evening. I’ve used this recipe before and no issues

thanks ladies!

 

[steffamarie]

I would always always run your recipe through a calc before soaping it, even if you've used it before. I don't want to trust my soap to a third party - if something was mistyped or miscalculated by the person who came up with the recipe, there's no way for me to go back and say ok this is what was wrong unless I calculate it myself. By running it through a calc every time, I'm basically re-reading the recipe at least a couple more times before making it, and that can help prevent mistakes. Plus I would feel better if something went wrong - I would know that I was the one that screwed it up. That, for me, is easier to stomach than having a non-entity that can't do anything about my ruined product.