Teach Soap

I have several soaps with this scaly look that is more obvious once the soap is being used. The soap is otherwise fine to use, it’s just an aesthetic issue. Does anyone have any ideas what causes this?

It appears in soaps I have coloured and not coloured. The only common ingredient in the batches are palm & coconut oils but I have made batches where I have used these same oils and didn't have this problem

I usually take all my batches to quite a thick trace and soap at around 40oC.

Any suggestions?

Could it be glycerine veins?

Could this be caused by the particular F/O that was you used??

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HEAVENLY SCENT SOAPS

I haven't seen this before but it's interesting. Did you use a colourant in this batch?

Geez, I dunno...I had a batch that was highly coloured one time and had a similar result. Someone told me that that was what it was...so, no....I don't have a source other than I had the same question once and someone told me it was a possibility....

It looks like a reaction I've seen with my soap from a very hot gel phase.

What temp are you making your soaps at?

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

That is interesting because today, when I was bevelling my soaps, I noticed a few clear lines in several of my soaps. I've always thought they were from the fragrance oil. But there were none in my milk-based soaps (which I don't gel). Is it during the gel phase (if the soap gets to hot) that those lines would be produced??

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HEAVENLY SCENT SOAPS

104 shouldn't be going through too much crazy gel phase to do that.

On this next batch, can you do me a favor and mix at 90 and don't insulate? I'd like to rule out overheating...

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

Could this be stearic acid that didn't melt since your soaping temp is pretty low?

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I had one do this and it was not colored, but was Basmati Rice, so it natually turns brown kwim? When I cut it, it was kinda creamy but within days darkened, and then the lines showed up.

It did gel, but was not unusually hot. Er, was equally hot as I always gel...

Hmm...maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. Perhaps I should embrace these veiny lines. I might go and find a leaf shaped soap mould and colour all my soaps green from now on…

Vinca, your post actually motivated me to get off my behind and make soap. I’ve used a dark colour so it will be obvious if there are “veins” in this one and I soaped cooler (at 32oC/90oF) so it’s just wait & see now…