Teach Soap

Good morning,
I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what went wrong. I made my 3rd batch of soap a couple days ago and something funky is going on. It was uncolored with lavender EO that I got from a local store and vanilla select from BB. Those were my only additives and I added them at trace.
First of all, I used pvc pipe as a mold, which worked out really well. I closed the bottom end with plastic wrap taped over with butcher paper covered cardboard. No problem until I went to un-mold my soap. First I notices that the bottom was still very wet but the rest was fine. Once out, I let it sit for a couple hours before I cut and the wet end dried out pretty quickly. The cut seemed nice and I was pleased. A few hours later I went to to visit my soap and I noticed that there were brownish spots that I realized were also bubbles throughout the entire bar. Some are very small but some are bb sized. I was even extra careful with my stick blender to try and avoid whipping air into my mix. hmm....
There is a now lot of ash on the end that was "wet" and along with the brownish holes there are other brownish discolored areas. I know that as it cures the vanillan will cause my whole bar to turn slightly darker and I don't mind that. I'm more concerned with the holes.
Any idea what might be causing these ugly holes and what I can do to prevent this from happening again?? Also, the holes aren't oozing anything and they aren't any more zappy then the rest of the bar. At least as far as I can tell, it's kinda hard to get my tongue in there. haha.
My other two batches were each "off" in their own way too I feel like I will never get this right!

I suspect the holes are air bubbles and they are brown due to the vanilla contacting, and reacting with, the air inside the bubbles.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Thanks...That's kind of what I thought. Is it best to add the fo and eo at trace or mix it in with the liquid oils before adding lye mixture? Any thoughts?

I've tried both, I prefer to add them to the oils and mix them in really well with the stick blender. This way you can be sure they are fully incorporated without worry of putting your soap batter past the trace stage you want.

_________________
~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Is it possible that your soap may have overheated slightly? Sometimes that can cause dark spots & bubbles. Did you insulate the mold?

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

At this point I am fairly convinced (thanks to you all) that its EO/FO that didn't properly incorporate. I'm going to try rebatching it tomorrow. I know many of you don't like the hassle and maybe its not worth the one pound of soap I made but I figure there is no better time to learn how to salvage a fail...One step closer to learning the ins and outs of soap making I guess.
Next time I will try mixing my FO/EO in with my oils prior to adding the lye.

Wish me luck with my first rebatch!!
***Any tips on the best way to rebatch would be great. The soap will be 4 days old.

You can add your fragrance oils directly to your melted, then cooled oils. There is no need to add them at trace, unless you like the extra work.
Depending on which stick blender you have, some tend to incorporate more air then others. When you use it, turn it on and let it go for a minute or so, then stir with it off. Then repeat as needed. See if that makes a difference for you.
Any fragrance with at least 2% vanilla will turn your soap from tan to brown. Undissolved goat's milk can do that too as it caramelizes.

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