Teach Soap

Hi everyone,
I've been making cp soap for a while, and each time when I cut the bar I notice the small spots. It shows especially when I use color. The soaps are great to use, and after a rinse the spots disappear, but it doesn't look good. Help?

The picture's a little fuzzy so it's hard to be certain, but they look like either stearic spots or air bubbles. Both of which are very common & only cosmetic problems.

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Genny

I agree they look like stearic acid spots. Are you using palm oil? If so are you melting it down all the way and stirring before measuriing out? I would get those all the time when using palm oil but since I stopped using it, the spots have disappeared. Like said before, they are just cosmetic.

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Haven

Thank you both
I am using palm oil. Do you recommend stirring it separately with a whisk or something? Because I melt it together with the other oils/butters, and just blend in the lye later.

With Palm oil, you have to melt the entire container and stir it up really well to get the stearic acid mixed in. Then measure out what you need for your recipe. It is a PITA. I stopped using palm for that very reason. I am too lazy to do all that.

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Haven

Thanks again

Welcome

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Haven

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

What sort of cutter do you use? Wire cutters can leave lots of air bubbles that look very similar to stearic acid.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

I use a soap cutter/scraper, which I'm not completely happy with, because it leaves lines on the soap.

Wipe it down with a little mineral oil before you start, and wipe it between cuts too. If you still get lines in your soap then I'd let the soap sit longer before cutting it. If you get colour streaks then your colours are clumping and not mixing in properly.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist