Teach Soap

Lately, namely two out of my last three soap batches, I've had mysterious cracking. These are tried and true recipes that I've never had any kind of problem with before, and for some reason that completely escapes me, I've been getting deep cracking in loaves after trying out new funnel pour swirls.

I've been searching for someone having a similar problem, but every mention I can find about cracking has to do with overheating, which is not my problem. I soap at relatively low temperature (about 100 degrees water and oil), in a chilly basement room (usually 60 degrees or so), without heating pads or insulation, because I don't like to gel. The only thing I've been doing differently lately that I can think of is I'm experimenting with natural colorants (madder root, turmeric, alkanet, charcoal, kaolin clay, etc). In addition to the cracking, the texture seems a little ... off. Chalky, maybe? Not the usual creamy and smooth texture I'm used to at unmolding.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone have any ideas what could be going on? I am wracking my brain, and I can't figure it out. I'm attaching a couple of photos here. Keep in mind that these cracks occurred without my touching the mold. Any input would be appreciated!

You didn't by any chance buy oils from a different source? Maybe it is a quality issue in oils??
I do a mix of naturel colors and sometimes lab colors and have never really noticed that there is a difference in soap texture. By looking at your soap it looks like it could be more in your oil ratio but that also doesn't jive if you didn't change the recipe. Did you change the superfat or water discount maybe?
I really hope you can figure this out

The soap is overheating. The air that's inside the soap expands with heat, pushing the soap above out. Some fragrance oils can do that. Charcoal or Kaolin can make the soap feel chalky. I prefer not to gel. My soaps go in the fridge or the freezer, up to overnight.

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

New mold? I'm using a new mold, and it seems to over-insulate.