Could this be from sodium lactate?

[Megan]

http://s44.photobucket.com/user/MeganRen1988/media/IMG_20180919_152627395_zpsjuwy07kq.jpg.html

One batch that I made yesterday turned out funny with crystallized patterns in it. I zap tested to see if it was lye heavy and I got nothing. It seems worse on top of the bar then inside, and worse on the ends than in the middle. One thing I've been experimenting with is using sodium lactate, and I'm wondering if this could be the issue. I've done several batches using my recipe without the sodium lactate and had no trouble. it is possible that the sodium lactate wasn't mixed into the lye water well enough, but the whole thing was stick blended... So I don't know if that would be an issue. I used the recommended one teaspoon per pound of oils. I also did a couple of other batches using sodium lactate and my recipe and they turned out okay.

Any thoughts on why my soap would look like this? It is not glycerin rivers.

 

[Megan]

I think I figured it out how to post the picture

 

[Megan]

Apparently not

 

[Megan]

 

[shunt2011]

Looks like stearic spots. Did you soap too cool? Post your recipe and process it might help troubleshoot better.

 

[Megan]

Looks like stearic spots. Did you soap too cool? Post your recipe and process it might help troubleshoot better.

I don't think it was too cool. I've been soaping aroun 90-100 in general. My oils may have reached 84. I'm using 30%OO, 30%RBO, 30%coconut, 5%castor, and 5% Shea and I've not had the issue before. I mix the lye solution. Then I melt the hard oils and add them to my liquid oils. I wait for the lye to cool to around 100 degrees, but if my oils are getting too cool I will split the difference and add it up to 110 degrees. This time I added 2t sodium lactate to my cooled lye water (for a 2lb batch) before combining the lye and the oils. I didn't mix it super well before adding because I figured I was just about to stick blended in anyway.

 

[ulrurunaturals]

http://s44.photobucket.com/user/MeganRen1988/media/IMG_20180919_152627395_zpsjuwy07kq.jpg.html

One batch that I made yesterday turned out funny with crystallized patterns in it. I zap tested to see if it was lye heavy and I got nothing. It seems worse on top of the bar then inside, and worse on the ends than in the middle. One thing I've been experimenting with is using sodium lactate, and I'm wondering if this could be the issue. I've done several batches using my recipe without the sodium lactate and had no trouble. it is possible that the sodium lactate wasn't mixed into the lye water well enough, but the whole thing was stick blended... So I don't know if that would be an issue. I used the recommended one teaspoon per pound of oils. I also did a couple of other batches using sodium lactate and my recipe and they turned out okay.

Any thoughts on why my soap would look like this? It is not glycerin rivers.

My philosophy is once your soap is in process. You can't fix what's been done....soap is a process that once completed with the reaction produces suprising results some very pleasant. Etc... Just like people each batch of soap is very different and will respond with different characteristics embrace those doffernces and except that soap for what it is not what it had turned into.

 

[shunt2011]

Then I'm not sure what may have happened. I use SL in all my soap and have not experienced that before. Just soap having it's quirks sometimes.

 

[ulrurunaturals]

Then I'm not sure what may have happened. I use SL in all my soap and have not experienced that before. Just soap having it's quirks sometimes.

I also use sodium lactate in every batch and i have never experienced the affore mentioned result. Suds rinse repeat.

My philosophy is once your soap is in process. You can't fix what's been done....soap is a process that once completed with the reaction produces suprising results some very pleasant. Etc... Just like people each batch of soap is very different and will respond with different characteristics embrace those doffernces and except that soap for what it is not what it had turned into.

 

[penelopejane]

Like shunt I think it looks like stearic spots too and some unmixed batter down the bottom of the bar. I’d soap a little hotter around 110*F.

 

[Megan]

Like shunt I think it looks like stearic spots too and some unmixed batter down the bottom of the bar. I’d soap a little hotter around 110*F.

What is unmixed batter like?

 

[lenarenee]

Was there any oily residue left behind?

Were there any additives like powdered milk, clay?

I'm not sure if penelopejane meant un-emulsified batter, or additives not mixed in well.

You add the melted hard oils to the liquid, and then it sounds like you're still waiting for the lye solution to cool down - do you mix the oils immediately before adding the lye water? Were the oils warm enough to still be clear instead of cloudy?

I'm wondering if the hard oils had cooled just enough that they weren't uniformly mixed with the liquid, and then the lye hit them. You may have 2 kinds of soap in that soap. (I'm not sure how to explain that - except to say that each oil saponifies at it's own pace)

 

[Megan]

Was there any oily residue left behind?

Were there any additives like powdered milk, clay?

I'm not sure if penelopejane meant un-emulsified batter, or additives not mixed in well.

You add the melted hard oils to the liquid, and then it sounds like you're still waiting for the lye solution to cool down - do you mix the oils immediately before adding the lye water?

I usually give the oils a quick stir before adding the lye water. My only additive was sodium lactate to the lye water, and then titanium dioxide and AC added to the already emulsified batter. There was no oily residue.

 

[lenarenee]

How did you mix the td in? Was it mixed into the entire non AC batter?

Honestly, without hold and feeling the texture of your bar, I think the oils were just cool enough that the shea was re-solidifying. (depending on the shea, melting point is 89 degrees - 115) Different oils saponify at different speeds - so you might have 2 different types of soap in that bar.

Soap being soap - It's still possible the td didn't mix in well too but I bet if that were the case you'd have noticed it.

I hope someone else can shed some more definitive light on this.

 

[penelopejane]

What is unmixed batter like?

If you look at the bar you can see that there is a difference in the white part of the bar. Part is spotty and part is clear cream colour. You can see where it has been stirred differently. It looks like part of the batter was warmer than the other otherwise it would have either all been stearic spots or all smooth, totally clear cream coloured soap.

 

[KimT2au]

I'm wondering if the hard oils had cooled just enough that they weren't uniformly mixed with the liquid, and then the lye hit them. You may have 2 kinds of soap in that soap. (I'm not sure how to explain that - except to say that each oil saponifies at it's own pace)

Does that mean that after the bars are fully cured you would still have soap but that one portion would be made with one type of oil/s and another portion made with a different oil/s? I am guessing you would have different textures in the soap then. It could be quite an interesting batch of soap once it is fully cured.
Kim

 

[DeeAnna]

...one portion would be made with one type of oil/s and another portion made with a different oil/s?...

The opaque portions of the bar contain soap with slightly different fatty acids than translucent portions.

As I've been following this discussion, I still think this is an example of mottled soap (aka "glycerin rivers") albeit with an unusual pattern of mottling. Mottling happens to the soap after the soap molecules are formed and the fats have been destroyed by saponification.

You very likely won't see any much difference in the performance of this soap compared to the same recipe without the mottling, but I bet it will be a neat thing for you to check it out.

 

[Megan]

The opaque portions of the bar contain soap with slightly different fatty acids than translucent portions.

As I've been following this discussion, I still think this is an example of mottled soap (aka "glycerin rivers") albeit with an unusual pattern of mottling. Mottling happens to the soap after the soap molecules are formed and the fats have been destroyed by saponification.

You very likely won't see any much difference in the performance of this soap compared to the same recipe without the mottling, but I bet it will be a neat thing for you to check it out.

I had it happen again without using the sodium lactate, so at least I know that isn't the problem. So do you think working hotter will solve the problem?

 

[lenarenee]

The opaque portions of the bar contain soap with slightly different fatty acids than translucent portions.

As I've been following this discussion, I still think this is an example of mottled soap (aka "glycerin rivers") albeit with an unusual pattern of mottling. Mottling happens to the soap after the soap molecules are formed and the fats have been destroyed by saponification.

You very likely won't see any much difference in the performance of this soap compared to the same recipe without the mottling, but I bet it will be a neat thing for you to check it out.

Whew! Been waiting for you DeeAnna!

Are you saying that you don't think the this soap is an example of the differing fatty acids/opaque vs. translucent, but instead is glycerin rivers? Or both? And if both - how did that work?

 

[lenarenee]

I had it happen again without using the sodium lactate, so at least I know that isn't the problem. So do you think working hotter will solve the problem?

Did you use the same recipe, and also titanium dioxide?