Frost like soda ash?

[Anstarx]

I was testing my new FOs lately and found odd frost-looking white layer on top of the test batch. I'm not sure if it's soda ash? I tried to scrap with my nail but couldn't get it off.

Now, I've used some of these FOs before I tested them (I know, bad idea.) and they behaved well. For example the top one was a green tea FO that has no acceleration, no ricing, discoloration in CP soap, so I know it's not likely the FO's fault
The recipe I used was:
40 sunflower
20 coconut
20 lard
20 olive
2.5 water
I wanted it to be a thin trace so I have enough time to measure and mix the FO in each cup so both my oils and lye are room temp. I SB to a light trace and started pouring. One thing I noticed that is the ones I poured first get more "frost" while the ones I poured later has less or no frost. The top middle one that has no "frost" at all was poured first but I went back to stir it with a stick, so maybe that could also be not enough blending?

I noticed similar "frost" in my older soap as well.

This is an avocado soap I made back in October. It ashed heavily during curing so I thought the "frost" is just ash as well, but now that I've washed with it several times the "frost" is still there.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Ash is a real puzzler. I think working at emulsion or very thin trace increases the chances of ash, but my follow up note taking needs improvement. The spots in the bottom photo look more like stearic spots to me, or possibly inconsistent/uneven blending of an additive.

 

[Steve85569]

Possibly a mixture of stearic spots and ash.
Hopefully one of the members smarter than me will see this and let us know...

 

[DeeAnna]

I see both of these things in my soap from time to time.

The spots inside the soap are what people call stearic spots. It also looks like you have some air bubbles in the mix that might be confusing matters. Stearic spots don't make holes/cavities in the soap -- they're just soap, but white rather than colored.

The freckles on the top of the test soaps I'm guessing are probably much the same as stearic spots except they're on the surface of the soap.

I think both the stearic spots and the top freckles are both soap, just soap that's crystallized out to form these white/light spots.

I tend to get fewer of the internal stearic spots if I make sure my solid fats are melted until they are transparent.

I don't have an explanation about how to avoid the surface freckles, except I also am guessing it has something to do with the thickness of the soap batter at the time of pour. The top freckles can appear right away or they can develop some days after the soap has been cut into bars. They can look a lot like sodium carbonate "ash."

 

[Anstarx]

I see both of these things in my soap from time to time.

The spots inside the soap are what people call stearic spots. It also looks like you have some air bubbles in the mix that might be confusing matters. Stearic spots don't make holes/cavities in the soap -- they're just soap, but white rather than colored.

The freckles on the top of the test soaps I'm guessing are probably much the same as stearic spots except they're on the surface of the soap.

I think both the stearic spots and the top freckles are both soap, just soap that's crystallized out to form these white/light spots.

I tend to get fewer of the internal stearic spots if I make sure my solid fats are melted until they are transparent.

I don't have an explanation about how to avoid the surface freckles, except I also am guessing it has something to do with the thickness of the soap batter at the time of pour. The top freckles can appear right away or they can develop some days after the soap has been cut into bars. They can look a lot like sodium carbonate "ash."

Phew~thx now I'm relieved. I was worried that these were maybe lye spots from not blending thoroughly. They were super thin when I poured and the ones I mixed again later did not have any freckles. I may not going to use the test soaps but still good to know they are safe.

I made the avocado back in early fall and it was my first using a puree. I was panicking the whole time and making the temp is as low as possible, also kept pulling out my stick blender to check for trace, that probably contributed to the stearic spots and air bubbles.