Hello everyone! I would love some advice. I am on my 5th batch of CP soap and I’ve had all but two of my batches end up with stearic spots. I thought maybe I was soaping to cold since I also had a window cracked and I live in CO so this last time I blended my oils and lye when they were both around 110 degrees. I didn’t blend as much because I was being a little too ambitions and making two different soaps with the same batch. My lard soap didn’t end up with stearic spots, could it be the palm oil?
Keep getting stearic spots, help!
- Thread starter TF3000
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
violets2217
Well-Known Member
Are you cutting your soaps with a wire cutter? The spots could be air bubbles that are made more visible when using a wire soap cutter.
But I do not know much about stearic spots, so someone else should be along shortly help you out more.
But I do not know much about stearic spots, so someone else should be along shortly help you out more.
No these were cut with a sharp knife, unfortunately. I wish they were just bubbles!Are you cutting your soaps with a wire cutter? The spots could be air bubbles that are made more visible when using a wire soap cutter.
But I do not know much about stearic spots, so someone else should be along shortly help you out more.
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
Yes. Depending on how long the palm oil and shea butter have been stored (crumbly texture!), it is reasonable to assume that 110°F are not hot enough to melt them all up.
To be on the safe side, start with melting the palm and shea at 150°F/60°C. Then add the coconut and stir until molten (coconut oil can't give stearic spots). Then it's time to add the liquid oils, and (if necessary) let everything cool down to working temperature. Working at 110°F is no problem, as long as the oils have been well heated before.
You do have one or the other air bubble as well, but the majority of the light spots, as far as I can tell, indeed stearic spots. The bars look gorgeous, it'd be a bummer if you wouldn't get the stearic spots under control.
My shea butter is crumbly!! I usually heat my palm then add in my shea and heat just to melted. I’ll start making sure they both get to 150. Thank you!!
I concur with @ResolvableOwl about heating your Palm Oil to 150F, but not the Shea Butter as it can get grainy. I would just cut the Shea into smaller chunks and stir into the Palm Oil and then add your Coconut Oil. You might even want to consider giving your oils a really good whiz with the stick blender before adding in your lye solution.
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
Yes, shea butter behaves weird if tempered wrong. But shea butter soap is not shea butter. Graininess is not an issue when the oils don't solidify, as is the case when one melts them to make soap of them straight off. IMHO the advantages of a thorough heating prevail (you can be sure you have melted up all crystal seeds, including those invisible to the naked eye).
In the end, of course, Nature has the last word. If you're hyper ambitious, give both variants a try, and stay with whatever technique you like more.
In the end, of course, Nature has the last word. If you're hyper ambitious, give both variants a try, and stay with whatever technique you like more.
lianasouza
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2020
- Messages
- 100
- Reaction score
- 134
Can shea butter go grainy if added to HP after cook?
(Should I ask this in a new thread?)
(Should I ask this in a new thread?)
It should be melted prior to adding it to your hp soap otherwise it will cool your soap faster and it will be harder to put into mold(s).
