palm oil making soap very gritty

[Innate Crafts]

Hi, I made soaps with palm oil and shea butter and both type felt gritty .. not all the time .. but some batch...like
1) I made first batch with palm oil and it turned fine.. second batch -also fine but third batch super gritty..
2) I made first batch shea butter and cocoa butter ( palm free) it turned out fine.. second batch also fine but when I did my third batch (got hot maybe and partially gel without oven method) it was again gritty..

I mean I read here in some conversation that heating is the reason but could not understand it better...
a. Can someone please explain me What went wrong?
b. What precautions should I take??
c. How to prevent grittiness??
d. i heat oils in direct pot.. should i use double boiler??
please help.
will post a picture of gritty soap.. hope its visible in picture..

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[lsg]

I melt all of my hard oils/butters together in the microwave, and have never had a problem using shea in soap.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Hi @Innate Crafts ,
Are they possibly stearic acid spots? Palm oil needs to be heated to 157 F (along with the other oils), then it can cool to the preferred soaping temperature.

 

[katili]

Are you cutting with a wire cutter? That can make tiny air bubbles look like little bumps too, in addition to what the others have said.

 

[Innate Crafts]

I melt all of my hard oils/butters together in the microwave, and have never had a problem using shea in soap.

ya I mean I did the same all the time.. but some of my soaps are gritty with that method.. I mean what can be the reason.. I did not get it...some soaps are so smooth ... and some are like salt bars.. very gritty,, I want them to be smooth...

Hi @Innate Crafts ,
Are they possibly stearic acid spots? Palm oil needs to be heated to 157 F (along with the other oils), then it can cool to the preferred soaping temperature.if steric spot feels harsh on skin?? like sand??

are steric spots supposed to be harsh on skin ??like sand???

Are you cutting with a wire cutter? That can make tiny air bubbles look like little bumps too, in addition to what the others have said.

well this soaps I cut with knife... and I have some bubbles on other soaps but they are not grainy!!

 

[AliOop]

Depending on how it was processed, shea butter can have random particles in it that need to be strained out. This could explain why you are only experiencing this in some batches, and not others.

 

[Ephemerella]

and some are like salt bars.. very gritty,, I want them to be smooth...

are steric spots supposed to be harsh on skin ??like sand???

I can't imagine palm or shea becoming gritty like sand unless its really old perhaps and has developed crystals —— I don't know if old butters develop crystals, just thinking out loud.

Are you using any other additives like clay for coloring or kaolin clay? I have had improperly mixed kaolin clay develop into little sharp specks that are grating on skin.

 

[cmzaha]

Hi @Innate Crafts ,
Are they possibly stearic acid spots? Palm oil needs to be heated to 157 F (along with the other oils), then it can cool to the preferred soaping temperature.

I soaped with palm in at least half my soaps never or would have very seldom heated that high, and never had gritty soap. My vegan recipe soaps were high palm-based. Even my high shea soaps never became grainy and I even melted my shea until it just melted. I will note I tended to soap while my oils were still cloudy and not clear.

 

[AliensrReal]

I’ve always heated my oils until they were clear. I have never had gritty soap either.

 

[scmorgans]

Depending on how it was processed, shea butter can have random particles in it that need to be strained out. This could explain why you are only experiencing this in some batches, and not others.

Wow! I didn't know this about Shea Butter. Thank you AliOop!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

I soaped with palm in at least half my soaps never or would have very seldom heated that high, and never had gritty soap. My vegan recipe soaps were high palm-based. Even my high shea soaps never became grainy and I even melted my shea until it just melted. I will note I tended to soap while my oils were still cloudy and not clear.

Correction to my prior entry - palmitric acids melt at 146 F.

For what it's worth - Perhaps I overcompensate, but I currently heat my oils to 157 F to make sure they are fully melted, then let them cool to the desired soaping temperature. Since I have started this practice I have had no problems with stearic acid spots.

Palmitic acid melts at 145.2 °F and stearic acid melts at 156.7 °F.

I wasn't sure if what @Innate Crafts was seeing were just spots or if it felt gritty. They responded to say it felt gritty, so it would not be stearic acid spots, at least not in my experience.

 

[Innate Crafts]

oh can be the reason..

I can't imagine palm or shea becoming gritty like sand unless its really old perhaps and has developed crystals —— I don't know if old butters develop crystals, just thinking out loud.

Are you using any other additives like clay for coloring or kaolin clay? I have had improperly mixed kaolin clay develop into little sharp specks that are grating on skin.

i used oatmeal colloidal but i used it in other soaps as well which are very smooth..

Correction to my prior entry - palmitric acids melt at 146 F.

For what it's worth - Perhaps I overcompensate, but I currently heat my oils to 157 F to make sure they are fully melted, then let them cool to the desired soaping temperature. Since I have started this practice I have had no problems with stearic acid spots.

Palmitic acid melts at 145.2 °F and stearic acid melts at 156.7 °F.

I wasn't sure if what @Innate Crafts was seeing were just spots or if it felt gritty. They responded to say it felt gritty, so it would not be stearic acid spots, at least not in my experience.

ya.. its gritty like sand..

Thank you all for replies .. the thing making me sad is you will notice grittiness only after 4-5 weeks after curing ,( when you test it.).. and it is so long waiting... thats why I just wanted to know if we can prevent it ...

 

[AliOop]

Hmmm, that doesn't sound like something in the soap, but something developing ON the soap as it cures. I can't see anything gritty in the picture you provided.

The most likely thing that comes to my mind is soda ash, which can be gritty if it crystalizes. The other possibility is something that didn't get completely dissolved in the lye water, such as citric acid, sugar, or the like.

However, it's really hard to help you without knowing your entire recipe, with all additives, and the process you used to make the soap. Please share that information so we can be of more help to you.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Are you mixing the lye at the time you make each batch and are you 100% sure that the lye is fully dissolved in the water before you add it to the oils?

 

[Innate Crafts]

Hmmm, that doesn't sound like something in the soap, but something developing ON the soap as it cures. I can't see anything gritty in the picture you provided.

The most likely thing that comes to my mind is soda ash, which can be gritty if it crystalizes. The other possibility is something that didn't get completely dissolved in the lye water, such as citric acid, sugar, or the like.

However, it's really hard to help you without knowing your entire recipe, with all additives, and the process you used to make the soap. Please share that information so we can be of more help to you.

maybe citric acid is not dissolve... I will try to share recipe tomorrow...