spots on soaps

[lica]

hi soap gurus!

i'm new in soap making world and i'm looking forward for advises to improve my soap making skill.
i use basic recipe of:
40% olive oli (light) - 196gr
30% palm oil - 147gr
30% coconut oil -147gr
30% lye concentration :165 gr water and 70gr lye
diluted TD: 3gr
fragrance: 6gr

after i cut my soaps, there are white spots thats bumpy to touch.. i read some threads that says it can be caused by cutting with wires, beeswax, trapped air bubbles, and using too much hard oils.
my guess are on air bubbles or hard oils but i'm not sure... oh, and it didn't zap.
i'm wondering... is there a recommended percentage of hard oils to prevent spots?
i saw posts on instagram where the soaps are like super smooth, super pretty and creamy.. what should i look for in a recipe to achieve that? (e.g: low palmitic value? additives?)
thank you so much in advance, really appreciate your help in my soap making journey

 

[msunnerstood]

I get those bumps from my wire cutter. I take a knife after a few days and sort of shave the surface of the bar flat with the knife flattish against the bar. I then spray the surface with rubbing alcohol and polish it with a soft cloth.

 

[AliOop]

If those are stearic spots, you can either lower the stearic number in your recipe, or you can soap a little warmer. If they are bumps from the wire cutter, you can plane them off as @msunnerstood suggested.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Nice soap! If those spots are air bubbles they will be hollow. There’s more useful information on identifying the cause and preventing spots here.

 

[lica]

ahh thank you all for your replies, i think its from the wire cutter, will try to smooth it out tomorrow.
@msunnerstood can i use 70% alcohol or should i use higher alcohol percentage?

 

[msunnerstood]

ahh thank you all for your replies, i think its from the wire cutter, will try to smooth it out tomorrow.
@msunnerstood can i use 70% alcohol or should i use higher alcohol percentage?

I think either is fine. I believe some use distilled water.

 

[lica]

thank you @msunnerstood my soaps are looking way much better now