Stearic Acid Spots? Or Something Else

darelias · Jan 27, 2021

I am curious if anyone can tell me what these streaks are in my soap? I am thinking it is stearic acid from palm oil I didn't heat well enough. Seems to be through out the whole batch. I use Coconut Oil, Olive Oil. Palm Oil, Avocado Oil and Castor Oil. I soaped at closer to room temp this time (70-80_ range as opposed to close to 110-120) like prior batches, mainly because my lye water cooled super fast and I wasn't sure if I could warm it in the microwave, so I just went with cooler oils. Is this just a cosmetic flaw? Is it safe to use? This was superfatted at 8% There are not fragrances or colorants this was a plain batch to test my recipe.

Mobjack Bay · Jan 28, 2021

Stearic/palmitic spots seem like the best explanation. As for the safety of the soap, have you done a zap test?

I would never say that I have mastered a good palm recipe, so will be interested to hear what others recommend. Since you haven’t had any responses, here’s what works for me: I try to hit the 95-100F range for a starting batter temp if the palm is more than 25% of the recipe, and 90-95F if a lower percentage. I also make sure that my melted hard fats are absolutely clear before I add the liquid oils. I rarely have stearic/palmitic spots since I started doing that. If I do get them it seems to be linked with trying to use up any last bits of batter that have gotten cool on the side of the bowl.

Todd Ziegler · Jan 28, 2021

It does look like stearic spots but I have seen air bubbles look like that too.

ilonaliss · Jan 28, 2021

I also think stearic spots. The "swirl" looks quite cool if I'm honest

darelias · Jan 28, 2021

Thank you all for the replies. I looked up Zap testing and it does appear to be safe. I will work on better temp control and I am adjusting my recipe to add some different oils/butters so I will see how the batch turns out.