Uneven gelling?

[Meowmeow2d]

I'm new to soap making and just made my 1st batch. After cutting the soap, which has no color or added, I noticed that it looked uneven toned. I know gelling usually is circular, darker in the inside. But mine is randomly uneven. Is this gelling or something else?

 

[lsg]

Did you add any fragrance oil?

 

[Meowmeow2d]

No fragrance or essential oil was added. After doing some reading here, can it be the temperature of mixing the lye to the oils? I did it when both mixtures were about 115 degrees F.

 

[neeners]

can you post pics, recipe and your process?

 

[Meowmeow2d]

I made a Bastille soap

2oz. Castor oil
8oz. Coconut oil
22oz olive oil

Melted oils together and let it cool to 115 degrees then mixed with lye.

 

[neeners]

could they be lye pockets? did you mix the lye and oils until trace?

 

[Meowmeow2d]

I think so...the soap was pretty thick. Gloppy.

 

[neeners]

I'm not really sure then. if it's not lye pockets from lye not dissolved properly, then I would say give it a few days and see if it evens out. I made true castile earlier this year, and had partial gel. it's now one colour. if you're positive it's not lye pockets, then zap test the soap.

 

[Gaspar Navarrete]

I think the culprit is somewhere in the details of your procedure.

Could you describe your method as if you were teaching a novice how to make soap and you were using your method as an example ?

Thanks

 

[user 12568]

It's hard to tell from the pic, but I'd say you didn't achieve a full gel stage. It looks like the centre of the soap started to gel, but the lighter outer ring seems to indicate better insulation in needed.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would also say this is partial gel. It would be a ring in the middle if the heat distribution is even, but if one side is warmer than another and so on, then one side can gel more than the other and so on.

Does it zap?

 

[Arthur Dent]

This looks almost exactly like a batch I made from a similar recipe. It was quite thick when I poured it, I figured it was from accidental layering and partial gel.