What caused this?

[Allen]

I made my 5th batch of CP soap yesterday and just cut it a few minutes ago.
This batch was my first using a fragrance oil (almond) and titanium dioxide as additives.
My recipe was 20% CO, 35% olive oil, 40% palm oil & 5% castor oil, and then 3.64 oz Lye / 9.88 oz water.
I used a stick blender to lightly blend oil and then again to mix in Lye solution. After it was emulsified I added the oil infused TD, again blended it in and then added fragrance oil last.
Everything went pretty well with no surprises until I cut it today. As you can see in the picture the soap has a strange texture throughout the loaf. Any suggestions what this might be?
Thank you.

 

[lenarenee]

It's called "glycerin rivers"; there's nothing unsafe about your soap, it's purely aesthetic. Here's some info on them and how you can try to prevent them:

https://auntieclaras.com/2014/05/glycerine-rivers-trying-to-understand-them/

 

[Lin19687]

from your TD.

one reason I don't use TD. Some hate the look while others love it

 

[lenarenee]

Td can accentuate the look, but doesn't cause it.

 

[Allen]

Thank you for the replies.
I purchased the TD primarily for a white colorant for a red & white peppermint soap that I am planning to make.
I thought that I would try it in this batch of almond fragrance soap. I just mixed it in with a couple of ounces of olive oil and then incorporated it into my oils. I did notice that it was not perfectly mixed before I poured it into the oils but I thought that my SB would finish mixing it in well. Now I am unsure if I should use it in upcoming batches as the look is not very appealing.
Is there a better option for a white colorant or is there anything that I can do to eliminate the “brainy” appearance? It looks like I could do a water discount, soap at a cooler temp and or do not insulate the mold after pouring.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I am so glad that I found this site and all of you awesome soapsmiths.

 

[lenarenee]

Was your td water or oil soluble? That might explain why it didn't seem mixed well - assuming it was mixed with the wrong medium.

You should have good results with the water discount and other techniques. However, some oils do simply heat more than others (hello coconut, although you've got a nice ratio of co in your recipe), and certainly some fragrances and essential oils cause heating.

I've tried using white micas but they've done absolutely nothing in whitening my recipe. However my recipe contains "whiter" oils than yours, and I don't usually need to use td.

What do I mean by whiter oils? Palm oil, some types of olive oil, rice bran oil, avocado oil, etc. can add to the yellowness of your batter. So does the amount used - say 50% olive compared to 10% olive. The extra virgin and unrefined forms of oils add to the yellowness of your base.

My recipe is high in lard, no olive oil, but high oleic sunflower or safflower oil. (When it's on sale on Amazon, I buy up the Nutiva gallon size of coconut oil because it's the most beautiful pure white color. My usual brand from Big Lots has a yellow tinge to it, and it does make a difference in the color of my batter)

 

[Obsidian]

I use TD all the time and never get crackle. Used to get it all the time until I stopped using so much water. Try 1 part lye, 2 parts water.

 

[Allen]

Obsidian, thanks I will give that a try.

Lenarenee,
Thanks again for all of your suggestions.
The TD was oil soluble so not an issue there. I just mixed it with a spoon so there was some grit to the mixture. I let it set about half an hour before adding it to my oils and hoped that it would dissolve better. I think it would have helped to use a coffee frothing tool to mix it initially.
I have used lard in a couple of times and it does produce a whiter bar of soap.
This batch I used up a jar of coconut oil and opened another jar which was a different brand. There was a large color difference between the two.
I will chalk it up to experience and try some things to improve the color and consistency. I don’t sell any soap, it’s just for use by my family and close friends so it will get used.
I am enjoying learning as I go along and researching about and making soap keeps me out of trouble. I really do appreciate all of your help.

 

[msunnerstood]

I use white Kaolin clay and it works really well. you just need a small amount of water to make a slurry then mix it in at trace. I got a big bag of it on Amazon and its much cheaper than TD

 

[loriag]

I use oil soluble TD and mix it really well with a mini frother. I have never had glycerin rivers. I have water soluble and never used it thinking I probably will get glycerin rivers!

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

In my opinion TD needs a bit of practice to get it right, but i love me some white bars, so its okay.

 

[lenarenee]

Does anyone else find that the cut bars containing td come out whiter looking than when you first mixed the td into the batter? I generally color my batter to "almost" white enough - and count on them to whiten up a couple days after they're cut and I've never been disappointed.

 

[msunnerstood]

Does anyone else find that the cut bars containing td come out whiter looking than when you first mixed the td into the batter? I generally color my batter to "almost" white enough - and count on them to whiten up a couple days after they're cut and I've never been disappointed.

I found that with kaolin clay as well

 

[Lin19687]

I apologize, I had read somewhere on here that you get the rivers From TD, hit or miss, but not with other Micas

 

[amd]

Td can accentuate the look, but doesn't cause it.

TD is known to increase the heat of the batter, that additional heat can contribute to the formation of glycerin rivers. This is often why you will see it in a white portion of the soap but not in a colored portion.

I use white Kaolin clay and it works really well. you just need a small amount of water to make a slurry then mix it in at trace. I got a big bag of it on Amazon and its much cheaper than TD

Just be careful where you source your Kaolin clay. Not all kaolin clays are white - even if the name is White Kaolin Clay. The first clay that I bought (from a supplier with mountain in the name... I've long forgotten the name, ha!) was very gray colored. I buy from WSP which is an off-white color.

For the OP, use less TD than you think you need. I've discovered that I really don't need as much as I think I do to get a solid white.

 

[Allen]

Thanks amd,

I will give less TD a try along with less water next time. I used one and a half tsp on this last batch for 26 ounces of oils.

 

[SaltedFig]

@Lin19687 - my entry in the Oct 2017 Minimalist challenge was a salt bar that I kept in gel for a long time to get a crackle effect (to show off the salt). From memory, it took about 2 hours of on & off heating (to keep the soap warm enough to stay in gel). I used finely ground charcoal to highlight the crackle formation.

@Allen
The two key things are that the soap stays in gel and the particle size is small enough to move with the soap as it divides itself into "groups". Even the particles aren't really necessary (the soap will form "groups" regardless), but they do help show up the patterns.

Reducing the water in the recipe works by shortening the time the soap is in gel. When there is more water in a recipe, the soap will gel at a lower temperature (so the soap goes into gel earlier and stays there longer). For the same reason, when the soap is cooled quickly after gelling, the rivers have less time to form and the soap will appear more uniform.

Any method that shortens the time the soap is in the gel phase will reduce the extent of crackle.
Ungelled soap does not get "rivers".

 

[lenarenee]

TD is known to increase the heat of the batter, that additional heat can contribute to the formation of glycerin rivers. This is often why you will see it in a white portion of the soap but not in a colored portion.
.

Respectfully - incorrect. The crackling is still there, and it does affect other colors than white. TD itself doesn't cause it. The water used to mix TD affects the temperature that the soap gels at. Here's the info from DeeAnna's site:

https://classicbells.com/soap/streakMottle.html

 

[amd]

Thanks for sharing DeeAnna's article, that was one that I hadn't read.

In regards to my statement of rivers (gosh, now I'm self-conscious calling them that) only showing in white and not other colors - I should clarify my statement based on my experiences, because you can get them [rivers] in colors but I think it depends on what you use for colors. I have not experienced it when using micas for color, but I have had it happen when using oxides.

 

[lenarenee]

Thanks for sharing DeeAnna's article, that was one that I hadn't read.

In regards to my statement of rivers (gosh, now I'm self-conscious calling them that) only showing in white and not other colors - I should clarify my statement based on my experiences, because you can get them [rivers] in colors but I think it depends on what you use for colors. I have not experienced it when using micas for color, but I have had it

It's been a while since I read it, so your comment had me questioning my memory. It was good to dig it out and get a refresher.