Whats wrong with my lotion sticks

[awi]

I have some lotion sticks that I made up a few months back and I can see through the tubes that they have some small light colored polka dots all over the bar..even on top. It looks like little raised bumps which are a little lighter than the rest of the bar. It also looks like it has shrunk a little bit. I made lotion bars from this same batch and they look fine....still very smooth and no bumps.....what is causing this and more importantly, how do I keep it from happening again?

 

[NancyRogers]

Did you use Shea Butter? It can sometimes cause this. I've heard of people "tempering" it much like you would with chocolate. There are some good articles out there if you google.

I was just reading this one:

http://www.zimbio.com/Organic+Shea+Butt ... ter+Part+2

 

[soapsmurf]

One of the materials suppliers' sites I visited strongly discourages against tempering the shea, claiming that the high temp will serve only to damage some components of the shea and not encourage against the graininess. They actually recommended quick cooling. I'll try to find the page.

ETA: It was MMS. Here you go: http://www.thesage.com/catalog/products ... utter.html