White chunks in Hot Process soap?

[scrubadubdub]

Hello all! I completed my first batch of Hot Process soap today. The soap seemed to reach all 3 phases. Towards the end, it started to get really thick, I stirred in the yogurt and the FO which actually helped thin it out some. Now that I have cut it, I see large white chunks. What could they be? I tested it with pH strips and it came in at 8. Any ideas?

 

[MrsZ]

I am a newbie, but I have made a few hot process soaps. Did you use a colorant? Mine has had white spots when the colorant was not quite mixed in thoroughly enough. I did add color just after the cook, and noticed it takes a lot of mixing to get it combined completely.

If the tan is the normal color of your soap, please disregard my comment. They look nice, by the way.

 

[AliOop]

You may not have mixed in the yogurt well enough. But given the size of those chunks, I doubt it is unmixed yogurt; that usually shows up more as smaller blobs.

If the white chunks are the same texture as the rest of your soap, and just a different color, then what you see is overcooked soap that you so diligently scraped off the sides of the bowl into the rest of the batter. Once those soap bits get cooked along the sides, they won't accept colorant. So you must resist that urge to scrape the sides towards the end of the cook, or else accept that you will have white chunks in your soap..

 

[Quanta]

Hello all! I completed my first batch of Hot Process soap today. The soap seemed to reach all 3 phases. Towards the end, it started to get really thick, I stirred in the yogurt and the FO which actually helped thin it out some. Now that I have cut it, I see large white chunks. What could they be? I tested it with pH strips and it came in at 8. Any ideas?

I agree with @AliOop. It's most likely soap from the sides of the crock that got scraped off and mixed in.

I do need to mention that pH strips don't work on soap, due to the dyes that are used to make them. I can guarantee that the pH of your soap is at least 9.5, probably closer to 10. If you add something to soap to bring the pH down, the soap molecules break down and it isn't soap anymore. The lowest pH that is possible for a bar of soap is about 9 or 9.5. It is not normally even necessary to check the pH, but if you really need to you should only use a meter, not strips.

 

[ameliashawn]

*NOTE* You may end up with white specks or chunks in your soap. This is from your soap heating too quickly. I love this marbled look in a solid colored soap, but if you're adding layers or simply want to avoid this look, you must find a slow cooker that has low enough heat.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

It looks like scrapped soap from the side' though it could be Cooked-Yogurt how does it feel & look? If it looks & Feels like either soap or yogurt it probably is. I know when I was making HP i'd add my yogurt last so the batter has a chance to cool down' otherwise it will be cooked! & trying to pick out cooked yogurt from your batter' also I had all my "add'ed ingredients in a warm bath water staying warm' so when I add'ed them to soap it continues to stay fluid w/ out the batter cooling down & helps w/ fluidity "Except Yogurt Its Best @ Room Temp"
Update:
once your soap passes the zap test & its ready to add your last yummy ingreadents' ( dnt scrape the sides of the pot) this is important cause the soap thats on the side of pot is cooked hard soap' that wont blend w/ your batter. Happy Soaping
Agree W / @AliOop, once you add "Yogurt" stir it in fast & furious' it can be temperamental to heat & cook'.

 

[scrubadubdub]

Thank you all for your responses! It must be cooked soap from the edges. There was a film of soap around the edge that I was scraping at - I didn't realize it would look like that in my soap! Lol.

How do you all that do HP soap make sure no lye remains and that it is good to use right away? Ive been CPing for several years and always wait 4-6 weeks before even thinking about using one of my bars.

Thanks @Quanta for the info on a pH meter. Is that what most soapers use? Im afraid to di the "zap" test.

 

[Quanta]

Thank you all for your responses! It must be cooked soap from the edges. There was a film of soap around the edge that I was scraping at - I didn't realize it would look like that in my soap! Lol.

How do you all that do HP soap make sure no lye remains and that it is good to use right away? Ive been CPing for several years and always wait 4-6 weeks before even thinking about using one of my bars.

Thanks @Quanta for the info on a pH meter. Is that what most soapers use? Im afraid to di the "zap" test.

The main thing is to make sure you run your recipe through a lye calculator. That's all you really need to do. The lye is going to be used up in a few days at most, as long as you measured everything correctly. Most soapers don't check the pH at all, in fact I only have a meter because I also make shampoo where the pH is very important. If soap is the only thing you make, you don't need a meter. I've never even used mine for soap. The "zap test" is really only useful for troubleshooting in a batch that went wrong.

The reason you're supposed to wait 4-6 weeks to use your soap has very little to do with the lye being fully used up. Since HP soap has more water in it than CP soap, that wait time is just letting all that water evaporate out so that you have a much nicer soap. If you use HP soap right away, it won't feel as nice and it won't lather as well as the same soap that cured for a few months.

ETA: Both CP and HP soap have to cure to let the water evaporate out. HP soap is only done saponifying maybe just slightly faster than CP. Think of it as being more like forcing gel phase outside the mold.