navigator9
Well-Known Member
Sometimes I believe we think the stick blender does a better job than it really does at mixing every little bit of our soap batter evenly. I think it depends on your particular stick blender, how much you move it around, the size of your batch, etc. I think some areas of the pot get mixed better than others. I used to get lighter colored streaks in some of my soaps, (though not chalky looking like yours) sometimes. I managed to eliminate this problem by doing this one thing....after I reach the desired trace, I remove the stick blender and stir with my spatula. As I stir, I scrape the bottom and sides of the pot really well, making sure that everything is well incorporated. I no longer get streaks.
You say that you heard that over mixing can be bad. The only bad thing that can happen from over mixing is that the soap will reach heavy trace or more, and be hard to get into the mold. Nothing bad will happen to the soap. Because you are afraid to over mix, you may not be mixing enough. If your streaks are chalky, they may be lye heavy, and as suggested above, I would zap test to see if this is the case. If they're not, it may just be a case of needing to mix more thoroughly. Good luck!
You say that you heard that over mixing can be bad. The only bad thing that can happen from over mixing is that the soap will reach heavy trace or more, and be hard to get into the mold. Nothing bad will happen to the soap. Because you are afraid to over mix, you may not be mixing enough. If your streaks are chalky, they may be lye heavy, and as suggested above, I would zap test to see if this is the case. If they're not, it may just be a case of needing to mix more thoroughly. Good luck!
