Glycerin or DOS

[Mariela]

Yesterday I unmolded a batch of soaps and saw it had dark spots. I do not know if they are DOS or Glycerin. Does someone know?
The soap was made using 3600 grams of oils: 80% of Pure Unrefined Shea Butter and 20% of Coconut Virgin Organic oil. To the oils I added 2 1/2 tablespoons of honey (which heated up the soap, the heat lasted all night long, I estimate 10-12hs. The Liquid: Lye Ratio was 2.6:1. The fragance I used was a mixture of frangances I used a week before, and gave me no problem. The colorants are clay (white and pink), anatto grounded seeds (yellow) and Indigo powder (blue). I am not sure if the heat and high water content of the formula made glycerin spots, or the unrefined pure oils made DOS... Please look at the images and see if someone knows what happened...

 

[kandra]

Those look like honey spots. They will reabsorb into the soap. DOS takes time to develop and will not appear overnight on a fresh soap.

More info on DOS: DOS Soap - Dealing with Dreaded Orange Spots in Handmade Soap | Soapy Friends
Regarding glycerin spots... never heard to glycerin spots! However, glycerin rivers occur with high water usage.

I would suggest you consider lowering your water content (which will help with many issues) and soap cooler when using honey.

Hope that helps!

 

[Yooper]

Those white spots look like stearic acid spots. Glycerin is a liquid and makes 'rivers', liquid running in it. DOS is orange and due to oils going rancid.

Stearic acid spots form from hard oils (like shea butter) that aren't heated hot enough to dissolve the stearic acid completely. Ingredients that contain any amount of stearic acid require a higher melt point in order to dissolve that acid. Otherwise, they remain solid and appear as white spots in your finished soap. You said the soap got quite hot, but maybe it heated up after and not while you were melting your shea butter(?). They aren't harmful at all and won't impact the use of the soap.

 

[Mariela]

Those look like honey spots. They will reabsorb into the soap. DOS takes time to develop and will not appear overnight on a fresh soap.

More info on DOS: DOS Soap - Dealing with Dreaded Orange Spots in Handmade Soap | Soapy Friends
Regarding glycerin spots... never heard to glycerin spots! However, glycerin rivers occur with high water usage.

I would suggest you consider lowering your water content (which will help with many issues) and soap cooler when using honey.

Hope that helps!

Thanks Kandra for answering.

Regarding the Honey Spots you mentioned, you are right! It´s been 2 days and it looks they are getting absorbed! (look at the images of the same soap after two days passed)
I ussually do not use honey when making soaps, but this time I decided to try it out. The funny thing about using honey, is that one week before I made some batches using more honey than I did in this batch, but I mixed the honey in the lye solution (that turned red (see image)) and then put the lye solution in the freezer while I melted the oils and butters. When I poured the lye solution it was cold, and no honey spots appeared when umolding (look at the other images). But with this batch, I decided to mix the honey with the oils as everybody does, it had half the amount of honey than the others batches and thought it won´t give me problems. The lye solution was also poured cold (taken from the freezer) to avoid overheat. As you know, it heated up a lot and for many hours (10-12hs). With the other batches (where I mixed the honey in the lye solution) it heated up, but not so much and not so long, it seemed normal to me; and no honey spots nor glycerin rivers appeared.

So it looks like it may be better to melt the honey with the lye solution than with the oils...

 

[Mariela]

Those white spots look like stearic acid spots. Glycerin is a liquid and makes 'rivers', liquid running in it. DOS is orange and due to oils going rancid.

Stearic acid spots form from hard oils (like shea butter) that aren't heated hot enough to dissolve the stearic acid completely. Ingredients that contain any amount of stearic acid require a higher melt point in order to dissolve that acid. Otherwise, they remain solid and appear as white spots in your finished soap. You said the soap got quite hot, but maybe it heated up after and not while you were melting your shea butter(?). They aren't harmful at all and won't impact the use of the soap.

 

[Mariela]

Thank you Yooper for your answer. Where do you see the white spots (stearic spots)?

I melted completly the honey, oil and butter, to the point they were a clear liquid; but I poured the lye cold from the freezer...

 

[kandra]

Thanks Kandra for answering.

Regarding the Honey Spots you mentioned, you are right! It´s been 2 days and it looks they are getting absorbed! (look at the images of the same soap after two days passed)
I ussually do not use honey when making soaps, but this time I decided to try it out. The funny thing about using honey, is that one week before I made some batches using more honey than I did in this batch, but I mixed the honey in the lye solution (that turned red (see image)) and then put the lye solution in the freezer while I melted the oils and butters. When I poured the lye solution it was cold, and no honey spots appeared when umolding (look at the other images). But with this batch, I decided to mix the honey with the oils as everybody does, it had half the amount of honey than the others batches and thought it won´t give me problems. The lye solution was also poured cold (taken from the freezer) to avoid overheat. As you know, it heated up a lot and for many hours (10-12hs). With the other batches (where I mixed the honey in the lye solution) it heated up, but not so much and not so long, it seemed normal to me; and no honey spots nor glycerin rivers appeared.

So it looks like it may be better to melt the honey with the lye solution than with the oils...

Glad they re absorbed for you!

I’ve put honey in oils, but only after first diluting them either with warm oil or water. I don’t put it in with the lye solution. I usually never put anything in the lye solution!

Here’s some more info on adding food stuff that might give you more insights too

Adding Food to Soap -a Guide for Soapmakers | Soapy Friends

What's up with adding food to soap? You know, this like fruits, veggies, teas, juices, and milks? Yes! Here's the how, when, and why to add food to soap.

soapyfriends.com

 

[ChrissieM]

The other powdered additives might also contribute to the spots if they are not completely dispersed.