Hi Kate! I’ve had no trouble with it not blending in so far (based on going through almost 3 bottles of it). The main reason I do it that way is because the formulation guidelines for Leucidal Liquid SF say: “We recommend adding it at cool-down when your formulation temperature is below 40°C (104°F) to avoid destabilization issues” and I like the water to be much hotter when combining with the melted e-wax. I haven’t personally tried Optiphen plus, but have read it’s a bit finicky – which I haven’t experienced with Leucidal Liquid SF to date. If you try it out, let me know how it goes! :)