Teach Soap

Hi I am fairly new to soaping (about 3 months now) and I have done CP and more recenlty HP which I love them both!!...I however am still a bit unclear on the CPOP and also methods and reasons for gelling...even though I know that sometimes gel is not plannjed that it also just happens unexpectedly. My question(s) is: What are the benefits of the CPOP as opposed to the reg CP?? Are there any technical differences in the soap other than the look of gel? And lastly..if you do prefer a gel..why?? Thanks so much for any comments, I'm just trying to learn all I can... P.S. I made a CP batch of oatmeal soap last night with Rosemary and Lemongrass EO and it gelled in the PVC mold!!...hence my curiosity

I like to CPOP because if I don't, then I get partial gel, and that's NOT the look I like. Ungelled soap takes longer to completely saponify and I have to wait a few days to cut it, otherwise it crumbles, again NOT what I'm looking for (crumbly soap) You still need to wait 4 to 6 weeks for your soap to fully cure. I just prefer to gel because I don't have to worry about soap crumbling and can cut it within 18-24 hours.
It's really just a personal preference thing. I know Soapbuddy doesn't gel, she prefers not to. To each their own.
I will say that ungelled soap feels more lotiony (yep, that's a technical term) in the shower, but to me, it's not a big deal. And ungelled soap tends to give lighter colors than gelled soap.

Brandy

I agree with Brandy. With some fragrances, they will gel no matter what.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I also CPOP for the reasons Brandy gave. Plus, I don't have a place to keep a mold wrapped in a blanket to promote gel, or enough room in the fridge to put a mold to keep it from gelling. And, I like gelled soap better.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I like gelled better, so thats what I do, but I dont use the oven. I don't care for that extra step because I don't have the time to watch it. But I have lids for my molds, and find that I dont usually even need a towel/blanket with them (actually learned this the hard way, with lots of cracks! ) It really is all about you, your preferences, and your recipes. Since each recipe is different, they all react differently as well. So you just have to experiment and see what you like best and what works best with your usual recipes.

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

Gel or not to gel results are actually quite different to some FOs. I will show you on my next blog entry. I did BB SOAP testing both gel and non gel. There's a big difference, color and scent, will take a photo and put them side by side.

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Shieh Design Studio
https://www.facebook.com/ShiehDesignStudio
http://soapandrestless.blogspot.com

Soap does not need to gel in order for it to become soap.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I can understand that the gel phase isn't necessary for soap to become to soap (as per the fact that some soaps only did that half-gelling thing). I was just surprised that the mold can be placed in the refrigerator and was wondering how long you keep in there and whatnot... I understand that HP can decrease the cure time (sometimes) and was wondering if the inverse was true that if the soap was cooled instead of heated if the cure time would then increase?
The only reason why I ask is because I don't have only one mold suitable for CPOP and no molds sturdy enough for CP getting covered by a towel, but I do have some molds that I could shove in my refrigerator uncovered, and I'm up for playing with the non-gel method of soaping at this moment.

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

The soap only needs to stay in the fridge until it's cold all the way through to be sure it won't gel, but leaving it in longer won't hurt it. You probably won't be able to unmold it for a day or two because it may not be hard enough. It still needs to cure for the regular amount of time.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thank you muchly for that info, ljm! When I get a chance to try another batch, that's what I'll do

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Cutting ungelled soap that has been in the fridge or the freezer depends on your recipe. After I take my soap out of the fridge or the freezer, I let it come to room temp and then I cut it. My recipe hardens up pretty fast.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.