Teach Soap

Im new to soaping but have had a few differnt outcomes when i have put my soap into molds. The first batch did not gel at all, but they still seemed to turn out ok for my first go. My second batch had half or so gel but the rest did not. I had them in single molds and i wonder if it was because of that or if I didnt cover them in enough warm blankets? Very new and unsure. Any information would be appreciated

Hi regina2! Congratulations on your first batches of soap!

Individual soaps loose heat faster than a loaf or slab mold. If you have them grouped together the ones in the center will stay hot longer. You can try using a heating pad under the soap turned on very low to see if you can force gel, but unless you want gelled soap, I wouldn't be too concerned. Not everyone gels their soap - it still turns into soap whether it's gelled or not. It's a matter of personal preference.

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

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

I gel.............usually. I don't have a reason. I use a homemade 3 pounds wood loaf. I set it on a towel and cover is with a towel folded double. I have always got complete gel.

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

It's the schizophrenic will-it-or-won't-it-gel-all-the-way? part that makes me pull my hair out

Generally speaking though most of my soaps gel because I use a wooden loaf mold with a lid. That said, I've had soaps not gel at all in there. Usually it's ones that I spent more time with "in the pot" because I was splitting the batch into colors for swirling or layers, that kind of thing. I truly think that this causes the soap to dump a lot of heat prior to pouring. Just a theory but I've had soaps from the same batch gel and not gel depending on how long I mucked around with them before pouring (sometimes I make two different soaps from one batch).

ONE advantage of gelling I've discovered is that it reduces the chances of crumbly edges which can happen when you're using say titanium dioxide or even with a really hard castile (olive oil) soap. So if you're a new-ish soaper the gel phase kind of helps with texture problems.

Gelled soap generally looks more translucent and a little darker so that's another thing to consider if you're concerned with appearance.

Hope that helps a little and welcome to soaping!
Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

Thank you all for your input. I did notice that the soaps that gelled turned a much deeper colour. I suppose that considering it is winter here in Australia I didnt put the first bacth in a warm enough bed. oh well They both turned out nicely though - so i assume that it really doesnt matter too much if you gel your soap or not, just preferance, or does it change the soap in some way?

I am a bit excited to use the soaps (they smell fantastic) , do i really have to wait 4 odd weeks?

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

(What soapbuddy said!)

There might be a slight texture difference between gelled/non-gelled soap but I'm not sure it's appreciable. Depends who you ask though

Re when you can use the soap: technically you'll have a much higher quality bar after 4-6 weeks because more of the moisture (water) is gone by then. Some say the bar will be milder too but I'm not sure on this. To my mind, once the saponification process is complete, the soap is "safe" but it's just not a great bar yet It will be softer and get mushy too fast once it hits the water (that's been my experience anyway). Plus you just don't want to use any soap that still has active lye in it!

That said, I'd be lying if I said I haven't tested bars after a few days! I always have a little end piece or something like that which I use for testing as the weeks pass.

The hardest part of soaping is, by far, PATIENCE!



Karri

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I soap therefore I am.