Teach Soap

I have tried a few different temperatures when the base and alkali mix. I recently made a Lavender and chamomile soap...Lavender EO and Chamomile buds (ground). I mixed the base and alkali at 75 degrees F. once in the mold I stuck it in the freezer over night. I suspect the temp never rose above 80 Degrees, there were no signs of any gelling in the core of the soap. The soap is fantastic. it lathers, the lather lasts, the EO scent is crisp and lasts right down to the end.

My question is. Is Gel a necessity? If it is..why was this soap a success, If it isn't what limitations are there with molding the soap and keeping the temp very low.

I used 65% Olive Oil, 20% Coconut Oil and 15 % Beef Tallow.

Any thoughts etc. would be very welcome

Steve

Gel is not necessary at all. It just helps speed up the saponification process. There are a lot of soapers that prefer not gelling their soap. Ungelled soap can take up to 3 days before it's fully saponified and depending on your recipe, you may not be able to unmold as quickly. Other than that, it's all good!

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

Thank you Linda!

Gelling is a personal preference. If you are just starting out, it's best to let the soap gel til you get the feel for it. Then try not gelling. Sometimes soap gels despite the best efforts not to.

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

Do the differetn types of mold contribute to avoid partial gel? I have read somewhere that slab molds behave better and do not allow the soap to partially gel. Is this true?

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