Teach Soap

So I took tips and tricks from others on here and decided NOT to gel my 2nd batch of soap. I got it to trace, poured it, put some saran wrap over it, and nothing else. Now, keep in mind it is also 10 degrees and snowy here in Toledo OH. An hour or two later I go to peek and what do ya know.....



Just...Grrrr. lol I'm thinking I soaped too hot....water got into my thermometers and I couldn't really see them so when they looked like they were "sorta" down near where they should be I went ahead and mixed. Also, it traced QUICK. I at first thought maybe I was seeing things, so I broke out the hand mixer for a few seconds which was a mistake because it got a little too thick, more heavy trace. It still poured fine, i just had to smooth the tops some after pouring. I used Passionfruit Rose from BB, and Pink ultramarine.....the color is (was lol) a pretty pinkish mauve....here's hoping it'll stay that way after a gel, dang it lol

Looks like it's gelling. Next time I would pre-chill your mold and soap as cool as you can. I would have stuck that mold outside, or did you? Florals, for the most part tend to heat up and/or accelerate trace.

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

I bet it will still be nice soap.

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"Maintaining Balance Between People and Nature"

I often notice if a fragrance accelerates trace that it also will heat up hotter than a fragrance that didn't accelerate trace so it could be the fault of the fragrance too. I don't recall Passionfruit Rose being trouble but I gel every time so I wouldn't have noticed if it gelled or didn't. The soap will still come out lovely, even with the gel =)

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

It looks like it will turn out nice. I've thrown mine in the fridge or outside on a cold day to prevent gel.....but I'm into gel now so haven't done it in a while. It looks like a nice color for the fragrance. It would be interesting to see after it cools and you cut that puppy.

10 degrees in Toledo....yikes!!! I grew up above the frost line in the mountains where you had snow tires on 8 months a year. Now I live in NC and they're calling for 52 tomorrow. I miss the cold sometimes though. I'll bite my tongue in 20 years when I'm aging.

I have to chime in here and say just because you don't insulate a batch doesn't mean it won't gel. FOs and other additives can make a batch heat up enough to gel whether it is insulated or not. The only way I have been able to ( almost ) be assured a batch won't gel is to put it in the frig after I pour it.

So how does it look today?

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

Well.....it's truly living up to the name of "pain in the behind" LOL. I couldn't get it unmolded yesterday no matter what I did, so I finally threw it (literally LOL) into the freezer for a few hours, and managed to slowly push it out of the mold. Then I remembered it was my fault, since I didn't put anything on the mold to prevent it from sticking. Doh. But after that fiasco, it looks fine...smells great. The color darkened a little, but still a good match for the scent. I'm wondering if it will be content to sit there and cure, or if I'm going to wake up one morning and find it has sprouted feet and ran away from me lol

In other news, my family has been using my first batch in the shower, and they LOVE it...I'm so proud of my first batch even if it didn't look great lol:)

Looks good to me!
Next time try either 1% beeswax or some sodium lactate to help with unmolding and making a harder bar quicker.

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

partial gel is really only a cosmetic issue - i deliberately gel all my batches, but i'm sure yours will be fine.

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