Teach Soap

I am a newbie soap maker. I just made my first two batches of soap last week. My first batch was a basic recipe with superfat of 5%. I was too eager and impatient that I un-mold and cut my soap after 12 hours. I noticed the center of the soap was darker compared to the outer part. My second batch I made was superfat at 5%, as well and used the same recipe with orange essential oil added. I waited a whole 24 hours to un-mold and cut and had the same result with the center being dark. What is the difference between allowing the soap to gel versus ungeled. I read in a lot soap books and forum threads that most soap-makers wait 2-3 days to remove from their mold and cut. What is a good time frame? I plan to start another small batch tomorrow.

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http://blissfulsoaps.wordpress.com/

Welcome!
Some people prefer gel; some people don't. If you are getting a partial gel and your mold is oven safe, you can put your soap into the oven at 170 degrees (US), let it completely gel. then take it out, let it cool and it should be hard enough to cut. For soaps that don't gel, it can take up to three days for the soap to completely saponify and be hard enough to take out of the mold and cut. I prefer not to gel and can take my soap out of the mold within 24 hours. I have a formula that works for me. Experiment and see what you like.

If are making a smaller recipe, I would go with a 7% superfat. That gives you a better margin of error.

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

Hello isoap!

I would go with a higher superfat too. And I prefer to gel my batches - just because I am impatient and I love colorful soaps. I soap in a wooden mold and put mine in the oven at around 100 F to gel. Usually I leave it in the oven overnight - for me it's 4-5 hours and then i take it out and wrap it in the plaid and leave it alone for about 20 hours or more.
If I use a lot of liquid oils I may try it with my finger if it's too soft to be taken out of the mold and cut. And if it is soft then I leave it there for another 24 hours.

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I am Lora

Welcome isoap! I'm something of a newbie myself and still trying to find some balance between gelling and not gelling. I just did a batch that I didn't let gel, and I didn't have the patience to let it sit in my mold long enough, it was very soft when I cut it. I have also overheated batches trying the oven method, again, me being impatient. I hope you find something that works for you. I also agree with everyone about the superfat level, you might want to try for something a little higher like 7%, I go as high as 8%. I also measure everything in grams, so my margin of error is smaller with my 2lb batches.

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Just call me "Apo"

Thanks everyone! I will try with my new batch at a higher superfat percentage. I will update how it turns out. You guys are very helpful. When I first started this soapmaking process I was under the impression the results of the soap had to be in one phase like the store brought ones. After watching countless tutorial youtube videos I never came across a soapmaker experiencing this problem. Believe me, I've watched lots of video before I dived into my own soap making. I've also watched people unmold and cut their soap and didn't see the difference until I did mine or the camera didn't capture the results very well.


Thank you for the warm welcoming and the great advice.

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http://blissfulsoaps.wordpress.com/