# Partial Gel Surprise



## LazyUmbrella (Feb 22, 2016)

Hi All,

Here's hoping I can make more contributions to this great forum!
I wanted to share a photo of a soap I made a few months back. It was made with:

Cocoa butter, 5%
Coconut oil, 20%
Olive oil, 30%
Sunflower oil, 45%

I superfatted @ 5%, added no colorant, but did add Tahitian Vanilla fragrance oil from Saffire Blue.  I added the mixture to a cake mould and let it cure at room temperature, uncovered.

I assume that the vanilla coloured the soap brown, but the best part was when the partial gel created these circular patterns in the soap. The color and the pattern reminded me of the rings of a tree. 

Normally partial gel grinds my gears, but this time it was a pleasant surprise, and I'm actually going to try to replicate this again for next winter!


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## CaraBou (Feb 22, 2016)

Well well... It's about time that partial gel works in a soaper's favor!  

That is a very cool soap. I'm so glad you recognize it instead of going on p.g. rant!


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## Arimara (Feb 23, 2016)

If that was a woodsy scent, you'd have an instant crowd pleaser. Either way, that looks pretty cool.


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## LazyUmbrella (Feb 23, 2016)

Arimara said:


> If that was a woodsy scent, you'd have an instant crowd pleaser. Either way, that looks pretty cool.



You know, that would be cool. 
FWIW, while not really the same thing, i did try to make some soaps with some tree-based essential oils (fir and pine). Just to be safe, I kept it at 2.5% (i.e. 25 g EO per 1000 g soap).
The fragrance is super light.


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## Spice (Feb 24, 2016)

Only you and us know what actually happened. To the rest, its viewed as a beautiful piece of art. Just because it's not the perfect product, its propose is still the same. I believe that some times we are to critical, and if an art doesnt fall within certain parameters then it is less then. Art has no boundaries. If it turns to soap, and it works like soap; it's soap.:clap:


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## LazyUmbrella (Feb 24, 2016)

Spice said:


> Only you and us know what actually happened. To the rest, its viewed as a beautiful piece of art. Just because it's not the perfect product, its propose is still the same. I believe that some times we are to critical, and if an art doesnt fall within certain parameters then it is less then. Art has no boundaries. If it turns to soap, and it works like soap; it's soap.:clap:



thanks for the kind words! I agree as the "makers" we quickly see the faults.


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## Steve85569 (Feb 24, 2016)

That "lovely" soap!
Like has been said if you don't tell people you hadn't planned this outcome they'll never know.
The only trick will be repeating it. I look forward to seeing the next one too.
Good job!


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## SuzieOz (Mar 10, 2016)

Hi LazyUmbrella,

That is beautiful. I had a similar thing happen recently with some goat milk soap.

I actually thought the partial gel looked kinda cool, so I used a butterfly stamp with a bit of gold mica in the middle of the circle and it looks just like it was meant to be.

Good luck with the next one


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## LazyUmbrella (Mar 11, 2016)

Thanks for the compliments!



> I actually thought the partial gel looked kinda cool, so I used a butterfly stamp with a bit of gold mica in the middle of the circle and it looks just like it was meant to be.



That is an awesome idea!


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## dixiedragon (Mar 11, 2016)

On one forum I was on, the soaper had severe tunneling. So she sliced the soap, and used mica and glycerin to paint hole in the center and called it "gold mine soap". Sold it all at 50% higher than her regular soap.


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## SuzieOz (Mar 11, 2016)

dixiedragon said:


> On one forum I was on, the soaper had severe tunneling. So she sliced the soap, and used mica and glycerin to paint hole in the center and called it "gold mine soap". Sold it all at 50% higher than her regular soap.



Hah! I love it 

Actually it's interesting what people will buy - as a soaper continually learning and developing my techniques, my ideas of what looks nice keeps changing so some of my soaps I think aren't that amazing, my friends go "WOW" over.


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## topofmurrayhill (Mar 12, 2016)




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## cmzaha (Mar 12, 2016)

dixiedragon said:


> On one forum I was on, the soaper had severe tunneling. So she sliced the soap, and used mica and glycerin to paint hole in the center and called it "gold mine soap". Sold it all at 50% higher than her regular soap.


That is funny, of course I would wonder how much oil ran out of it if it was really severe. Since I have had this happen more than once I can picture how cool it would look with mica, but mine has always had a considerable of oil run out of it. Not sure they got a quality soap...

^^what a beautiful geode slice


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## topofmurrayhill (Mar 12, 2016)

cmzaha said:


> T^^what a beautiful geode slice



The soap reminded me of agate.


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## TeresaT (Mar 12, 2016)

topofmurrayhill said:


> The soap reminded me of agate.



I've often wondered how they slice them so thin. That must be an incredible saw.  I've seen marble cutting when I was a kid (my mom's BF had a marble business).  I wonder if it's the same process.   I've had several different colored slices in my lifetime and have been fascinated by them.


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## SuzieOz (Mar 13, 2016)

LazyUmbrella - My gel surprise with butterfly (if this works) ...

It's goat milk with Peppermint & Lavender






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## SuzieOz (Mar 13, 2016)

... oh and bentonite clay exfoliating beads if you're wondering what the little blue things are ...


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## LazyUmbrella (Apr 28, 2017)

so late to my own party (sorry folks, I was passed out in the bathroom for over a year now ), but @SuzieOz, those are awesome!!


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## aihrat (May 1, 2017)

It looks so beautiful, and, as mentioned, similar to a slice of agate <3


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