Avoiding Gel

[HerbalEarthling]

I just made a batch of soap- Spearmint & Anise. I really want to avoid gel as the anise scent is already getting lost. The temperature here is 52 degrees F right now and will drop down to 35 degrees F tonight. Would it be okay to put my mold outside?

 

[lpstephy85]

I don't see why not as long as it is covered to avoid something getting in to it. Do you have an unheard garage?

 

[HerbalEarthling]

I don't see why not as long as it is covered to avoid something getting in to it. Do you have an unheard garage?

I have a garage. An unheard garage I don't think so hehe. That is a good idea. I have it on my porch right now and it is covered. What happens if it goes below freezing by tomorrow morning? Will it hurt the soap or hault the cure? I def don't want it to turn to mush if it thaws out. Thanks so much!

 

[lpstephy85]

Hahahhaha thanks for the catch it shouldn't hurt it at all because some people I have read leave their soap in a freezer overnight to avoid gel or overheating. I haven't tried it, maybe someone that has will come along.

 

[judymoody]

What % EO did you use? For me both spearmint and anise are super strong, take over blends and stick forever.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

What % EO did you use? For me both spearmint and anise are super strong, take over blends and stick forever.

2 lb batch .5 oz of each. Did add another maybe .25 oz more of the anise because I really wanted that to come out. My father in law loves anise!

 

[HerbalEarthling]

Hahahhaha thanks for the catch it shouldn't hurt it at all because some people I have read leave their soap in a freezer overnight to avoid gel or overheating. I haven't tried it, maybe someone that has will come along.

I actually put it in my car. Love story short my in laws use the garage and they sometimes forget to shut the garage door and I would hate for a squirrel to get in there and knock it down haha. My car is gonna smell good!

 

[maloga3]

I have put a couple of batches in the freezer overnight, no worries, just expect saponification to be slower than usual...check for lye after its been sitting room temp for a week or so

 

[squyars]

I have a garage. An unheard garage I don't think so hehe. That is a good idea. I have it on my porch right now and it is covered. What happens if it goes below freezing by tomorrow morning? Will it hurt the soap or hault the cure? I def don't want it to turn to mush if it thaws out. Thanks so much!

I have put mine in freezer. You just need to make sure you put it in the refrigerator to thaw. Otherwise you get condensation. Makes for a slimy mess.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

I have put mine in freezer. You just need to make sure you put it in the refrigerator to thaw. Otherwise you get condensation. Makes for a slimy mess.

Good call. Does it make the fridge smell like soap? I'll have to try in the summer months. For now, looks like it will go outside. Save on making the thermostat run.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

I have put a couple of batches in the freezer overnight, no worries, just expect saponification to be slower than usual...check for lye after its been sitting room temp for a week or so

Do you leave it in the mold for that week or cut it right up? Squyars said it will be goopy if you don't refrigerate it after freezing. I have no experience with this. I soap in my basement which is cool most of the time. But we cranked our woodstove up pretty high last night and it's been 75º in there. Sooo hot! Haha

 

[squyars]

After several hours defrosting in the fridge, I take my soap out and unmold. You may need to wait for it to warm to room temp, it will be too hard to cut from the cold.

When condensation gets on the soap, it's not ruined, just slippery! Just imagine your bar of soap and how it acts when it gets wet.

 

[HerbalEarthling]

After several hours defrosting in the fridge, I take my soap out and unmold. You may need to wait for it to warm to room temp, it will be too hard to cut from the cold.

When condensation gets on the soap, it's not ruined, just slippery! Just imagine your bar of soap and how it acts when it gets wet.

Gotcha. Yeah that doesn't sound fun

 

[Missmoneypenny]

As a newbie I am just wondering- why do you want to avoid gel? I thought it cuts down on curing time.

 

[lpstephy85]

As a newbie I am just wondering- why do you want to avoid gel? I thought it cuts down on curing time.

Gel really doesn't effect curing times. You'll still want to cure your bars 4-6 weeks minimum to get a nice mild, hard bar. Gel is a preference for soapers but the OP was afraid that if the soap got too hot during gel that she would lose one of her scents (which was already fading). Allowing a batch to gel might help cut down on unmolding time but not cure time

 

[Missmoneypenny]

Thanks for the information. I didn't know that gel can suppress fragrance. I guess it is an effect of the heat? I did make a soap with tallow, canola, olive, coconut which i think gelled as a shadow spread across it and it really heated up in the mould. There was nearly no fragrance left 4 weeks after.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

............Love story short my in laws use the garage and they sometimes forget to shut the garage door ..........

Love story, In-laws using the garage with door open? The mind boggles..........

Any update on how it's all going?

It's cold in winter here in Austria, so I'm thinking I won't have issues at the moment. But in summer it might be a bit harder to avoid. I have a cellar, so will see what the temp is like there. Mrs Efficacious won't be too happy if I start filling our fridge up with soap!

 

[shunt2011]

I believe she meant long story short.....

 

[tinytreats]

I like to avoid gel with most of my soap. I pop it in the freezer usually for 24-35 hours. And then I take it out and let it sit in the mild for a day. On the second day I remove it from the mold. I've inky ever had a slimy gooey mess once. And I think it's because I used a different recipe. But I never put it in the fridge.

 

[girlishcharm2004]

Once my soap got too cool before pouring it into the mold that it crumbled when I tried to cut it! Ever since, I've been scared to put it in the fridge/freezer to inhibit the gel phase! Maybe it'll be okay if it starts out hot like it should, then into the mold, and then into the fridge/freezer. I definitely hate losing my scents, too.

I LOVE your name, by the way, HerbalEarthling!