Chalky soap?

[bassgirl]

I've had great success with my basic soap recipe, so I decided to add my EO's at trace this time. I made a small 13 oz. batch two days ago. I also added about a half tablespoon of blue corn meal for color. Just barely traced, as usual, and then I poured into a few small molds. I was just trying to unmold them and they're somewhat firm (but not as firm as the basic batches were) but when I touch them they kind of come off chalky on my finger. Plus, I couldn't get them out of the molds (which I oiled with veg oil), so now they're in the freezer.

Would the corn meal make it chalky? Or is it the fact that they're in separate molds and not in a slab? Will they still firm up and solidify better later?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[cdwinsby]

Sounds like they didn't gel. It's harder to get soap to gel when it's in small individual molds. The soap will be fine but when gel doesn't happen the soap takes longer to saponify and get hard. Once you pop them out of the freezer and the mold just leave them be to air dry like normal.

 

[bassgirl]

Thanks, Cathy! I'm glad they're salvagable. Unfortunately, they're not wanting to come out of the molds either. I just wrecked one of them (aesthetically) using a knife to get it out. Oh well, the family can use them!

 

[carebear]

if a soap doesn't gel it can easily take a couple more days to get it firm enough to take out of the mold properly.

the chalky stuff is most likely ash - harmless but not always aesthetically pleasing. you can try to avoid it (there are several unreliable techniques and maybe one or two that work), you can trim it off, or you can learn to embrace it! (actually it can add an interesting dimension to your soap!)

 

[bassgirl]

So I'm not really understanding this "gel" idea. Does soap need to gel in order to turn out right? And did mine not gel because it didn't generate enough heat because it was in separate small molds? I thought people made soap in molds all the time.

 

[carebear]

absolutely gel is NOT necessary. but it does speed things up and you can often get the soap out of the mold days sooner. and some have found that soaps that don't gel are more prone to ash.

if you would like your soaps to gel in those individual molds you will need to help it along (again, not necessary, just if you want to try). You can either stack a bunch of the individual molds together in a cooler and they together might generate enough heat to get the gel going. Or you can put the molds on a heating pad and cover over with towels or whatever to insulate.

 

[cdwinsby]

Gelling soap is a matter of preference. Some like the feel of gelled soap better and some like how white an ungelled soap can be. Make both and then decide for yourself. You might like both.

 

[IrishLass]

Does soap need to gel in order to turn out right?

As the others have said, absolutley not. With a good cure time they all turn out fine.

And did mine not gel because it didn't generate enough heat because it was in separate small molds?

Correct. Individual, or one-bar-per-slot molds are very hard to gel unless you do something like what Carebear said.

To get a good gel going without too much manipulation, if any at all, it's best to use log molds and slab molds. They hold much more soap than individual molds, and will generate and hold in more of the natural heat from saponification.

I have well insulated wooden molds with covers that hold anywhere from 1 lb up to 4.5 lbs of raw soap, and they have no problem gelling at all. The wood is thick enough to hold the heat in that is generated from saponifacation, and I always get complete gel every time.

As cdwinsby said, having gelled or non-gelled soap is definitely a personal preference. Both turn out to be great soap in the end. Ungelled soap will look more opaque, while gelled soap will have more of a slightly transluscent look to it in comparison.

The one thing a soaper doesn't want is partially gelled soap. Although partially gelled soap is still perfectly good soap to use, it'll just look funky, having lighter and darker areas throughout the soap.


IrishLass

 

[bassgirl]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

and some have found that soaps that don't gel are more prone to ash.

I just shaved off the top white chalky layer and I think maybe it is ash. Seems to be real soap underneath!

Or you can put the molds on a heating pad and cover over with towels or whatever to insulate.

I did cover the molds with newspapers and a blanket and towel. Never even thought about the heating pad though.

To get a good gel going without too much manipulation, if any at all, it's best to use log molds and slab molds. They hold much more soap than individual molds, and will generate and hold in more of the natural heat from saponification.

I've ordered a wooden mold that should be here this coming week, so I probably won't bother trying the individual mold thing again for a while. [/i]