CP Gel?

[raywitt001]

I know this question has probably been asked before, but Gel is something I have read about but not experienced.
I have now made 2 batches of cold process soap - both 100% coconut oil at 20% superfat. Both times I used silicone moulds - the first in a square cake pan, the second in 5x5cm square pans. Both times I placed a towel underneath the moulds (mostly to protect my benchtop) and both times I just left the soap on the bench to set (no cover, room temp approx 20degC).
I'm guessing both times the soap has not gelled as no colour change has occurred (like I have seen in photos with a translucent centre).
If I wanted to produce gelling, what would I do?
I have read where some wrap the soap to insulate it, but how do you not affect the surface of your soap? Would clingwrap leave marks in/on the top? And I have heard of others forcing gel in the oven?
What is the benefit of gel over not gelling? Does it also depend on the oils used in the soap?

 

[Dorymae]

Gelling changes the look of the bar. If you want to gel cover the top of your mold with an inverted box to protect any fancy tops then cover with towels. Some use a heating pad under the mold to add extra heat but ordinarily it isn't necessary unless it is a room temperature batter or the room is cooler. The soap will naturally heat up what you are trying to do is to keep the heat around the soap so it heats up all the way through.

Yes you can use an oven as well. I don't use this method but as I understand it you turn the oven to around 170 and when it heats up you turn off the stove and put your soap into the oven - close the door and leave it there overnight.

 

[Meganmischke]

In my experience 100% co soap gels very fast so if you weren't looking at it when it happened and you didn't color you might not know it happened. Personally I can't even try to prevent gel on co soaps.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I made a 100% co soap and that thing was almost glowing red! I think that you have only seen gelled soaps if you're looking at 100% co soaps.

 

[raywitt001]

My first batch definitely wasn't glowing - I was watching pretty closely as it was my first ever batch. It was white when I poured and was the same when set - just hard and maybe more pure white. I didn't use a thermometer and just judged by touching the outsides of the bowls. When they felt close to body temp I mixed it. Perhaps the mixing temp was too low to produce gel?
Can you mix hot for CP (hot oil and not waiting for the lye water to cool)? Would it become a volcano?
Perhaps it did gel and I just didn't know what I was looking for. I assumed the centre would become almost clear if it was gelling.
Would the superfatting have a bearing on it too? I had the superfat at 20% so maybe because there was less saponification happening it is less likely to get hot and gel?

 

[Jaccart789]

I gel all my soaps. I use a heating pad for 30minutes and then either wrap with a towel OR take everything off even the lid and allow it to air. I will do that if I see the heating pad has caused it to really heat up. I have recently gotten glycerine rivers (another subject) and cracking in the past if allow it to get too hot. If I was worried about the top messing up then I would use the heating pad underneath and cover with a box that wasn't too large but enough to give my mold some space and cover that with a towel or small blanket. In the past I didn't use a heating pad and still no problem with gel stage. I find a heating pad helps my soap to gel completely (all the way to the edges), before it was hit or miss, sometimes it would be the center and others all throughout. I know there are others who don't use any external source and have no problem gelling with just some good ole towels.

An example of a soap done earlier today. I wrapped with heating pad for 30 minutes and then had to let it cool down with nothing covering it. It was in obvious gel stage. It almost looks likes jello. I have soaped as low as 80F, leaving the lye to cool down while I was at work (several hours). I have soaped as high as 130F. If you soap hotter, you typically won't have a lot of time to work with the soap and I am sure there is more reasons not too. I advise against soaping hotter. I soap around 95-110F and I never have a problem with gel. Good luck with more batches under your belt, you will figure it out what works for you!

 

[houseofwool]

I cannot imagine a 100% coconut oil soap not gelling. It would be so difficult to prevent it from happening. When I have made my laundry soap at 0% it gels in less than 30 minutes. And without insulating at all, the outside of the mold is uncomfortably warm to the touch. So, if you step away at all, it is entirely possible that you missed the fact that it was going into gel.

 

[Lindy]

When you see pictures of soap that has a circle in the middle what you are seeing is a partial gel. Which is when the soap didn't gel all the way through....

I don't cover my soaps, I just allow them to do their thing. I always soap at room temperature and it heats up just fine. I use wooden log molds which tend to hold the heat better...

 

[dixiedragon]

I get 4 cups that are taller than my mold and set them at each corner of the mold, then drape a towel over the cups. Another option is a cardboard box.

I also gel in the oven. I turn my oven on to 150. I don't really want it at 150 - that's the lowest temp on my dial. I want the oven to be toasty warm. When the soap is poured, I take a cookie sheet and put some parchment paper on it, then I put the mold on the cookie sheet and put it in the oven. I don't want my mold directly on the over rack - I'm afraid the hot metal oven rack will damage the mold. I have no idea if this is actually an issue, but I prefer to use the cookie sheet. I put parchment paper on the cookie sheet b/c it is aluminum, and I don't want to risk geting raw soap directly on the cookie sheet.

 

[dixiedragon]

I made a batch of 100% coconut soap - 20% superfat and 100% salt - and soaped it very cool, about 70 or 80 degees, and it did not gel. I'm not sure if that's common in salt bars, though.

 

[houseofwool]

I made a batch of 100% coconut soap - 20% superfat and 100% salt - and soaped it very cool, about 70 or 80 degees, and it did not gel. I'm not sure if that's common in salt bars, though.

I haven't made a salt bar before, so that could be it. I do remember making a 100% CO with 20% SF and it gelled lickity-split too.

With my laundry soap, I need to cut it within a few hours of pouring as well or it is too brittle. It is usually still quite warm when I cut.

 

[Lindy]

I made a batch of 100% coconut soap - 20% superfat and 100% salt - and soaped it very cool, about 70 or 80 degees, and it did not gel. I'm not sure if that's common in salt bars, though.

Actually it's not because they heat up so much. How can you be sure it didn't gel? With that combo gel happens really fast..

 

[dixiedragon]

I can't say I'm 100% certain it didn't gel, but I checked on it frequently over a day and didn't see any signs of gel.

 

[Susie]

My 100% CO salt bars in individual 2.5 oz silicone molds went through gel in less than 30 min from pouring.(not insulated) Had I not needed something from the cabinet above them, I would have missed it.

 

[shunt2011]

I make a lot of salt bars. I can say that gel isn't as visable in them and I ususally put those in the oven for a bit to make sure they gel. As for my individual molds they never gel unless I put them in the oven and they get ash like no other. I do soap either at RT or very cool.

 

[raywitt001]

Well after my 5th batch yesterday, it did something different. I'm guessing this was a partial gel?
I left the soaps in the individual moulds a bit longer than previous times - my first batch was about 5 hours before turning it out (in a square 20cm silicone cake pan), then with these current individual moulds I turned the previous batches after about 4-5 hours. As the last batch of the same recipe was still soft after 5 hours (but I took them out anyway), I left this one longer - about 10 hours.
At 6 hours I tried popping out my tester (the not completely full mould) and it broke apart and the inside was pink! This slightly freaked me out but then I remembered the previous comment about the soap "glowing" and wondered if maybe this was gel phase? It wasn't any warmer than body temp at the time so it wasn't from heat, but likely a chemical reaction. A few of the other soaps had lightened for the most part but the very centre still looked a bit darker so I popped out one more whole one (to see if it would crumble the same as the partial one did, but it didn't), then thought I would wait a bit longer to pop out the rest just in case.
My thought was, being pure coconut oil soaps, perhaps they hardened before the gel phase occurred which is why I've never seen this before? Also, I wonder if the lemon myrtle herb in the soap would make it more likely to gel - in the same way as sugars accelerate it?
This morning the broken soap has gone back to its regular greyish colour. And all the soaps look the same (no darker spots in the centres as a tell-tale partial gel).
This first photo was straight after pour.


This was after 6 hours and it crumbled and was pink


And this was after they were all removed at about 10 hours (back half is the previous batch of the same recipe, front half is this batch with the broken 'pink' one on far bottom left although it had faded by then)