qualitycaprine
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What is the big hoopla over gelling or not. I have always let my soap gel. I see that some people want it and others try to stop it. What is the difference?
Gel Phase
- Thread starter qualitycaprine
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soapbuddy
Well-Known Member
I prefer not to gel. The colors are lighter and the fragrances morph less.
ericllucas
Well-Known Member
What have you found the best way is to stop gelling? I don't have room in my refrigerator. The deep freeze probably isn't a good idea because of the risk of freezing. Thoughts?
fiddletree
Well-Known Member
I prefer gelling-I like the consistency and how the colors turn out over non-gelled soap. It's also faster to unmold and cut. I don't gel if I am using citrus EOs, though.
soapbuddy
Well-Known Member
I put my soap in the freezer; up to overnight with no problems. If need be, I elevate the mold and put a fan on it as it comes to room temp so it won't gel.ericllucas said:
Partial gel
But I thought it had to gel to turn to soap? When my last batch did not gel at the edges, they are lighter, grainier and zappy. Doesn't that mean that they have not saponified? The middle of the mold did gel, and it is soap. What will happen to the ungelled edges?
But I thought it had to gel to turn to soap? When my last batch did not gel at the edges, they are lighter, grainier and zappy. Doesn't that mean that they have not saponified? The middle of the mold did gel, and it is soap. What will happen to the ungelled edges?
dieSpinne
Well-Known Member
Although ungelled soap takes longer to finish the saponification process, as long as the lye was fully dissolved and your recipe was formulated to use all of the sodium hydroxide to saponify what oils were there, the zap should abate in anywhere from a few days to about a week.
Ungelled soap takes a little longer to cure, but has a creamier texture and appearance than gelled soap.
Ungelled soap takes a little longer to cure, but has a creamier texture and appearance than gelled soap.
qualitycaprine said:
The best way to answer this question is to make a batch of your favorite soap and split it in half. Insulate one half and allow it to gel, and refrigerate the other half to prevent gel. You will notice the differences easily and can decide which version (if any) you prefer and why.
to gel or not to gel, that is the question
Thanks! I'll try that, I was contemplating a 'super white' bar, using lard, coconut oil, castor and canola, or whatever other oils might be clear, so I'll split the batch and try the refrigerator idea (assuming I can find room in the fridge.) Maybe scent it with just a bit of wintergreen. Actually, I'll just take it outside, where it is cool but not freezing.
So: get the recipe right, mix to trace and pour up and keep cool? The problem I had with this last batch was I had added 30% trimmings, and they cooled the new soap down, and despite adding a heating pad, one end of the mold just didn't get hot enough to gel. (I make my batches in 10 lb logs) I am relieved to learn this isn't fatal.
Right now I am going for Christmas presents, so I want bars that have a minimum of aging.
Thanks! I'll try that, I was contemplating a 'super white' bar, using lard, coconut oil, castor and canola, or whatever other oils might be clear, so I'll split the batch and try the refrigerator idea (assuming I can find room in the fridge.) Maybe scent it with just a bit of wintergreen. Actually, I'll just take it outside, where it is cool but not freezing.
So: get the recipe right, mix to trace and pour up and keep cool? The problem I had with this last batch was I had added 30% trimmings, and they cooled the new soap down, and despite adding a heating pad, one end of the mold just didn't get hot enough to gel. (I make my batches in 10 lb logs) I am relieved to learn this isn't fatal.
Right now I am going for Christmas presents, so I want bars that have a minimum of aging.
BakingNana
Well-Known Member
Re: to gel or not to gel, that is the question
Careful with that. Soap can be harsh young even if it doesn't zap.
A part of not gelling is having a recipe and fragrance that won't start to gel anyway after it comes to room temp. Some need to be kept cool longer than others before coming to room temp to prevent that. I chill GM for 3-4 days, and even pour those into single-bar molds. I love the new silicone single-bar molds for ungelled soaps, but it takes those a lot longer to cure to mild. It's harder to prevent gel in a 10-lb log than it is in single-bar or smaller molds.
Groborax said:
Careful with that. Soap can be harsh young even if it doesn't zap.
A part of not gelling is having a recipe and fragrance that won't start to gel anyway after it comes to room temp. Some need to be kept cool longer than others before coming to room temp to prevent that. I chill GM for 3-4 days, and even pour those into single-bar molds. I love the new silicone single-bar molds for ungelled soaps, but it takes those a lot longer to cure to mild. It's harder to prevent gel in a 10-lb log than it is in single-bar or smaller molds.
cp chick
Well-Known Member
Re: to gel or not to gel, that is the question
What BakingNana is referring to is that even if your soap goes through gel phase and is ready to cut, it will likely be quite drying to the skin. Soap should be cured for at least 4 weeks to allow more water to evaporate and create a longer-lasting and less drying bar. I often take a small sliver of fresh soap left over from my cutting and try it on my hands to check the lather. However, I would not give a bar of it to anyone until it has properly cured. Waiting is one of the hardest parts of soaping! :cry:
BakingNana said:
What BakingNana is referring to is that even if your soap goes through gel phase and is ready to cut, it will likely be quite drying to the skin. Soap should be cured for at least 4 weeks to allow more water to evaporate and create a longer-lasting and less drying bar. I often take a small sliver of fresh soap left over from my cutting and try it on my hands to check the lather. However, I would not give a bar of it to anyone until it has properly cured. Waiting is one of the hardest parts of soaping! :cry:
cheesenoodle
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Can anyone explain what is chemically happening when soap "gels"?
I thought too that gelling was a sign that the lye in the soap had been fully consumed, but apparently this only happens during the hot process of making soap.
In the cold process, apparently gelling does not occur, is that right?
Sort of confused on this
I thought too that gelling was a sign that the lye in the soap had been fully consumed, but apparently this only happens during the hot process of making soap.
In the cold process, apparently gelling does not occur, is that right?
Sort of confused on this
cheesenoodle said:
In simple terms, saponification is speeded up.
For a deeper explanation, you can't do better than Dr. Kevin Dunn:
http://cavemanchemistry.com/HsmgTemperature2009.pdf
cheesenoodle said:
As I understand it, in the gel stage, the chemical reaction between the lye and oils is speeding up and generating enough heat to 'melt' the soap, i.e. change it's structure into a liquid crystaline one. Yes- the lye is being consumed- but as I see it, it's not necessarily a sign that it has been 'fully consumed'. To me, I don't consider that it has been 'fully consumed' until it is tongue neutral.
cheesenoodle said:
Incorrect. CP soaps do gel (I gel mine all the time). The difference with gel in CP vs. gel in HP is that gelling in CP is allowed to happen on it's own, or with a little help from insulation (such as towels) and/or applied heat from a heating pad or placing the soap in a warm place if needed, and then allowed to harden into solid soap on it's own. Even with gelling, solidified/finished CP may yet have undersaponified (tongue positive) areas present when the zap test is applied to the bars due to the heat not being uniformly high enough throughout the soap when in the gel stage. If you formulated your soap properly, those undersaponified areas will eventually become tongue neutral as the soap is allowed to cure.
In comparison, HP is a method where you are forcing and prolonging the gel stage through continually cooking it and periodically stirring the gelled mass until neutrality is reached via the zap test, and then pouring/glopping the neutral gelled mass into your molds.
HTH!
IrishLass
