Gel phase

[lauratryingsoap]

Hi! I have a quick question. How do you force gel phase? I have seen lots of threads and articles but it seems that without a heating pad gel phase can't really be forced. I want to soap at higher temperatures but I'm terrified that it might volcano. And also, is gel phase similar to hot process soap? So it can be used after the day it is made?

 

[mx5inpenn]

You can force gel a number of ways. Using a heating pad, oven, insulating. I soap at room temp and if I want to be sure it gels, I use the oven. I preheat to lowest temp (170F for me) then put the covered mold in and turn it off. I leave it there for at least 12 hours, 24 if I don't need the oven for anything else.

As far as ready to use... HP isn't ready to use the next day really. It is safe to use because it has finished saponifying. But it really does need to cure as long or longer than CP. When you force gel, it is similar to HP in that it saponifies faster.

Saponification is the reaction between oils and lye and any soap that has completed that process is safe to use because there isn't any active lye. Curing is about water loss, crystal structure, *bubbles*. A well cured bar will last longer, be more mild, and have superior lather to a less cured bar.

Make a small batch and set aside one bar for testing. Use it once a week. You'll see a big difference! I've made enough soap now that I rarely use a bar less than 6 months old because they keep getting better, just like wine!

 

[BattleGnome]

Didn't refresh before posting. Mx6inpenn got here frist

 

[lauratryingsoap]

Thanks so much!!

 

[DeeAnna]

You don't have to get crazy about "forcing" gel -- often a little encouragement is all it needs.

Most of my soap gets warm enough to gel if I start my soap batter at about 100 to 120 F (38 to 48 C) and put the molded soap in a place that is at warm room temperature. I have a small freezer in my pantry. The freezer's lid is always slightly warm and the pantry is always a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house. I often put my soap on the freezer's lid and usually get good results. In the winter, when the whole house is cooler, I sometimes cover the molded soap with a towel or other light cover.

A gentle CPOP can also be helpful. Many of us started by pre-warming the oven to 170 F (76 C), but a lot of us have found that temps this high can create some issues. Some ovens can't be set to temps lower than this (as Mx6 mentioned), but if you can preheat to 140 F (60 C), that's all that's needed. Don't put the soap in the oven during preheat and be sure to turn off the oven after it's warmed up.

All soap is SAFE to use after saponification is complete -- in a few hours for HP, overnight or so for CPOP, and maybe 2-3 days for CP soap that's been kept extra cool. But don't confuse fully saponified soap with soap that's at its best. All soap is BEST after a complete cure - hard, long lasting, best lather, mildest to skin -- and that takes at least a month. The idea that HP soap can be used (and sold) the day after it's made but CP soap takes weeks to be safe to use is a garbled-up myth.

 

[penelopejane]

I preheat the oven then use a laser thermometer to check its around 40*c (my oven blows air to cool it for 10 mins so I have to allow for that but still get to 40*c when the airblowing stops) then put the soap in its silicone mold in a cardboard box and wrap it in a blanket and leave untouched (don't open oven) for 24 hrs.

This works like a charm to get full gel at most lye concentrations.
I can't do it anymore because my new molds are too big.

 

[IrishLass]

You don't have to get crazy about "forcing" gel -- often a little encouragement is all it needs.

Exactly! ^^^

I like to soap with a water discount (for what it's worth, mostly a 33% lye concentration). I mention this because soaps with a discounted water amount are difficult buggers to fully gel (compared to 'full-water' soaps) unless a bit of extra heat is applied to them during saponification, but I've found through trial and error that not a whole lot of heat is needed, actually. I used to force gel by sticking my soap in the oven set to 170F and turning it off and leaving my soap in there overnight, but that proved to be major overkill for me. I would often end up with unsightly 'blisters' on my soap, or cracks from overheating, etc...

Through trial and error, I eventually found that all I need to do in order to achieve full gel in my discounted water batches is to soap warm (anywhere in the range of 110F to 120F), then right after I've poured my batch into the mold I turn my oven on for exactly 3 minutes. With my particular oven, 3 minutes is all it takes to preheat the temp up to 110F, which I've found is the max amount of extra heat that my soap needs to achieve full gel. Then I cover my soap with it's accompanying cover plus a few cotton diapers draped over top, stick it inside the warmed oven and immediately turn the oven off, close the door and leave it there overnight. The next day, anywhere from about 12 to 18 hours later, I have a fully gelled (and nicely gelled, with no overheating issues) soap waiting and ready for me to be unmolded and cut.

Ditto what everyone said in regards to the difference between safe-to-use soap and ready/best-to-use-soap. A cure of at least 1 month is the difference between night and day. My fully-gelled CP soaps are completely saponified and safe to use right out of the mold, but definitely not the best to use in terms of lather, mildness, longevity, etc... Soap is like wine or cheese- it needs time to mature or ripen to its best potential.

IrishLass