Preventing gel phase?

[Shazzer]

Hello!

I've made a few batches of soap now and I've been lucky they've all turned out quite well so far. But up till now I always 'force' gel phase. I'm using citrus essential oils this time and I read in a lot of places that they may stick better if you avoid gel phase, for example by putting it in the fridge. Silly question, but should I still put the wooden lid on my form, or should I leave to top of my soap completely exposed....? Or should I indeed just let it gel?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Citrus essential oils are relatively volatile substances that tend not to want to stick around in soap. I haven’t found any evidence that they chemically bind to anything in the soap itself. In other words, I don’t think an EO will “stick” to something in a soap. Loss of any EO or FO from soap should slow down as ambient temperature is lowered, because that will decrease EO volatility, but lowering temperature is a trade off because it will also slow down water loss from the soap, and possibly the rate at which the soap cures. Based on advice from other EO users on the forum, my current strategy is to make my EO soaps as usual, let them cure for 4-6 weeks, and then move them into containers that reduce airflow. Some store their soaps in plastic containers, but I’m using cardboard boxes that I had on hand. The soap from one loaf almost fills a single box. Although the box is not totally airtight, any EO that escapes from the soap is somewhat retained in the airspace in the box, which should help to slow down the rate of EO loss from the soap itself (it has to do with vapor pressure). I also took a set of bars that were cured for a month, wrapped them in plastic wrap, and then put them in the freezer. I want to compare how that affects scent retention and soap quality over time. I also have an ongoing test with various “anchors” such as clays and starches to see if they enhance scent retention of 6x orange EO relative to no additive, but so far I can’t detect any differences after weeks of cure.

 

[Shazzer]

Thanks! I have them blended with litsea and ylang ylang, hoping to anchor them a bit with that. I just read that preventing the soap from getting so hot in gel phase may help from 'burning them off' at least a bit. But maybe I'll just let gel phase do its thing anyway and see what happens...

 

[Mobjack Bay]

If you ever find a chemical explanation of anchoring, please let me know! I’ve read some of the perfume forums where they talk about the concept, but not in enough detail for me to understand if there is something happening chemically when EOs and other organics are blended together. Ylang Ylang EO is not as volatile as orange eo and is known to hold up well in soap.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I am a personal fan of force gelling my soap but as @Mobjack Bay said above, essential oils do not stick around any better, regardless of force gelling or not. My advice would be to forget about the essential oils and go with fragrance oils instead. I personally don't see any benefits to using them in CP or HP soap making. But that is my opinion and not a fact lol.

Gelling your soap has a couple of advantages that I like. It will usually make your colors brighter and it can speed up your time between pouring and unmolding. I use heating pads and towels to get my soap up to 150°F minimum, with 160°F (65°C - 71°C) maximum.

Those are the two reasons why I force gell my soap. But just remember that this is my opinion only. Many people use essential oils and many do not gell their soaps. It is all a matter of personal preference. Let's know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I like to gel my soaps for the reasons @Todd Ziegler mentioned above. When I use EOs in soap it’s because I like the way they smell, not because of any other potential benefits. There are also FOs I like, so I use both. I’ve had scent retention issues with EOs and FOs (someone please connect me with a lavender or citrus anything that really lasts!) but on average, I have found EOs to be more finicky.

 

[Zing]

I always gel. I only use essential oils. I have had good luck with the 10X form of citrus scents lasting. I also recently started blending with litsea. Like @Mobjack Bay I also store soaps after a 6 week cure in cardboard shoe boxes with a few holes. I also stick in cotton balls scented with the same essential oils.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I like to gel my soaps for the reasons @Todd Ziegler mentioned above. When I use EOs in soap it’s because I like the way they smell, not because of any other potential benefits. There are also FOs I like, so I use both. I’ve had scent retention issues with EOs and FOs (someone please connect me with a lavender or citrus anything that really lasts!) but on average, I have found EOs to be more finicky.

Awaken is a great lemon FO from nurture soap. I get a fairly strong scent retention after a few months. However it is expensive.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Awaken is a great lemon FO from nurture soap. I get a fairly strong scent retention after a few months. However it is expensive.

Oh, that’s GREAT news because it’s one I’ve been testing recently. I struggle a bit with justifying the costs of scents, but when they hold up over time I get over it.

 

[TheGecko]

I used to gel my soaps but quit doing it because I found it to be a PITA, especially since I cure/store my soaps in a garage that is only insulted on two walls. And there was that one time I forgot to turn the oven off and 'baked' my soap for a few hours. So what I do, is just pour my batter into my mold, spray the top with 99% IPA*** a couple of times the first hour and then put them to bed in the garage. Except when I made GMS during the Summer...then I refrigerate and I put some plastic wrap on top just to make sure nothing falls into the soap.

*** - Sometimes the IPA works to prevent Soda Ash, sometimes it doesn't. In my experience, it's not the oil/butters or the water amount or the colorants or gel/no gel, but the FO.

 

[Shazzer]

Thanks for all the tips!! I've decided to gel this batch just because it's what I know how to control the best, though I'm still intrigued by trying to prevent it so will try that in the future also this one is colourful so I like the fact that gelling will make them a bit brighter and if I'll lose the scent either way, then might as well focus on colour! we'll see how the scents turn out - I'll do the EO in this batch because I have them on hand, but I've already ordered some FOs to try another batch with those and compare

 

[TheGecko]

Thanks for all the tips!! I've decided to gel this batch just because it's what I know how to control the best, though I'm still intrigued by trying to prevent it so will try that in the future also this one is colourful so I like the fact that gelling will make them a bit brighter and if I'll lose the scent either way, then might as well focus on colour! we'll see how the scents turn out - I'll do the EO in this batch because I have them on hand, but I've already ordered some FOs to try another batch with those and compare

It's been suggested that you can 'anchor' your scents by mixing it with Kaolin Clay because of how absorbent the clay is. I honestly don't know if it is true or not...some folks swear by it, some folks say it doesn't work. You could try contacting the SNIF Natural Soapmaking folks...they can be found on YouTube and FaceBook. They only use 'nature' for colorants and EOs.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

I used to gel my soaps but quit doing it because I found it to be a PITA, especially since I cure/store my soaps in a garage that is only insulted on two walls. And there was that one time I forgot to turn the oven off and 'baked' my soap for a few hours. So what I do, is just pour my batter into my mold, spray the top with 99% IPA*** a couple of times the first hour and then put them to bed in the garage. Except when I made GMS during the Summer...then I refrigerate and I put some plastic wrap on top just to make sure nothing falls into the soap.

*** - Sometimes the IPA works to prevent Soda Ash, sometimes it doesn't. In my experience, it's not the oil/butters or the water amount or the colorants or gel/no gel, but the FO.