Recipe Adjustments and Preventing Gel

[AWD]

I prefer to prevent gel in my soap. I haven't managed to do it successfully (yet), but I'm still striving for that non-gelled look. I don't care for the translucent look of gelled soap - I really want my soap to look creamy. I have read and watched professional Soapers who say if you prevent gel in your soap you will end up with a softer bar. MY QUESTION IS...Should my recipe be adjusted to create a very hard bar (outside "acceptable" range) to counteract the potential softness of a non-gelled bar -OR - do I just need to let it cure for more than 4 weeks? Also - can someone please tell me how to successfully prevent gel? The first time I put my loaf in the freezer and ended up with a white powder all over it. The second time I put it in the fridge and ended up with a round gelled bit through the entire middle of the loaf. How can I properly prevent gel with any and all soap recipes?

 

[lsg]

Preventing gel can lead to soda ash, (that was the white powder all over your soap). To prevent gel you can:
Put soap in the freezer for a couple of days. (Obviously, this is one you have already tried).
You can soap at a lower temp.
Use individual cavity molds.
Make smaller batches .
You might try putting the soap on a rack and running a fan to circulate the air around the soap.

 

[Dean]

Lye 1/2 ice and 1/2 liquid, soap at room temperature and freeze one hour. Spray with alcohol to prevent ash.

High CO is reported to heat up. How much in ur recipie?

 

[penelopejane]

I know you want to avoid gel but I thought I should say that the weird partial gel ring of soap isn’t the same texture, consistency or translucency as a fully gelled soap. A fully gelled soap is creamy and solid looking.