To Gel or Not to Gel

[yogirlfriend]

Hey .
new to the forum so Hi to all firstly
just been reading a few posts and notice some of you add your soap to the fridge to stop the gel, Can anyone give me an explanation on the pros and cons of this method.

 

[Genny]

Pros:
-It seems to give the soap a smoother feeling
-Less "volcano soap" problems


Cons:
-It takes longer for the soap to get hard, which means more time before removing it from the mold and cutting it.
-Some fo's will make your soap gel no matter what you do to stop it.
-Your colors usually don't get as bright.
-If your oils & lye are not cool enough, your soap may still gel.

 

[Genny]

I forgot to say, "Welcome to SMF"

 

[LisaMarie]

I tried preventing gel for the first time this week. Put my batch in the refrigerator making sure it was cool even before putting it in. I agree - it wasn't ready to come out of the mold 24 hours later, but I do like the creamy texture so far. I posted a photo in the photo gallery called "Last Night's Soap" and will be posting some cut photos tonight!

 

[Relle]

I don't gel my soap and when it comes out of the frig it sits for a day ITM before unmoulding and then one or two days before cutting.

 

[yogirlfriend]

Fridge

Well there is no way my DH would allow me to put my soap in the fridge, and I cant even go there with the thought of buying a second hand one for the soap, with the bloody carbon tax Gillard has hit us with. Ill never sell her any of my soap lol.

 

[Sunny]

I like to gel always, I am way too impatient for ungelled soap. It seems to take forever to be able to unmold and cut. Plus I really like the look and feel of a gelled one.

PLUS I usually get partial gel if I try not to.

 

[IrishLass]

Like Sunny, I'm a geller, too. I like being able to unmold and cut within 6 to 18 hours after pour (depending on my formula), I like the way my colors brighten up, and I like not getting ash (the ungelled soaps I've done all got terrible ash). Plus, I can't always guarantee when my fridge or freezer will have enough space to fit my mold.
​

IrishLass ​