Um, unexpected effect

[CFarmerlady]

Just poured this soap, olive and coconut, and it's starting to go translucent in places. Is it breaking? :shock:

 

[Shannon_m]

Looks like it's gelling.

 

[CFarmerlady]

Is that a good thing? Sorry, I'm not very experienced at this.

 

[Shannon_m]

It's a matter of opinion.. it's a part of saponification and sometimes can't be helped. It just means that the end product will be harder, easier to unmold, and the lye will be fully incorporated sooner. The bars look a bit different to those that aren't gelled, but that's not a bad thing either. It's not a bad thing, it won't ruin your soaps, it's just a natural reaction between the lye and the oils when they heat up.

 

[CFarmerlady]

Okay. Thanks. I'm trying to replace our store-bought bath soap, so it's kind of important.

 

[houseofwool]

There is no functional difference between gelled and ungelled soap. It can take a bit longer for an ungelled soap to harder (in my experience).

 

[soapsydaisy]

It helps to wrap your soap molds in an old towel so that it gels all the way through. The towel helps to insulate. You can also put your molds in the fridge to prevent gel. There is a color difference between gelled and ungelled. I almost always gel but it is a personal preference.

 

[bodhi]

is there goats milk in there?

 

[melstan775]

Think of gelling as "cooking" your soap. The natural reaction of the lye and oils creates heat, and the heat spreads throughout. As already pointed out, gelling is a matter of preference. Freezing the soap will help prevent gelling. The look of ungelled soap is lighter and creamier. Gelled soap is darker or brighter and harder in texture. Try it both ways and see what you like!

 

[CFarmerlady]

My recipe was 29 oz coconut oil, 49 oz olive oil, 25 oz water and 11.25 oz lye. At first it was a really pretty yellow, and then I went to get ready for work. I came back to make sure the cat couldn't knock the molds off the filing cabinet, and they were changing colors and I panicked. So, since I didn't insulate, and didn't refrigerate, it's going to be partially gelled? That should be, um, interesting. :wtf:

 

[Hazel]

Don't panic. It's not a problem. It's still soap but most people find a partially gelled batch an aesthetic issue. I've had a few batches which partially gelled and I thought it made the soap look more interesting. I had one person even ask me what colorant I used for the monochromatic "swirl" in a soap after a posted a pic. She was so disappointed when I told her it was partial gel. I don't know why the partial gel occurred in a swirling pattern. Normally, it looks more like a circle in the middle of a loaf. I wish I knew how it happened so I could duplicate it. I've had this happen in two loaves and I really liked the effect.

 

[Shannon_m]

In my coconut soap I just made (it's too dark now to take pics) and cut I got partial gel. I've gotten partial gel before where only a slight edge is the color it was when I put it to bed and the rest is that darker color. The coconut soap gelled weird on me. I added TD to the batter but it never really whitened up on me, it's more of a pale yellow/cream look which is cool. The partial gel did a ring of white on the outer edge of the gel circle and then just slightly darker (almost unnoticeable compared to that white ring) pale yellow on the inside. Weirdest thing I've ever seen lol, but cool at the same time!

Ok here I took a pic on my iPhone... not the best and the lighting in here is yellow (I prefer to take pics of my soap in natural light).. but you can see what I mean.

[/IMG]

 

[stargazer44]

This thread has helped me tons! I have been trying to figure out the difference between gelled and un-gelled soaps. My first batch did that partial gel thing described here. I actually thought gosh maybe it is ruined - but it is sounding like it wasn't. I have been wondering about that batch from day one because I don't think I actually don't think it ever reached trace.... anyway.... thank you! I don't think I have to toss my batch after all!

 

[leniwie]

Careful with the temperature - it might crack in the middle - check it ocassionally!

 

[Paintguru]

I'd be more concerned about the Sister Act video .

 

[MaitriBB]

CFarmerlady, if you're new to soapmaking, you might want to start with smaller batches. My standard batch is about 1/3 the size of the one in the pic.

 

[Shannon_m]

I'd be more concerned about the Sister Act video .

My Aunt is an extra in that movie. I live in Reno and my Aunt used to hang out at the Nevada Club a lot back in those days. You can actually see her quite clearly when Whoopie is running through the casino near the end of the movie. Any family gathering from that point on, she'd turn the thing on and fast forward to that part, and then rewind it over and over to see herself in a movie. {facepalm}

 

[lizflowers42]

I'd be more concerned about the Sister Act video .

Come on now, that movie is a classic!

In all seriousness, I would also make sure your cat can't get into it at all...kitty could get a bad lye burn from it!

 

[CFarmerlady]

Update:

Here's what it looked like after I cut and trimmed it.


Since it's just an aesthetic issue, we'll probably just go on and use it. We're using this stuff ourselves, not selling it or anything, so looks aren't that important. Smell is, and I think I'll use less EO next time, because it smells more like lemon than lavender, kind of like it did when I was just smelling the bottle. I used about 10 drops, so maybe 5 next time?

Oh, and Sister Act is a family favorite. I'm going to have to get it on BluRay soon because that old tape is wearing out.

 

[Hazel]

I think I'll use less EO next time, because it smells more like lemon than lavender, kind of like it did when I was just smelling the bottle. I used about 10 drops, so maybe 5 next time?

Your soap looks great and it looks like gel almost reached the outside edges.

How large of a batch did you make? From the picture on the first page, it looks like a large batch and I wouldn't have thought 10 drops of EO would have been enough for it.