Gelling, not gelling...???

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littlefrodo

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I make soap for my family, and I don't do anything terribly fancy with them. I've achieved partial gel most times, but I also get a lot of ash. Am I not insulating enough? Then I also worry about over heating. Since it's just plain, simple soap (no milk, etc.) is overheating something I even need to worry about?

Thanks in advance!
 
If you want to gel your soap just cover it and insulate it with a towel or two, you can peek at them to see if it may overheat. As for the ash you can try spraying the top with 91% alcohol. I have found that this has pretty much eliminated my ash problem.
 
When I first started making soap I had a lot of problems with ash. The simple solution for me was to keep my soap covered for at least 24 hours. That means no peaking either. LOL It works. My understanding is that ash occurs due to oxidation on the soap that has not fully saponified and to me that means keep it covered until its done saponifying. I do CP thou and don't gel. Gelling your soap is supposed to help it saponify faster. But if you don't gel or achieve full gel then leave it covered up for at least 24 hours before uncovering, demolding, cutting, etc.

Forgot to add that I found certain FOs can also make your soap prone to ash. Again, the solution for me is the same. I keep my soap covered for at least 24 hours no matter what it is. I rarely get ash anymore using this rule.
 
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Well, I'll admit to being a soap-peaker and early-unmolder! I'll try not uncovering for 24 hours and try wrapping in an extra towel! If that doesn't work, I'll try the alcohol. Thanks!
 
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