Gel/saponifiction
Hi Lea Ann.
Gel phase is a point at which soap is undergoing the saponification process and becomes a sort of warm to hot transparent gel, then slowly becomes opaque and more solid, then cools off. If soap goes through gel phase, it tend to saponify faster.
Gel phase is not necessary, and some soapers actively try to prevent it by putting soap in the fridge or freezer. It does not prevent the soap from saponifying eventually. All it does is slow the process down. Some people like it to move more slowly because they like the look and feel of soaps that have not gelled. It's a personal preference.
So is definitely not considered bad if it didn't gel.
I don't know that certain oils make a difference. Some oils cause soap to reach trace faster, but I don't know that any of them necessarily make gel more likely to occur. At that point, it seems that the oils and lye are doing their work.
Hi Folks
I have just started making soap so am new to this, though I did a lot of research before starting. I must say that the gel thing is still a little confusing to me.
When I add the lye solution my soap immediately turns to a sort of a carmely beige colour and trace always takes less than 4 - 5 minutes....sometimes only a minute or so with an electric hand mixer. It stays that colour throughout. There is some odd slight colour variations as it cures depending on what oil I use but I stick to pretty basic oils. So far the soaps have been great, clean very well (way better than bought soaps I have had), don't seem to be harsh - but don't lather much. I added castor oil to the last batch so we sill see (it is in the mold now).
Today however I took some out of the mold and it appears to have whiter blotches, which is I am assuming in gel phase, so this is the first time I have even noticed gelling. The whiter patches only go a couple of millimeters into the soap. The inside is an even "normal to me" colour.
A ramble perhaps to get to here perhaps, but my confusion comes with the gelling or partial gelling. If as suggested in the above quote, gelling is part of saponification and I have not noticed it before:
- if it doesn't matter if it happens or not, how does it saponify without the gelling phase.
- Does it always gel but is just vey subtle sometimes so one doesn't notice it? -Some people have said here that they try not to gel, so how does that affect saponification?
-What is the difference between soap that has gone through the gel phase and soap that hasn't?
My soaps so far seem to be OK (from my perspective at least) but it would be nice to know how all this works.
Thanks
Hoaper