GM soap - to gel, or not to gel?

[PracticalDreamer]

Hi everyone,

I made my first attempt at GM soap last night - two batches, one pumpkin pie soap and another oatmeal, honey and almond soap. For both batches I added a small amount of cold goat's milk (about 2 tablespoons) at trace and it seemed to mix in fine. Well, as I typically gel my soaps I decided to insulate them both and let them gel (though I can never seem to get it right to the edge, will probably heat my silicone molds prior to pouring next time). I had a little bit of soap left over from the oatmeal batch and put them in individual mini cupcake silicon cups - now this morning I see a big difference in the overall look of the soap. The soap in the loaf mold is more transparent (obviously from gelling) and lumpy on top - I suppose it's possible that it overheated due to the honey and GM, but I did try to be vigilant and pop it into the fridge as soon as it was at full gel. Regardless of my efforts though, there's a definite difference in color and texture. The small mini cupcake samples are still a creamy white and seem to be hardening pretty well. Now I'm starting to wonder if gelling is not a good idea for anything containing honey or milk...so...

For those of you who make soap containing milk or honey - do you find you get better results without allowing the soap to gel? Or do you do so and then cool it down as soon as it reaches full gel? Thanks!

Christa

 

[artisan soaps]

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[PracticalDreamer]

May I ask why, specifically? Is it a texture/color issue? Do you find that the soap curing time is much delayed if you don't gel, or is the difference negligible? Also, how do you prevent it, by placing it in the freezer or refrigerator? And, just so I can thoroughly riddle you with questions - do you find that your bars reach the same level of hardness as gelled bars? Thanks!

 

[ewenique]

I am not an expert on whether to gel or not. It seems to be a matter of personal preference. So, I split a batch of goat milk (no honey) soap - half went in the fridge, half in the oven (CPOP with the light on). There is a difference in color. The nongelled soap is lighter and creamier looking, while the gelled soap is a light tan. It isn't a dramatic difference. Honey would probably cause a darker color in a gelled soap. Anyways, the best thing to do is try it yourself and decide what you like better. I generally gel my soaps, but will probably not gel the goatmilk soaps in the future.

 

[ohsoap]

I just made a GM the other day and gelled it... well ended up partial gel. I don't how it turned out at all... the color was so much different then I had envisioned it!

Edited to add: I also got what looks like an erruption from it getting too hot.

 

[PracticalDreamer]

Ooh, thank you for the information and the photos! My pumpkin batch seems to have weathered the gelling process a bit better than the oatmeal/honey batch, but I imagine that's due to the honey. It did seem to gel really suddenly and I ended up with a wrinkled top, so I'm just hoping that will calm down a bit. I'll try to take photos when I get home tonight so I can post some evidence here as well.

ohsoap, have you tried pre-heating your molds so that the edges are warm before you pour the soap? I've heard that can be helpful in making sure that the entire thing gels, rather than just the center. I'll have to give it a try.

 

[ohsoap]

I think my mold just sucks @$$

I line with freezer paper, but I don't know if that matters for this topic.

 

[IrishLass]

Now I'm starting to wonder if gelling is not a good idea for anything containing honey or milk...so...

Like Ewenique, I personally believe that gelling or not gelling is not so much a matter of being good or bad, but of personal preference. I gel all of my soaps whether they be milk/honey soaps or not and they all turn out perfectly fine. The best thing you can do is to try it both ways to see which method you like best.


IrishLass

Edited to add that when I make my goat milk/honey soap, I add my honey directly to my cooled down lye water and let it sit for a little. Since I started doing it this way, my GM/Honey soap never overheats as it's gelling, and as an added bonus, I no longer get honey spots in my finished bars either.

 

[artisan soaps]

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[PracticalDreamer]

Great information, thank you so much! I think I'm going to make new batches as soon as I can and try not gelling this time so I can compare the two. I will be sure to post photos!

 

[soapqueen]

I'm really interested in the whole 'to gel, or not to gel' issue. I have always been a fan of a good gel, as I felt it speeded the saponification process. All the books seem to say that this is a good thing, and also that it is possible to stop the saponification process in its tracks by not letting it at least get fairly warm, or by even lifting the lid for a little peek??
Now I'm torn between total gel (no-one wants partial, right?), and noe!!!!
Heeeellllp!!!

 

[ohsoap]

I like the look of non gel better, but I really hate waiting to cure.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I don't gel GM soaps. I put them into shallow slab or individual moulds and leave them covered with plastic wrap out on the table at room temperature.

 

[honor435]

I dont do many ungelled, but did you say after gel you put in fridge? i thought youre supposed to put in fridge to prevent gel?

 

[campbellsoap]

I have tried to gel my GM soap and it has always turned dark on me so I don't gel mine. I don't put it in the fridge either. I use cardboard box for my mold and just put a cardboard lid on the box. I just made some GM with 75% lard and I have nice creamy bars.

jackie