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swisspensch

Member
Joined
May 11, 2017
Messages
14
Reaction score
19
Location
Zürich, Switzerland
Hello ladies and gentlemen,
:bunny:

I found your forum via Google.

I thought I would pop in and say hello as I have a question to ask.

I made some Castile soap, and while I am happy with it, I wanted to understand why there was an uneveness in the colour, I noticed this especially around the edges. I can add some photos later if you like!

Cheers,
Swiss
 
Welcome to our group! I've been to Zurich, and vacation for 2.5 weeks throughout Switzerland. Beautiful place!

And definitely post some pictures, and your recipe. Did it look like a circle, and the circle is darker than the outside. If it is, then it's what's called partial gel. If not, you should post a picture of it.
 
This pictures captures the issue best.
Receipe used:
38 oz. Organic EVOO
4.8 oz. Sodium hydroxide
12.5 oz. Distilled water

First batch, so I quartered the quantities.

PartialGel.png
 
Yep, that is partial gel. Your soap got hotter on the inside than the outside (which is totally normal). To avoid it, you need to either keep the soap cooler while getting firm, or insulate it so that it all stays warmer.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome, Swiss! :wave:

I agree- it's classic case of partial gel. It's nothing to worry over, though. Partially-gelled soaps might be a bit unsightly, but they are still perfectly good soaps to use.


IrishLass :)
 
Hello. Welcome aboard.

While I agree with the others that is partial gel, my advice is to use less water if you want to prevent it, not soap cooler. You are using quite a bit of liquid, and with a olive oil soap, I'd recommend a 35 to 40 percent lye solution. That will help speed up trace and let you unmold and cut faster as well.
 
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