Partial Gel Hell...

[Sunaelurus]

Can anyone tell me why my last two soaps went through a partial gel? The two before that we're fine. Same silicone mold, different ingredients. Thanks!

 

[seven]

it might be helpful if you list your recipe here and the additives you used.

 

[cmzaha]

EO's & FO's used along with some ingredients such as milk and honey can cause heat differences in batches. Also, more liquid in one batch versus another can change gelling factors. Usually less liquid will tend to slow gel, resulting in a partial or no gel. Partial gel really is just cosmetic. I know some feel it changes the quality of the soap, but with side by side test gelling and none gelling of the same recipe I really have not found a difference in the feel or lasting time of the finished soap. If you want to assure a full gel you can put your mold on a heating pad at its lowest setting. Silicone is much harder to insulate than wood or hdpe molds. I prefer hdpe molds myself and really dislike silicone molds

 

[paillo]

If you don't have fancy tops on the batches, and if they are new, no more than a day or so old, I'd pop them into a preheated oven at 170 degrees for an hour, turn off the oven, and let them sit for up to 12 hours. This may force a full gell. It's worked well for me.

 

[Sunaelurus]

Well, I put the soap on a heating pad and came out with a smoother batch. Our heat automatically goes down about 4* at night so maybe it's the heat fluctuation.

 

[Kansas Farm Girl]

I insulate my molds after I pour. I rarely put them in the oven, but I have when I needed to. I put mine in a box with a towel wrapped around it or put it in a styrofoam cooler. I usually soap in the garage and that gets cold enough that if I don't wrap them up good at this time of year they won't gel or I will only get a small area to gel before the batch cools off.

 

[Dennis]

I wrap my mold in two humongous old raggedy towels that are fairly thick. Better than the cheap SpongeBob beach towels that are sold now. Don't get me wrong, I do like SpongeBob. Anyway, each towel is wrapped around the mold twice and the ends tucked under. Second towel gets the same. Slide it into the corner on the kitchen counter and try to ignore it for 24 hrs. Never works. I always peek after 8 or 10 hrs. Well, maybe 6, sometimes 4. But never sooner than 3 unless it's something new and special then I might check it after 2 hrs but probably never sooner. Mostly. I have been known to stick a finger in between to feel the mold and see if things are working. Kinda like checking that diaper. Ewww, SURPRISE! :shock: