Should I be worried?

[cthylla]

This is my second batch of soap (different recipe)...and this one ended up WAY softer than the first. I left it in the mold for 36 hours, and then cut it up this morning. It's still soft- I can crush it if I tried hard enough...but a light touch seems to be fine. Is that normal?

Also, I am seeing the halo effect again. The edges are white, while the center is darker and more transparent. Is this bad? Should I have left it in the mold another day or so? I already cut it up and put it on the rack to dry.

It's so funny how the different recipes behave!

For reference- I used an Anne Watson recipe:
21oz Olive Oil Grade A
9oz Coconut Oil (76)
9oz water
4.1oz lye
1.2oz FO (Rose Garden from New Directions Aromatics)

It definitely traced....was like pancake batter when I poured.

I just feel like I'm messing something up here.

 

[ToniD]

You are fine. The halo effect is partial gel. It is just cosmetic. I'd give you advice on avoiding it, except that I seem to always get partial gel, so any advice I give would not be worth much. I'm sure someone can help you out.

That recipe can be a tad soft coming out of the mold because of the amount of OO, but it hardens up very nicely and makes a good soap.

 

[chibilightangel]

I wouldn't worry about having messed up, it looks fine to me.

The halo effect, that's partial gel. Your soap gelled in the middle (heated up from the center) but didn't get hot enough on the outside to get full gel. There's a number of methods both to either ensure a full gel, or to prevent gel. Seems to be a personal preference wether people do one or the other.

As to being softer, depending on how different your oils are in this second recipe, that's what affected how hard/soft it came out. If you'd waited longer to cut, it would have gotten harder, but I don't know if 24h would necessarily have made a noticable difference. From reading posts and my experience (8 batches so far), I've noticed that gelled soaps get harder faster than ungelled.

 

[Happy Lass]

I checked your recipe on the sage's lye calc and you're fine there. You might want to use atiny bit more water when working with florals, since they can be tricky. But what you had is fine.

What happened after you poured your soap into your mold? Did you freeze it? Insulated it? What?

My best guess is you got a partical gel. It gel'ed in the center but not out to the edges. This is a perfect example of why folks either force gel or try to prevent it- so they don't get the half-way thing.

My soaps are usually a tiny bit soft when I cut them, but they firm up as they cure. That's probably not a problem.

In short, it looks exactly like my second batch, complete with the slight bits of crumblyness at the edges. Trim away the bits you don't like and let it age. In a month, I believe you'll love it and you're next batch will be better.

 

[cthylla]

Hmm. My house is on the cold side....usually around 65 degrees F. It would make sense that the soap wouldn't get hot enough to fully gel.

Would placing it in the oven help? Blankets? Soap hotter? This batch was soaped at 100 degrees F.

From what I've read, it seems I can prevent gel altogether by soaping colder.

 

[cthylla]

What happened after you poured your soap into your mold? Did you freeze it? Insulated it? What?

All I did was pour it and place it in a cool closet. No blankets or lid.

 

[Happy Lass]

What happened after you poured your soap into your mold? Did you freeze it? Insulated it? What?

All I did was pour it and place it in a cool closet. No blankets or lid.

There you go- textbook for getting a partical gel.

Ideas for next time:

to gel: wrap it in towels and place it in a box in a warmish place (I like the top of my fridge) OR put it in a very low oven (170 F) for 30 minutes or so.

to not gel: Pour it and stick it in your freezer for 24 hours.

(I'm a geller, so I can't give as much advice on the no gel option.)

 

[cthylla]

Thank you!!

 

[Finchen]

Will the soap stay looking like this or will the partial transparent look disappear sometime?

 

[Happy Lass]

Will the soap stay looking like this or will the partial transparent look disappear sometime?

It will fade over time, but it will be there, just faint.

 

[falldowngobump]

You did a great job! It looks wonderful! I put my soap on a heating pad set on low and cover with an old towel to insure a full gel--My oven gets hotter than it needs to and tends to volcano and overheat--I learned this fact the hard way, what a mess!

 

[cthylla]

My oven gets hotter than it needs to and tends to volcano and overheat--I learned this fact the hard way, what a mess!

So line the oven with foil or a big pan first. Got it!!

Thank you, I will try the oven tonight ...then the heating pad if the oven rebels!

 

[Soaplady22]

Well, there you go!
Let us know how it turns out, okay?

 

[busymakinsoap!]

I love the look of non gelled soap, I think its creamier and you dont get the changes in colours that you do with gelling soap. its a persnal preference as to what you prefer.
Recently I started soaping at about 35 deg, and depending on the ingredients and FO I have been able to prevevent gell.
Here are some comparison pics:



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The one on the left is gelled, the one on the right is non gelled (excuse the pics, they are the log ends). Both identical FO's and recipes and stored the same, just soaped at different temps.

Non gell is really good if you want pastel shades - kinda like ice cream. But is softer for longer and I cant cut for 3 days, whereas gelled I can in 12 hours.

 

[gilligan]

FUNNY! That is the same recipe I used for my 2nd batch. I had the exact same experience. I thought I'd messed up, but they finally hardened up.

 

[cthylla]

The one on the left is gelled, the one on the right is non gelled (excuse the pics, they are the log ends). Both identical FO's and recipes and stored the same, just soaped at different temps.

Non gell is really good if you want pastel shades - kinda like ice cream. But is softer for longer and I cant cut for 3 days, whereas gelled I can in 12 hours.

Thank you!! That is helpful...and interesting! I love the brightness of the non-gelled soap!

I am going to try the oven for a full gel tonight...but I think the next experiment will be with non-gel.

Stupid question: 35 degrees Celsius, correct? So about 95 degree F?

 

[cthylla]

FUNNY! That is the same recipe I used for my 2nd batch. I had the exact same experience. I thought I'd messed up, but they finally hardened up.

That IS funny! I'm about to start my third... what was yours?

 

[helen1949]

Cthylla

Hi, what is that you have on top of the soap? It looks like candy. Cool.

 

[cthylla]

Okay, I soaped this batch at 95 degrees F in an effort to PREVENT gel. Then I put it in the freezer for an hour. After that, I will put it in the cool closet to sit for 2-3 days.

Wish me luck!!

Oh, and I couldn't resist this shot. I look so crazy! :twisted:

 

[cthylla]

Re: Cthylla

Hi, what is that you have on top of the soap? It looks like candy. Cool.

Just regular cupcake sprinkles.