Soap problem gelling?

[SanVan]

Hello,
After it sat for 38 hours, I unmolded a batch of soap and it looks different in the middle than the outside. I attached 3 photos. Does anyone know what happened? Something to do with gelling? Should I let it sit longer in the mold? I'm new to soap making so help is greatly appreciated!

 

[dixiedragon]

That's partial gel. Your soap is fine, it's just cosmetic. What happens is that gelling starts in the middle where the soap is warmest and spreads outward. I have that same mold btw, love it. I warm my oven to 150 or so, then turn it off. I put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and put the mold on that, then put it in the oven to ensure corner-to-corner gel.

 

[Seawolfe]

Thats a nice example of partial gel - youll have an oval in the middle of the bars when you cut. Its just cosmetic and I think its kind of neat.
But if you want it to gel all the way through, insulate your mold a bit more, or put it on a gentle heat source like a floor heater with a pilot light or a heating pad.

 

[SanVan]

Thank you! I want the bars to all be the colour that's on outer side, so I'll put it back in the mold wrapped in towel and put a heating pad on low under it. How long should I have the heat on for?

 

[shunt2011]

Yes, it's only cosmetic. Partial gel happens when it's not insulated enough and doesn't reach the edges. You can either insulate it better by placing towels on it or put it in a preheated oven 170 and just turn the oven off and leave it closed. You can also avoid gel by placing it in the freezer.

 

[SanVan]

So can I still heat it up in the oven or am I too late?

 

[cmzaha]

Thank you! I want the bars to all be the colour that's on outer side, so I'll put it back in the mold wrapped in towel and put a heating pad on low under it. How long should I have the heat on for?

At this point putting it on a heating pad might not initiate a full gel. In the future if you want the opaque creamy color on the outside of the soap put your mold in the freezer to stop gel. Some soaps will heat up so much they will even get a partial gel in the freezer. After overnight in the freezer some will then put the mold in the fridge to help deter condensation, I do not since the condensation will evaporate. Partial gels are a fact of life when making soap, we all get them at one time or another. It just makes people wonder how you got the perfect oval in the center . I simply rather put up with a partial gel versus my soap overheating and seperating, which is at times is a side effect of gelling. Sorry prolly to much info for a newbie :smile:

 

[SanVan]

Is this batch beyond saving then? Is there any way to get rid of this partial gel / oval? By the replies, I'm not sure if this is a happy accident?!

 

[Obsidian]

No, there is no way to get rid of partial gel at this stage. If you are wanting your soap to be the lighter outside color, then you want to prevent gel on your next batch. After you pour your soap in the mold, put the mold in the fridge overnight.
There isn't anything to save with this batch, its not failed. You might not care for the looks but its perfectly safe to use. The ring will fade a bit with cure.

 

[HorseCreek]

You can either hate it or embrace it. As was said, partial gelling happens. As you gain more experience, you will know which scents will heat up more and cause the soap to gel, and which won't. You will know which soaps you want to force a gel on, and which ones you do not. But that all comes with experience. There is nothing wrong with this soap, absolutely positively nothing (well provided you followed your recipe and ran it through a lye calculator, lol). The great thing about this batch of soap is how much you've learned about gel! Now you know that this fragrance will cause a partial gel and you can take steps if you make it again to avoid it. Also, things like the temperature at which you soap (the oils and lye) will change what gels and what doesn't. Spicy fragrances tend to cause gel, mint scents do also sometimes, and random ones you wouldn't even think of sometimes cause it, lol. Sometimes certain recipes are even more prone to heating up/gelling than others. Was this batch scented?

 

[SanVan]

Thanks so much for the replies! So helpful!! Here's an update: so I cut it into bars last night and it mainly gelled, but the outside edges are a lighter colour. Not so bad. I will just gift them in pretty wrap as intended and it will lend towards the handmade look!

I did use lye calculator. I didn't use any EO or fragrance as I wanted to make an unscented bar. This was the first time I used this mold. I don't think I insulated it enough. So I'll try either the fridge or heating pad method next time. Off I go to try again!

 

[Jstar]

I think they look great Nice Autumn soaps

 

[snappyllama]

Agreed. Very pumpkin-y