What if your soap doesn't reach gel phase?

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Madelyn Cole

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Made my first batch in years today and it's been several hours and it does not appear to have gone through gel phase. Below is the recipe. Used SoapCalc.net's calculator.

Total water: 190 g/ 6.7 oz
Total lye: 70 g/2.47 oz
Total Oils: 500 g/17 oz
Eucalyptus Spearmint FO from MMS: 15.5 g/ .55 oz
No colorants
Water as 38% of oil weight
Superfat discount 5%
I mixed until it reached medium/thick trace and poured. Trace time took less than 10 minutes. Nothing unusual happened.

I hope I used the calculator correctly. It's been 10+ years since I last made CP soap.

Does not reaching gel phase affect the batch negatively?
 
Is it possible the temperature of the oils and lye was too cool? I waited until the temperatures cooled to around 100 degrees (F). I've seen some tutorials that recommend that temperature, others I've seen recommend room temperature. Still a little unsure what the perfect temperature for both the oils and lye should be.
 
Is it possible the temperature of the oils and lye was too cool? I waited until the temperatures cooled to around 100 degrees (F). I've seen some tutorials that recommend that temperature, others I've seen recommend room temperature. Still a little unsure what the perfect temperature for both the oils and lye should be.

Not exactly an expert but from what iv learnt from experience i have had and from members on here. Have you wrapped them up in something? towels and blanket ect? what have you used as molds? I have just made a big batch 2 being in loaf molds and one in bar cavity molds the loafs iv covered to go through gel the bar cavity ones iv just left out to do what they do. iv done quite a few batches without gelling and honestly i cant really tell that much difference just keep them covered till they are no longer warm to touch (with gloves on)

Iv soaped at simular temps to that and not had a problen with them going through gel phase
 
Hi, Madelyn, Not sure if this would affect gel, but I notice your water to lye proportion is high -- nearing double the amount of water for something like a 2:1 ratio -- i.e., almost 4 to 1. Did you use the Water as a Percent of Lye field (which by default is around 38%) ? I've been recommended not to do that, and use one of the other 2 parameters, instead. Using 33 - 34% lye concentration has been working well for me. I come to light trace in about 2 - 3 minutes of stirring and stick blender bursts of 3 - 5 seconds. (This brings me to a little past emulsion. Personally, I don't feel right about stopping just at emulsion, but I'm not doing complicated patterns.)

But if it doesn't gel, apparently that's not an issue other than colors "popping", but you had no colors.
I would prefer no gel to a partial gel, I think. I cover my mold with plastic wrap, a folded newspaper, and a small towel or bath rug, and have gotten gel in all 4 batches so far. At least, I think I have. The batter is quite hot when I lift a corner and peek every couple hours for the first 6 hours or so, then I just ignore it until it has been sitting for 20 - 24 hours. I haven't had any partial gel, so they've either been gelling fully or not at all. ;)

10 minutes is quite a while to come to trace -- probably because so much water? Again, not sure because I'm a new soaper and don't have this issue in my brain yet.
 
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There is no issue with the soap if you do not reach gel. For me, the benefit of gel is to unmold faster. You may have to wait longer than you expected before cutting. If I don’t gel a batch can take up to a week for me to unmold during the winter
 
Thanks, I relied on the the soap calculator to calculate the lye/water ratio for me. Is there something else I need to consider when entering the ingredients? But I checked on it a couple hours ago and noticed some gelling. It was fairly light though. And, yes, I covered it with a towel. I read somewhere that putting the batch in the oven at 170 degrees helps promote gelling. I don't remember having this problem when I made soap years ago. Wish I could find those old recipes. I'm struggling how to calculate oil percentages.
 
Thanks, I relied on the the soap calculator to calculate the lye/water ratio for me. Is there something else I need to consider when entering the ingredients? But I checked on it a couple hours ago and noticed some gelling. It was fairly light though. And, yes, I covered it with a towel. I read somewhere that putting the batch in the oven at 170 degrees helps promote gelling. I don't remember having this problem when I made soap years ago. Wish I could find those old recipes. I'm struggling how to calculate oil percentages.
The calcs will calculate the water based on what percentage you tell it to. It should vary per recipe. There are many threads in this forum about calculating water amounts.

For the oils I do a trial n error if I'm making a new recipe. Use percentages in your calc, input your amounts til you reach 100 and check the results if they all fall within range. There are some exceptions to these numbers, but most well balanced recipes fall within.

Sorry I can't help with gel, I HP and always get full gel haha. But I read it's much, much harder to get gel if using individual molds, and that loaves have to be insulated. Also, there is no negative issue in terms of using it, but I read colors pop more if soap is gelled, and partial gel can sometimes mess up your look. Not always though..
 
Mainly because I'm too lazy to wrap my soap then have to babysit it so it doesn't overheat. I pour it and leave it uncovered to do its thing. Sometimes I get partial gel, sometimes not. I don't care either way.

Some people say gelled soaps last a bit longer but I've not experienced that.

The main difference I see is in color or texture. Non gelled are creamier with more muted colors while gelled are more translucent with vivid colors, at least when micas are used.

It just comes down to personal preference and what works best for you.
 
I do the same as Obsidian, with one minor difference. I do put my molds in a wooden box and cover it with another wooden box. It does help to insulate the mold. That said, if they gel, they gel. If they don't, they don't.
 
Soap will become soap whether it gels or not. A lot of people prefer to not gel their soaps for various reasons. It still becomes soap.
Not sure if this would affect gel, but I notice your water to lye proportion is high
High water amounts, or "full water" as it were, can affect gel, as in it will almost always encourage gel. Using a water discount, or less water, makes the soap harder to gel in most situations. (of course it will depend on fragrance and oils if using what are known as "heaters" - which is best left for another conversation)
 
Soap will become soap whether it gels or not. A lot of people prefer to not gel their soaps for various reasons. It still becomes soap.

High water amounts, or "full water" as it were, can affect gel, as in it will almost always encourage gel. Using a water discount, or less water, makes the soap harder to gel in most situations. (of course it will depend on fragrance and oils if using what are known as "heaters" - which is best left for another conversation)

Thanks for clearing this up for me, J. It certainly seems counter-intuitive to me at this point, but I appreciate you helping us out, here!
 
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