Table of Contents
- What Does It Mean to Gel A Soap?
- Why Does Gel Phase Matter In Soap-Making?
- Is Gel Phase Good Or Bad?
- Can Milk Soap Go Through Gel Phase?
- How Do You Prevent Gel Phase In Soap Making?
- How Long Does It Take To Gel Soap?
- How To Fix Partial Gel Soap?
- Conclusion
What is the gel phase in soap making? The gel phase in soap-making is the heating stage of saponification, which is the chemical reaction that turns oils and lye into soap.
The heat generated during saponification catalyzes the gel phase. The soap mixture enters a gel-like state as it reaches a specific temperature.
This elevated temperature accelerates chemical reactions within the soap, contributing to its texture and appearance changes, and does not affect the quality of the soap.
Typically occurring within the first 24 to 48 hours after pouring the soap into molds, the gel phase is a natural occurrence during this transformative process.
However, there is more to be understood about the gel phase in soap making to avoid cracking, which is the subject of discussion in this article.
Let’s start!
What Does It Mean to Gel A Soap?
Gelling a soap refers to a specific stage in the soap-making process where the soap undergoes a chemical reaction known as saponification.
During this phase, the soap mixture generates heat, causing it to become semi-translucent or entirely transparent. How to make pine tar soap?
This visual change is accompanied by molecular restructuring within the soap, leading to improvements in texture, color vibrancy, and lathering capabilities.
Gelling occurs naturally as a result of the heat generated during saponification.
However, soap makers can also intentionally induce or encourage the gel phase by controlling variables such as temperature and insulation.
Insulating the soap molds helps retain heat, promoting the gel phase, while cooling the molds discourages it.
Overall, gelling a soap enhances its appeal, texture, and quality. It results in bars with a more uniform appearance, smoother texture, and a luxurious feel on the skin.
Understanding how to manage the gel phase effectively allows soap makers to create high-quality products that stand out in both form and function.
Why Does Gel Phase Matter In Soap-Making?
Some soap makers prefer to force the gel phase, while others try to prevent it, depending on their recipe and personal preference.
Forcing the gel phase can make the colors more vibrant, the natural colorants more faithful to the hue, and the soap more rigid and straightforward to unmold.
Here are some reasons why you may want to gel or not gel your soap:
- You want vibrant colors. Gel phase can help the colors pop and give the soap a slightly shiny appearance. This is especially true for synthetic colorants like micas, pigments, and dyes.
If you are using natural colorants in your soap making or lots of other colors, particularly natural colorants, and you gel your soap, it will make the colors much more vibrant, which is good.
For example, soap colored with madder root powder can have a deep red hue when gelled or a pale mauve hue when ungelled.
- Soap lasts longer when it goes through gel phase. You also want to gel your soap to avoid two colors where the center color is darker, and the outer parts of the soap are lighter.
- Gelling your soap makes it harden faster so you can unmold it sooner. You still need to cure it but can unmold it sooner if it goes through the gel phase.
- Gelling your soap helps prevent soda ash.
- The other thing too is that research has shown that soap that has been gelled or melted does not absorb as much water when you use it in the shower or the bath, so it lasts longer.
Is Gel Phase Good Or Bad?
Yes! Gelling your soap, particularly cold-process soap, is good, as I said earlier.
However, the question should be if the gel phase is suitable for the specific soap you want to make because there are soaps that don’t require you to gel them due to their ingredients.
The gel phase in soap-making is neither inherently good nor bad; it’s simply a natural stage in the soap-making process.
Whether the gel phase is beneficial or undesirable depends on factors such as personal preference, desired outcomes, and the specific characteristics of the crafted soap.
Can Milk Soap Go Through Gel Phase?
Yes, milk soap can go through the gel phase just like any other type of soap. The presence of milk in soap does not prevent the occurrence of the gel phase.
However, it’s important to note that milk soaps behave differently during the gel phase due to the sugars and proteins in the milk.
Milk soaps exhibit a darker color during the gel phase due to the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars present in the milk.
This reaction can result in a deeper/darker color of the finished soap. So, to play safe, Many milk soap makers prefer to prevent gelling to maintain the soap’s light, creamy appearance.
How Do You Prevent Gel Phase In Soap Making?
– Use a high percentage of soft oils, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, or castor oil, which tend to cool down faster and release heat easier.
– Using a total amount of water slows down saponification and lowers the soap’s temperature.
– The main thing is heat, so if you don’t want your soaps to gel, you need to keep everything pretty cool. Place the soap in the fridge for 24 hours until it is completely hardened.
Alternatively, you can place the soap in a cool area, such as a basement or a garage, and run a fan over it.
– Use a thin flat slab mold or individual silicone mold, which allows the heat to escape more quickly and prevents hot spots in the soap.
Plus, I wouldn’t use big slab molds or log molds because paying attention to the minimum melting points of the base oils used is crucial.
Depending on the recipe and the mold size, this may be enough to prevent the soap from gelling, but there are no guarantees.
You may encounter ‘partial gel’ with this method (where the soap gels in the center but not all the way to the edges).
Be prepared for trial and error as you learn what works with your recipes.
How Long Does It Take To Gel Soap?
Temperature: Higher temperatures accelerate the gel phase, while cooler temperatures slow it down.
The heat generated during saponification triggers the gel phase, so warmer environments or insulating the soap molds can speed up the process.
Insulation: Insulating the soap molds helps retain heat, encouraging the gel phase to occur more quickly and prolong its duration.
Conversely, allowing the soap to cool in a cooler environment or without insulation slows the gel phase.
Recipe Formulation: The ingredients and proportions used in the soap recipe can affect the gel phase.
Recipes with higher percentages of oils that heat up quickly during saponification may experience a faster and more intense gel phase.
For example, if you’ve got lots of coconut oil, other oils, fats, or butter that saponify very rapidly, that will accelerate it.
Size of the Soap Batch: Larger soap batches retain heat better and may experience a more pronounced gel phase than smaller batches.
However, larger batches also take longer to cool down after the gel phase is complete.
Water Content: The amount and type of water used in the soap recipe can impact the gel phase.
Low-water soaps tend to gel much faster over a shorter period than high-water soaps, which can have very slow, extended gel phases.
Additives: Certain additives, such as sugars or milk, increase the likelihood of the gel phase occurring and affect its speed and duration.
These additives provide additional heat and contribute to the soap’s texture and appearance during the gel phase.
How To Fix Partial Gel Soap?
Sometimes, the heat in the soap isn’t enough to reach the edges, so you get a more vibrant color in the middle of the soap than other parts.
I don’t know about you, but I find it super annoying. Follow these steps to fix it:
Step 1: Turn your oven or stove to 275 degrees Fahrenheit and let it heat up; take a Sillpat mat and put it on top of a cookie sheet.
The silpat mat serves as a layer between the cookie sheet and whatever you put on top of it to protect it from the heat.
If you do not have the above items, layer a couple of dish towels and parchment on the cookie sheet.
However, I’ve never tested it; I’ve only used a cookie sheet and a Silpat mat.
Step 2:
Take the soap; I like to put the most offensive side that didn’t gel well onto the baking mat (put it standing; let the offensive side be on the mat while the gelled part is facing up)
So that part is going to get most of the heat. The key is to put the part of the soap partially gelled downwards where it will receive the most heat. Line them up, not too close to each other.
Step 3:
Turn the oven off, set your baking rack to the highest spot, and place your cookie sheet with your well-placed soap into the oven. Don’t overheat
After 7 minutes, check on the soap and rotate them. Check again after 3 to 5 minutes to see if they are ready or need more time.
If you sense your oven is cold, you can turn it on to reheat; however, pay close attention so you don’t overheat your soap.
Not enough heat causes a partial gel, so you want to ensure a warm environment to get a well-gelled soap,
When they are gelled to your taste, take them out of the oven. Please place them in an excellent cool spot, clean them, and you’re good to go.
Conclusion
The gel phase is a natural and normal part of the soap-making process, and it can have different effects on the appearance of your soap.
Whether you want to gel or not gel your soap is up to you, and you can use different techniques to achieve your desired outcome.
By understanding and controlling these factors, soap makers can manipulate the speed and length of the gel phase to achieve their desired results and create soap bars with specific characteristics.
Experiment with different recipes, ingredients, and methods, and see what works best for you and your soap.
