cp not going through gel

[lbtddr]

i made cp soap yesterday.i added the lye to the water but about one forth the water.i wonted it to cool of before i added the milk.it got thick looking.but i added the milk it looked like it always does after that. i then made soap as always.but i used liquid color yellow and red swirls.i used quite a bit since i wonted bright color scented with flower shop.it went through trace.but at first it seemed to go through a false trace it thinned out then after awhile it through trace got thicker than i wonted for the swirls.but all seemed well. i put in the molds then i put in the oven like i always do.it would not gel.i turned the oven on 4 times to 170 for 6 minuets thinking that would do it.most the time i do not have to turn the oven on. i just leave the light on.i never have had this happen ware it would not gel. any ideas why? the soap looks OK this mourning. a little softer than normal but other wise OK.

[Grannyscandles]

I haven't had that happen but I am sure it has happened to someone before.

[Rebecca_IA]

If you want to use your oven to force gel, it's going to take more than just 6 minutes at 170. Try an hour at that temp.

If your normal procedure is to pour the soap in the mold and then pop in the oven without any heat from the oven, and you've gotten gel each time so far, IMO, you've been lucky (if you are seeking gel).

Either leave the mold out of the oven and cover it up with layers of towels (or a blanket) or put in oven at 170 for an hour. Or, you can put a heating pad under the mold and a few towels on top. With milk and/or honey soaps, be careful though. Make sure you turn the heat off as soon as it's at full gel or really close to it.

[dixylight]

I think I have heard that not all soap gels...is this true?:undecided

[Crafty1_AJ]

That's correct. Sometimes soap gel; sometimes they don't. No worries either way -- you're still going to have soap in the end.

Some soapers prefer that their soaps gel, and some don't like gel. If your soap doesn't gel, it will be softer and stickier a bit longer than a gelled soap, so you may have to wait a bit longer to unmold and cut. But it's still soap.

I prefer gel, but in this colder weather it's a bit harder to achieve sometimes. I insulate my CP batches to help ensure gel, but if they don't gel I don't sweat it.

HTH!

[dixylight]

Thanks for the clarification!

[lbtddr]

thanks for the information. when i put my soap in the oven i put towels around them.i put in the oven so that if my kids start walking in and out the door it does not get drafts that way.teens seem to be on the go all the time.the soap seems OK today i just cut it softer than usual tho.

[heirloomoriginals]

I have made 2 batches of CP soap and I don't think either of them have gelled. I put them in my mudroom, which is cooler, so that might have been why they didn't gel. They all turned out okay though!

Steph

[cindym]

If you want your soap to gel, what I do when it is cold is, put a heating pad down, a towel over it, place my mold on top of it insulate it, and put a box over it. I starting doing this when I had a batch that didn't fully gel , but the soap that didn't gel is fine.