# To Gel or Not to gel



## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

Trying to get this gelling understood. Some like the soap to gel and some don't. Why? :???


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

It's all personal preference. I like gel. I like the gelled colors better and I think I can unmold and cut my logs quicker. I think a gelled bar gets harder much quicker.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

Faye Farms said:


> It's all personal preference. I like gel. I like the gelled colors better and I think I can unmold and cut my logs quicker. I think a gelled bar gets harder much quicker.


 +1

Some fos or soap with additives (honey) will heat up so you have to be careful if you are trying to gel.

I don't mind soap that has not gelled- either gel all the way or not at all though. The circle in the middle drives me bananas!


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

And some gels will get so hot that it will burn off your fragrance. Or certain *notes* of it.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I am a non-geller, but I don't do anything NOT to gel. I soap cool so most soaps don't gel. The hot ones, usually ones with honey or with a spice eo will partially gel and I don't care. Neither do my customers.

Completely agree with Heather. They get harder faster.


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## Dorit (Apr 20, 2011)

Do you cover the mold if you want gel and leave it uncovered without blankets if you want not to gel?


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Honestly have no idea how to make my soap *not* gel short of putting it in the fridge and with my production that is not happening.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Dorit said:


> Do you cover the mold if you want gel and leave it uncovered without blankets if you want not to gel?


It's not quite that simple. It all depends on your recipe, your FO or EO and the weather. But I guess if you do cover it up then you are guaranteed gel. Then again you must know how your ingredients will react because, as Vicki said, you have the potential for overheating with covering up.


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## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

What is the real purpose of gelling? To make a harder bar? So in other words it does not matter if does gel or not?


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Gel or no gel is all personal preference.


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## Dorit (Apr 20, 2011)

What is the actual difference in the final bar? Ias there an advantage to one over the other?


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## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

:yeahthat


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## Sheryl (Oct 27, 2007)

I have found that some of mine jel no matter what I do. I decided to just embrace the gel...ha ha....like embraching the ash. There's not a whole lot to do sometimes to stop it. It does aggrivate me to have the little different colored centers in the bars sometimes, but I have found with time and curing, those eventually go away. Besides my label covers most of it. :biggrin

Sheryl


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