Quote:
I only put a light cover over mine. I don't insulate or they crack and rise in the middle like a volcano:/
I still get gel phase...
What temperature do you both soap at? I soap at room temperature and rarely reach gel phase. Acutally, I avoid gelling by putting the mold in the fridge if I think the batch is getting too hot, but that's simply my preference.
There's nothing wrong with milk soaps (or any soaps) going through the gel phase so the choice to insulate is purely up to you...some say it speeds up the cure time and that they like it because it gives the soap that opague look. Me, I'm OK with waiting for the soap to cure and I prefer the milky look.
I soap at 90-95 degrees. I didn't realise you could soap at a lower temp. This was my first attempt at gm soap. I did insulate for about 1-1 1/2 hrs then sit it in the freezer for about 1/2 hr to cool it down a bit. I don't know if that was correct. It came out really nice i think. I will post pics when I get my new computer up and running. The only thing I saw about it that looked off was the ends were a lighter color than the rest. It came out a brownish/tan color. I don't think my milk burnt as I froze my milk in little muffin tins, and added lye a little at a time while stirring by hand to mash up the frozen milk. The temp was about 90 degrees when milk was completely melted and the lye thoroughly mixed. Next time I will try it your way glenolam. Just to see what happens. I like to experiment with different procedures. I have another question. I just read not to use extra-virgin oo. Why is that? I used evoo in my batches. I haven't got to use them as they are still curing. Will this make a big difference in the performance of the soap? I know that the way oo is processed makes a difference in the quality of the oo. Is too much fat taken out of the evoo at process? I find this very interesting. Any thoughts?
I only put a light cover over mine. I don't insulate or they crack and rise in the middle like a volcano:/
I still get gel phase...
What temperature do you both soap at? I soap at room temperature and rarely reach gel phase. Acutally, I avoid gelling by putting the mold in the fridge if I think the batch is getting too hot, but that's simply my preference.
There's nothing wrong with milk soaps (or any soaps) going through the gel phase so the choice to insulate is purely up to you...some say it speeds up the cure time and that they like it because it gives the soap that opague look. Me, I'm OK with waiting for the soap to cure and I prefer the milky look.
I soap at 90-95 degrees. I didn't realise you could soap at a lower temp. This was my first attempt at gm soap. I did insulate for about 1-1 1/2 hrs then sit it in the freezer for about 1/2 hr to cool it down a bit. I don't know if that was correct. It came out really nice i think. I will post pics when I get my new computer up and running. The only thing I saw about it that looked off was the ends were a lighter color than the rest. It came out a brownish/tan color. I don't think my milk burnt as I froze my milk in little muffin tins, and added lye a little at a time while stirring by hand to mash up the frozen milk. The temp was about 90 degrees when milk was completely melted and the lye thoroughly mixed. Next time I will try it your way glenolam. Just to see what happens. I like to experiment with different procedures. I have another question. I just read not to use extra-virgin oo. Why is that? I used evoo in my batches. I haven't got to use them as they are still curing. Will this make a big difference in the performance of the soap? I know that the way oo is processed makes a difference in the quality of the oo. Is too much fat taken out of the evoo at process? I find this very interesting. Any thoughts?
