The Gel Stage in Soap Making

When I first started to make soap, I religiously covered my precious creations in towels and blankets because I feared that it would not turn into soap if it wasn’t insulated, and I did not want all my efforts and oils to be wasted.

Like many new soap makers, I had read that it was a serious offence to leave my soap uncovered and as I lived in fear of the soap Gods, I continued to insulate my batches of soap for a good few months.

I eventually stopped insulating my soap. I just cover my freshly poured soap with sheets of greaseproof paper to protect it from dust etc. And I leave it to complete the saponification process at room temperature.

In any case, I always soap at lower temperatures (90-100°F) which helps to prevent the gel stage (explained below).

After using both methods I found that there is no difference whatsoever between soap that is insulated and soap that is not.

What is the Reason for Insulating Soap?

Soap that is insulated will retain the heat for longer and it will go through what is known as the gel stage or the gel phase.

If soap goes through the gel stage, it won’t make any difference to the quality or texture of the soap, but it can affect the appearance of the final soap. Sometimes it may result in patches of uneven colour. And soap that has been through partial gel stage will have a dark oval shape in the centre as shown in the image below.

Many soap makers will place their freshly poured batches of soap in the fridge to try and prevent the gel stage as it can spoil the look of finished soap bars.

Why would anyone choose to gel soap then? The main reason to gel is that it can improve the colours in soap, especially if using natural colours such as cosmetic clays. Gelling can help to produce a more vibrant and intense colour.

As with all things in soap making choosing whether to gel or not is very much down to personal preference and as already mentioned it doesn’t make any difference to the quality of the soap.

And if you are new to soap making it’s all about trying out various techniques so you can experiment and compare the different methods.

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