# So 4-6 weeks to cure - how do you know?



## kniquy (Jan 30, 2019)

I know most CP soap recipes recommend the soap cure for 4-6 weeks.  

I am wondering - is there a way to tell if a soap is safe to use at the 4 week mark?  Just an impatient newbe.  

Are there any certain signs that you would look for to know?  Does it have anything to do with how much water has evaporated from the bar?  Does it depend on the oils you used or how much of each oil?


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## Hendejm (Jan 30, 2019)

It’s safe to use after saponification is complete. That is usually 24-48 hours. After that - it cures and mellows and completes its chemical transformation. Most soaps are good to go and will be fairly long lasting and sudsy after 4 weeks. Soap is like a fine wine - it gets better with age. 

Oils will affect how long a soap needs to cure. Soaps with high Olive Oil content - will take much longer to cure and harden - often 6 months or longer. Soaps with butters in them will harden quicker and be at their best after 4 weeks (approx - linger is usually better). 

So soap away and feel free to test them out after they pass the zap test. Just know that older soaps will perform better than new (ish) soaps. Hope this helps. Other may want to add or contradict what I have stated here.


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## shunt2011 (Jan 30, 2019)

To me it’s personal choice, nothing is written in stone. I find most my soaps are good at 4 weeks, better at 6.  Perfectly safe to use once there’s no zap but will last longer and be less harsh at 4 weeks. Salt soap and Castile soap 6-12 months or longer.  I don’t like Castile so quit making it.  Salt soap I personally prefer them at 12 months best.  

Test your soap and see when you like them best.  Enjoy the process of learning and seeing how they change.


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## Meena (Jan 30, 2019)

kniquy said:


> I know most CP soap recipes recommend the soap cure for 4-6 weeks.
> 
> I am wondering - is there a way to tell if a soap is safe to use at the 4 week mark?  Just an impatient newbe.
> 
> Are there any certain signs that you would look for to know?  Does it have anything to do with how much water has evaporated from the bar?  Does it depend on the oils you used or how much of each oil?



So happy you asked!!!  (Since the response to my post yesterday has been DEAFENING (not).)

linking to avoid retyping
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...ave-you-done-today.42556/page-500#post-743652

ETA: This is not addressing the safety issue, but the curing one.  Soap is usually zap-free within 24 hours or so, in my experience so far.  The linked post is for a suggestion of how to know when Curing is complete.


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## Steve85569 (Jan 30, 2019)

Wine and soap get better with aging/curing.
Wine is safe to drink when fermentation is complete.
Soap is safe to use when saponification is complete.
Neither is a good as it will be after proper aging/curing.

I do not confuse drying with curing. There are things going on inside the bars of soap that it takes a chemist ( like DeeAnna) to explain - way beyond my understanding.
Try a soap at two weeks. Put it back on the curing rack. remember which one it is.
Try it again in another week.
Repeat over a 6 month period.
TAKE NOTES!!

Then the next time this question comes up you'll have experience in knowing how long for your recipe.


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## penelopejane (Jan 30, 2019)

Meena said:


> So happy you asked!!!  (Since the response to my post yesterday has been DEAFENING (not).)
> 
> linking to avoid retyping
> https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...ave-you-done-today.42556/page-500#post-743652
> ...



If you want to ask a question start a new thread.  Not many people read "what have you done today" unless they have lots of spare time.  Glad you got your questions answered.


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## Dahila (Jan 30, 2019)

I cure my regular soaps 8 weeks, and the high oleic ones even 6 months
my 5 years old soaps are so awesome I only use the old ones


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## Donee' (Jan 31, 2019)

I use mine at 3 weeks. Unless you do something wrong and they are soggy (looking at her bars of soggy tumeric soap in the cupboard....)


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## Meena (Jan 31, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> If you want to ask a question start a new thread.  Not many people read "what have you done today" unless they have lots of spare time.  Glad you got your questions answered.



Thanks for that advice!  What i found humorous - as an aside - was that "what soapy thing have you done today?" is my first and favorite category to read!! ... although the 4-letter game is a close second!


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## karon L adams (Feb 1, 2019)

you use a bit of the soap and wash your hands. if they feel slimy, that means you have free lye still in your soap. base solutions always feel slimy and very hard to rinse. if it rinses clean and you feel mo 'slime' your soap is ready. if, after your hands dry, you feel like you reALLY want some lotion, you need to add a bit more fat to your recipe.


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## KimT2au (Feb 1, 2019)

If I am desperate to try the soap I use them at 6 weeks, but on the whole I try to cure my soap for 12 weeks before I use them.


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## Meena (Feb 1, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> If you want to ask a question start a new thread.  Not many people read "what have you done today" unless they have lots of spare time.  Glad you got your questions answered.



It wasn't a question, it was a tid-bit from Scientific Soaping about weighing your soaps every week to detect when the soap is cured, since it will stop losing water weight.  I thought it was pretty ingenious and wanted to share.


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## shunt2011 (Feb 1, 2019)

Meena said:


> It wasn't a question, it was a tid-bit from Scientific Soaping about weighing your soaps every week to detect when the soap is cured, since it will stop losing water weight.  I thought it was pretty ingenious and wanted to share.



That’s not entirely  true. There’s more going on than just water loss.  Water loss is part of it but there is also structural change and the ph drops a bit worth good cure.  

Once you settle on a recipe or two or three you’ll know it inside and out and know what works best.  As you can see, some wait 4 weeks, some 6 and some even longer.  For me it just depends on the recipe I’m using.   [emoji3]


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## Hendejm (Feb 2, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> Once you settle on a recipe or two or three you’ll know it inside and out and know what works best. As you can see, some wait 4 weeks, some 6 and some even longer. For me it just depends on the recipe I’m using.


Couldn’t agree more!


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## Dawni (Feb 2, 2019)

As a side note, and I just discovered this recently lol, if you somehow manage to keep yourself away from the soap for a week or two at a time, you'll notice the considerable changes that you might miss if you keep checking n testing every two days or so. 

Found this out when I was out of the house for close to a month on an emergency. When I got back the soft soaps I left were nice n firm, and the lather and bubbles changed significantly.


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## earlene (Feb 2, 2019)

kniquy said:


> I know most CP soap recipes recommend the soap cure for 4-6 weeks.
> 
> I am wondering - is there a way to tell if a soap is safe to use at the 4 week mark?  Just an impatient newbe.
> 
> Are there any certain signs that you would look for to know?  Does it have anything to do with how much water has evaporated from the bar?  Does it depend on the oils you used or how much of each oil?



Safe to use:  Zap test will tell you.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/

I need to point out that even though soap should be fully saponified long before 4 weeks, the odd error can cause a soap to be lye-heavy, so Zap testing to ensure there is no excess lye is the best way to determine safety.


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## Cherrydene soapy (Feb 10, 2019)

i am very new to all of this and I will be making my 4th batch of soap today. What I have done is to cut 1 bar of soap into  cubes  so I can test them starting at week 4 of curing. I have taken all of the advice people are sharing  I keep detailed notes of oils, FO, EO, colours, performance in batter etc. I plan to start recording how the soap performs, washing my hands with it from week 4. I am  desperate to start using it but I want to give it the best start I can so I leave it alone, just look and smell it every day


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## Zing (Feb 10, 2019)

You are a patient woman waiting for week 4!  I "test" at week 3 on my little leftovers while the rest of the batch cures for 6.


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## Rsapienza (Feb 10, 2019)

I have found that soap continues to lose water way beyond 4-6 weeks. The rate at which it loses slows down but I have checked weights at 12 months and still had loss.


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## Loralei (Feb 10, 2019)

I'm still experimenting/learning,  but I always find that when I grab s bar after a short cure, because I can't wait to try it, the next bar is always better.. more lather, creamier, whatever.. just better.. So, now I'm trying to use leftover bits first, and wait for the "good" bars to get a longer cure in..


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## Micchi (Feb 10, 2019)

Short answer to "how do you know" is "trial, error, time, and patience". 

I usually start testing about 24-48 hours after cutting, provided it passes a zap test. Test once a week, take notes on it. I have my primary recipe down pretty well, so I already know how it's going to age and mature...but there's more than just how it feels to test. I'm also looking for if the colorants make colored suds, if those suds stain or wash off easily, how well the scent stays in the bar, how the scent lingers on the skin, and if anything in how the soap is aging seems off. I've found that 4 weeks is an absolute minimum to go out the door - it's a good bar, it feels nice, I feel proud to have my name on it...but at 6 weeks, it's a really luxurious soap to use. So unless I'm in a pinch (usually because someone is visiting and I want to give them a gift), I'll let a soap cure 6 weeks minimum.


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## Dahila (Feb 10, 2019)

2 years old soaps are my favorite even the recipe is so simple


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## Hendejm (Feb 10, 2019)

I pulled out a bar of soap my sister made about 10 years ago - there wasn’t any smell (not sure there ever was) - but I loved how well it lathered and felt in my skin. I called and asked her what she used and she said it was pig lard from one of their pigs on the farm.


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## Dahila (Feb 11, 2019)

I am using 4 years old no scent at all, no DOs,, the lather is incredible and mildness


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