# Cracking - CP soap



## CP_soapery (Oct 29, 2013)

Quick question... In our recent batches of CP soap, it has been developing cracks along the top of the soap, in the middle. They're not large, but it's frustrating because this didn't happen when we first started about 6 months ago. Not sure if it makes a difference, but we do the textured tops, so I usually wait an hour or so to cover them, just so the towels don't mess up the texture. Could this be the problem, or is it something else? Is there a way to fix a crack in CP soap? I saw a video but it looked different, like maybe CPOP? Confused and frustrated..


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## Tienne (Oct 29, 2013)

Maybe your soap is still getting too hot. Is it summer where you are? The weather can really change how a soap reacts. Even the exact same recipe can behave differently depending on the weather and the season. Did you change the kind of mold you're using? That can change how hot a soap gets too. (Silcone molds are cooler and less insulating than wooden ones, for example.)

As for fixing it... I've had a soap crack on me once. I'd peeked on it a few times while it was insulated and gelling and it was doing fine and then all of a sudden, I could see a crack beginning to appear right down the middle! I had been keeping an eye on the soap, so luckily it didn't have the chance to get too deep and hadn't developed much before I noticed it, so I quickly removed the insulation and then I saturated the crack with Isopropyl Alcohol. (The soap was still hot when I did all this.) Then I sort of pushed the crack back together carefully, erasing and smudging the edges ever so gently with my finger and then I let it cool and lo and behold, it worked! The alcohol sort of dissolved the soap in the crack allowing me to "glue" it back together. After it was "glued" it sort of looked whitish where the crack had been, but as soon as the soap had cooled and the alcohol had evaporated, it looked just fine. There was no sign of the crack or where it had been when I later cut the loaf.


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## Tienne (Oct 29, 2013)

I was just thinking... you say you wait a whole hour before you start iinsulating? Maybe the soap recipe doesn't need insulating and insulating it just pushes the temp over the top. I usually CPOP, but if you want to insulate and are worried you'd ruin any texturing, then you can insulate by putting a cardboard box upside down over the soap. That'll protect the soap. Then you just throw some towels over the box. If it's cold, you can place a wooden board, some towels or even a heating mat if necessary underneath to keep it warm from below.

Also, make it routine to feel the outside of your molds when you've finished pouring and noting how warm they are. Feel them again a little while later. If I can feel the soap is warming up, then any plans I had for an un-gelled soap go out the window and I CPOP it right away.  (or throw a cardboard box over it, if you'd prefer.) I'd rather have a gelled soap, than a partially gelled soap, if I can't have an un-gelled one. 

Hope that helps!


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## CP_soapery (Oct 29, 2013)

Same mold, and it's end of October. The last couple days have been unseasonably warm, but we keep it pretty mild in the house. It could have gotten too hot. It's been too long to fix this batch, but I will try the alcohol route next time it happens and see if it works for me. Not sure with the textured tops, we do about half of them textured. 

What is the difference in not letting it gel? I know that if it's partially gelled it'll be different colors, but what effect does it have on the soap regarding properties, etc? Or is it simple preference? I've seen it done, just haven't tried it myself.


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## Tienne (Oct 29, 2013)

It's a personal preference what people like the best. I like gelled best. I think it makes the colours more vibrant and the soap seems to last longer. Gelling pushes through the saponification process, so it makes the soap ready to use a bit quicker. Patience is not my greatest virtue and if I gel or CPOP I can sneak a lather before I really should and not risk burning my skin off. LOL  

To me, gelled soaps seem more "together" whereas an un-gelled can have a bit more of a crumbly or opaque look to it. Some think un-gelled are creamier. Some essential oils are heat sensitive or flighty and will evaporate too much when gelled, so you lose too much scent. Some soaped natural additives look nicer un-gelled. (Like goat's milk soap.) There are pros and cons to both ways so it is really just is a personal preference what _you_ like the best, but also what your particular recipe likes the best, too. 

Sometimes soap has a mind of it's own and knowing your recipe and how it behaves is a factor in choosing whether to gel or not. Not all soap recipes will cooperate though and stay un-gelled, even if refridgerated after pouring. Some recipes just get hot no matter what you do, so if I can feel a recipe is heating up, I just prefer to not have to deal with that and risk partial gels, so I CPOP them. 

Here's a good post on gelling vs non-gelling. 

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=28073


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## CP_soapery (Oct 29, 2013)

Thank you Tienne, I'm gonna check out that link, I might decide I want to switch to CPOP because I'm not so good with patience either lol


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## Obsidian (Oct 30, 2013)

Keep in mind that when you CPOP, it can make your fancy tops flatten out. I believe most people who do fancy top, prevent gel to preserve the tops.


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## CP_soapery (Oct 30, 2013)

Good to know Obsidian, thank you :-D definitely something to keep in mind


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 30, 2013)

I made a batch a few days ago and it gelled in a silicone mold that was inside a cardboard box, while sitting on a shelf in my garage. The temperature was about 72°.  I was concerned about the FO causing it to overheat so I didn't force gel in the oven or insulate. I knew ahead of time that my FO was one of THOSE. Maybe try just letting it sit out at room temperature uninsulated?

I prefer gelled soap because I think it lasts longer and I am too impatient to wait to try each new soap that I make.


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## CP_soapery (Oct 31, 2013)

Yeah I will try that next time, and see how it works  thanks girl


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## CP_soapery (Nov 5, 2013)

I tried leaving the last batch uninsulated, and it did seem to work, no ugly cracking. But I also used a different recipe. We upped the SF and the amount of soft oils for a more moisturizing bar. Could the hardness of the previous recipe have contributed to the cracking? It had equal parts coconut oil, palm oil, and olive oil, along with a little cocoa butter, and was much harder.  Just curious :?: Maybe it has nothing to do with it, but just thought I'd ask.


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## cmzaha (Nov 5, 2013)

The freezer will prevent gel unless the recipe is a severe overheater, resulting in a partial gel.


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## CP_soapery (Nov 5, 2013)

Thanks! I think I do prefer gelled, with the exception of my goats milk soap, so that'll help me keep the temp down for it  how long do you leave it? Overnight, just a few hours, or longer?


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