# Soap paste cure question



## PrairieLights (Sep 3, 2015)

I came up with a bright idea to just send my friend a supply of soap paste for her to dilute, rather than sending her bottles and bottles of my LS... But it dawned on me... do I cure the soap paste or the liquid soap? Oh my. My brain is not wrapping around this at the moment. SO, soap goddesses and dudes, when I send it to her, do I tell her to let the paste cure or to let the soap cure as she makes it prn???:shock:

Thanks in advance


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## IrishLass (Sep 3, 2015)

Although all soap benefits from a cure, liquid soap is much different than bar soap in that respect, and other ways, too. It's made with KOH, it doesn't need to go through a process of evaporation (as a matter of fact- you'll want to keep it from evaporating), it's made to be diluted and bottled, etc.... For what it's worth, I'm able to use my liquid soap the same day I make it. As long as your paste does not zap, it is my opinion that it should be fine to send the paste to your friend and have her dilute it right away. Or, she can bag the paste and dilute it later. Either way is fine. 


IrishLass


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## PrairieLights (Sep 3, 2015)

I have always made the paste, diluted it, and let it cure. I notice a big difference between 2 weeks later and 4 weeks later in the lathering. I have not ever made paste, stored it, and then diluted it...
So you think just letting her paste cure few weeks, then she would be able to dilute as needed and use right away?


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## cmzaha (Sep 3, 2015)

The paste really does not have to cure, just dilute and go. Like any soap, a cure time does not hurt it.


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## Susie (Sep 3, 2015)

I dilute mine immediately after the paste is zapless.  But I have started sending my children undiluted soap paste in Ziploc bags.  I just put 6-8 oz in each bag with dilution instructions written right on that bag.  Depending on which recipe I use, that makes enough to fit in one of the ED lye bottles with foamer ready soap.  Each of them have the correct bottles, and it saves me a bunch on shipping charges.


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## ngian (Sep 4, 2015)

Susie said:


> I dilute mine immediately after the paste is zapless.  But I have started sending my children undiluted soap paste in Ziploc bags.  I just put 6-8 oz in each bag with dilution instructions written right on that bag.  Depending on which recipe I use, that makes enough to fit in one of the ED lye bottles with foamer ready soap.  Each of them have the correct bottles, and it saves me a bunch on shipping charges.



How many recipes do you have Susie that works OK apart from the one that someone can find in the long & famous liquid soap thread? (60% OO, 30% CO, 10% Castor)


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## soapysarah (Sep 10, 2015)

I have just made my first liquid soap, having been only doing cp before.  I followed a soaping101 (?) recipe of 130z olive oil, 1.5oz coconut oil, 1.5oz castor oil, 3oz Koh, 6oz glycerin.  (I changed half of the glycerin to purified water.)  It made a paste quite quickly and I cooked it for over 2 hours.  (The recipe said 1.5 hours.)  It got quite clear but not absolutely transparent.  (I've since seen a video on youtube that shows the paste to be absolutely crystal clear.)  I have diluted a small batch; the viscosity is fine but it is a cloudy brownish colour.  Did I cook the paste long enough?  I have bottled the unused paste so could return it to the crockpot and cook longer.  I've done a zap test and used the new soap on my hands and it is fine for both.  Your suggestions gratefully received.  I do not mind that it is not clear for my own use but would like to get it right and have a lovely clear soap for presents.


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## Susie (Sep 10, 2015)

ngian said:


> How many recipes do you have Susie that works OK apart from the one that someone can find in the long & famous liquid soap thread? (60% OO, 30% CO, 10% Castor)



I have done every combination of CO, OO, and castor that you possibly can from 100% CO to 100% OO.  They all work.  They are all clear.  

I even use lard based recipes for my Soap2Go or if I don't care if it is clear.  If I need to dilute the lard liquid soap for my foamers, all the particles fall to the bottom and I can pour clear liquid soap off the top.  Lard makes very skin friendly liquid soap.

Sorry I missed this, I have been working lots lately.



			
				soapysarah said:
			
		

> I have just made my first liquid soap, having been only doing cp before. I followed a soaping101 (?) recipe of 130z olive oil, 1.5oz coconut oil, 1.5oz castor oil, 3oz Koh, 6oz glycerin. (I changed half of the glycerin to purified water.) It made a paste quite quickly and I cooked it for over 2 hours. (The recipe said 1.5 hours.) It got quite clear but not absolutely transparent. (I've since seen a video on youtube that shows the paste to be absolutely crystal clear.) I have diluted a small batch; the viscosity is fine but it is a cloudy brownish colour. Did I cook the paste long enough? I have bottled the unused paste so could return it to the crockpot and cook longer. I've done a zap test and used the new soap on my hands and it is fine for both. Your suggestions gratefully received. I do not mind that it is not clear for my own use but would like to get it right and have a lovely clear soap for presents.



If the paste is zapless, it is done, regardless of clarity.  The brownish color can be from overheating your glycerin or the OO, depending on the quality and the amount of unsaponifiables.


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## soapysarah (Sep 10, 2015)

Thank you, Susie.

I'm using my old crockpot so it may be that it's getting too hot.  Next time I'll try cooking the paste on 'warm' instead of 'low'.  The paste certainly bubbled and boiled.  I added the koh to cold glycerin and water and then heated the crockpot until it had dissolved.  I did wonder if the colour might have come from the crockpot as, although it was clean, it did have discolouration from the years of cooking food - it's not discoloured now!  I might add some colour to the paste before dilution so that it looks less brown.


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## Susie (Sep 10, 2015)

That would be a solution that I would try.  Just no need complicating your life if you can toss a color in to disguise it.

But why are you cooking your paste?  You can CP liquid soap also.


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## soapysarah (Sep 13, 2015)

Ah, I didn't know that, Susie.  All the research I have done and Catherine Failor's book talk about cooking the paste until it is translucent.

I am happy making CP soap and have been doing this for some years, just for our own use and for presents.


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## Susie (Sep 13, 2015)

If you look at the publication date on Catherine Failor's book, you will see that it was long enough ago that we know better now.  She also used a lye excess, which we know is totally unnecessary now with the use of proper lye calculators.  But if you choose to take more steps and more time than is necessary, that is your choice.  However, if you peruse this forum, you will see that I am not the only person that no longer uses outdated methods.

I am not saying that Catherine Failor was not a good soapmaker.  AND she was smart enough to come up with methods that worked with the materials and knowledge she had available consistently.  She was also kind enough to put out books that revolutionized home liquid soapmaking.  But that was then.  We know better now.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=46114


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