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@Kiti Williams That is a mystery indeed! Mine harden in under 2 hours in the loaf mold, but not the individual cavities.

Thank you @DeeAnna for the detailed explanation! It makes total sense. I just wish I'd figured that out before making that batch at 6pm and having to stay up late to unmold and cut each bar in half 🥱 There's always more to learn and unexpected surprises no matter how many years I've done this...

So my new cavity molds arrived and I made a batch yesterday. 40% lye concentration, soaped at about 90F. All went well with only one surprise: it took about 6 hours to unmold! Can anyone (@DeeAnna ? @AliOop ?) explain why this same recipe in a loaf mold unmolds in about 2 hours and becomes...

@AliOop Thank you again! Will give this a try when the molds arrive 😊

Cavity molds are a great idea for this. I just ordered some :) @AliOop Does your other sage advice still hold for cavity molds? 28-30% lye concentration? Cool with fan blowing?

I agree! Cleanup after anything with beeswax is a pain! When I'm done, I put my spatulas into my bowl (measuring cups actually), add a little Dawn, and then pour the very hot water from my double boiler into the cups. I let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes, and then wipe it out with a paper...

Thank you, thank you, for so much helpful info on this! I will definitely cut the lye concentration way back and try your cooling method instead of the frig. I began putting it in the frig after one batch cracked and bulged from internal heat. I usually soap stain sticks at about 90, but I...

Zap test was fine, not lye heavy (just tastes yucky!) It can't be colorant because I colored the batch before adding the lye. I suspect it's likely fragrance because it was so thick and hard to mix. No more heroic measures for these soaps. It's only 4 bars of mostly free and questionable...

I've made lots of these and sometimes they come out with these super hard edges, and sometimes they don't. Always the same recipe (100% CO, 2% limonene, 0 SF, 38% lye concentration). I put them in the fridge right after pouring. I'm thinking the darker centers are where it's gelled? It's...

Another great nugget of info. (Too late for this batch though.) Would you keep trying to stir it, or just let it sit while waiting for it to gel in the bowl? So here's a pic of yesterday's fiasco. You can see the gaps in the 2 outer bars. The cuts on the inside were actually smooth. What...

Adventures in Soaping! So I just finished the Super Shea batch. I added a touch of NS Cyber Grape for a lovely soft lavender to complement the sweet jasmine scent. Yes, @AliOop , you warned me it would be fast, but wow, was it ever! And the lovely lavender turned baby poop tan the minute it...

Since I've only got less than a pound of the shea, it's just not worth the time or effort to wash it. It smells fine, so I'm going to go ahead and make a batch with the recipe @AliOop suggested above. It will be 4 bars just for my own use, and since it will accelerate anyway I'm going to use...

Thanks again, @AliOop ! That makes total sense about less SF = less oil to possibly go rancid. And that's interesting about older oils moving faster. You're a wealth of information!

Thank you, @AliOop . I considered something like this too. The shea looks and smells fine which is why it's so hard to just toss it. I think I'll try your suggestions. Do you think I need a chelator if I don't have hard water? I usually go with a 5% superfat. Would you suggest a little...

I love this idea! I'm hesitate to waste time and ingredients making potentially bad soap, but I can make good use of some waterproofing butter for my boots!

Thank you, @AliensrReal and @QuasiQuadrant ! I completely agree with your thinking on this. I have such a major dislike of wasting anything it was hard to tell myself to just toss this stuff without someone else telling me it's okay. After all, I still have to finish everything on my plate so...

Thanks, @Misschief !

Thanks, @Mobjack Bay for reviving this thread because I hadn't seen it before. I've got terrible arthritis in my fingers (and other joints) that makes it increasingly difficult every year to do all the normal things I always took for granted. I've used MSM/glucosamine/chondroitin supplements...

As I understand it, stain sticks don't really need to cure, they just need time to lose water content. They do most of their shrinking in the first 2 weeks, but continue for some time after that.

FWIW, I make stain sticks with a similar recipe and they're amazingly effective at getting out every stain I've challenged them with so far! I make mine in a loaf mold and have been cutting them at 2 hours. The inside is still very warm and soft, but the outer sides and ends are cool and harder.