I have not begun soapmaking but I am anxious and trying to do alot of research first. I have been watching videos on youtube and came across one where a woman started her soapmaking co. because she bought a bar from someone used it and had burns on her face and skin from the lye. So my question is how does this happen? If you put your soap in a mold for 24hrs. and then it sits to cure for 4wks can this still happen or did someone sell the soap to soon? or use too much lye? I ask because when i took a soapmaking class we made the soap in class put the soap in individual sized milk carton and covered with blankets for 1 day then she said to take out of mold for 2 days and then we could use the bar. Was that unsafe? Also can your soap cure in a cold room? Thanks in advance for your help?
Burns From Soap &Curing ?
- Thread starter Jnice999
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LomondSoap
Well-Known Member
Yikes! You can't use a soap after 2 days! (Ok, I know some of us do, but only to briefly wash our hands with a cut off bit)
You need to cure for 4-6 weeks at least.
Could be that the person who bought a soap that burnt her skin was using a lye heavy soap, or one where the mixing was no good leaving lye pockets.
Don't let this put you off, if you follow a good recipe to the gram it will be ok, the first one is the most nerve racking!
You need to cure for 4-6 weeks at least.
Could be that the person who bought a soap that burnt her skin was using a lye heavy soap, or one where the mixing was no good leaving lye pockets.
Don't let this put you off, if you follow a good recipe to the gram it will be ok, the first one is the most nerve racking!
The only time I got burned was playing with my first batch of soap the same day as I made it. It was still soft and I wanted to "feel" it and so did my Mom - she got a far worse burn than I did - but we both got Lye burns - now I don't play in the soft, fresh soap.... :? :? :?
So to answer your question - if someone got burned by a soap it would have been lye heavy. It is safe to play with fresh soap if it passes the zap test but I sure wouldn't sell it or even give it away until it has cured.
So to answer your question - if someone got burned by a soap it would have been lye heavy. It is safe to play with fresh soap if it passes the zap test but I sure wouldn't sell it or even give it away until it has cured.
surf girl
Well-Known Member
I am an impatient girl, and I use my soap (yup, on mah bodeh, not just my hands) at 48 hrs (and, horror of horrors, one at 24 hrs) if I am keen to sample it. It is absolutely not as good (not as hard, not as nice a lather, and I think a bit drying depending on the recipe) as the soap that has cured for 4-6 weeks, but it has not been problematic with respect to the lye.
I believe LomondSoap is dead on with respect to the reasons for the lye burns.
Lindy - yikes! That sounds awful!
As for curing in a cold room, our house is at 14C (57F) for about 12 hours a day at this time of year, and is curing fine... but I have nothing to compare that with, as I have not had the opportunity to cure at warmer temperatures. How cold is "cold" for you? Hopefully the brain trust will chime in with their experiences...
I believe LomondSoap is dead on with respect to the reasons for the lye burns.
Lindy - yikes! That sounds awful!
As for curing in a cold room, our house is at 14C (57F) for about 12 hours a day at this time of year, and is curing fine... but I have nothing to compare that with, as I have not had the opportunity to cure at warmer temperatures. How cold is "cold" for you? Hopefully the brain trust will chime in with their experiences...
Thank you all for your responses. I am trying to ask as many questions as i can before i get started. I have a laundry room that was formerly a carport and is not very well insulated. I have no idea of the temperature. I don't have alot of space so I was hoping to be able to use that room, i did just discover a vent behind my dryer so I may have to relocate the washer and dryer to warm the room or maybe place the soaps in boxes on my shelves.
kwahlne
Well-Known Member
You can cure it in a refrigerator if you like... but you just won't reach the gel phase. And that is perfectly ok.
I stick my goat milk soap in the refrigerator right after pour to prevent gel. Then I remove and just leave it wherever until it's ready to remove from the mold.
I would think you could leave it anywhere that allows evaporation of the excess water to happen. Of course, direct sunlight probably not so good.
I stick my goat milk soap in the refrigerator right after pour to prevent gel. Then I remove and just leave it wherever until it's ready to remove from the mold.
I would think you could leave it anywhere that allows evaporation of the excess water to happen. Of course, direct sunlight probably not so good.
I often use my soaps fresh from the mold and in almost 4 years and 300 batches of soap I have NEVER experienced any burning except for once when the soap was still zappy (I hadn't let it gel and it simply wasn't done - so it was soft like cream cheese from the fridge).
A correctly made soap shouldn't burn from the mold - the exception being if you took it out of the mold before it was "done" as can happen if you don't gel a soap - in which case the soap will likely be soft (soft is a clue it might not be ready). But a zap test should tell you that. So lick it and if it's not zappy it's fine.
Soap fresh from the mold may be more drying, is all, and not last long as it still has excess water in it.
So how does it happen? By using too much lye or using your soap before it's finished saponifying. (The word "cure" is generally reserved the period AFTER it is soap and not zappy and the soap sits on the shelf for 4 weeks or so to mellow and dry, by the way).
Yes, you can put your soap batter (aka raw soap) in the fridge to saponify without gel - takes longer tho.
I use my laundry room (poorly insulated, not heated) to cure my soaps in the winter - very chilly but still fine. NOT a good idea in the summer though, when high humidity and heat can contribute to sweating & DOS.
A correctly made soap shouldn't burn from the mold - the exception being if you took it out of the mold before it was "done" as can happen if you don't gel a soap - in which case the soap will likely be soft (soft is a clue it might not be ready). But a zap test should tell you that. So lick it and if it's not zappy it's fine.
Soap fresh from the mold may be more drying, is all, and not last long as it still has excess water in it.
So how does it happen? By using too much lye or using your soap before it's finished saponifying. (The word "cure" is generally reserved the period AFTER it is soap and not zappy and the soap sits on the shelf for 4 weeks or so to mellow and dry, by the way).
Yes, you can put your soap batter (aka raw soap) in the fridge to saponify without gel - takes longer tho.
I use my laundry room (poorly insulated, not heated) to cure my soaps in the winter - very chilly but still fine. NOT a good idea in the summer though, when high humidity and heat can contribute to sweating & DOS.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
Ditto what carebear said.
