covering soap? help please!

[CupcakeKisses]

ok, who covers their soap with plastic before putting on lid? I use the small plastic tubs until my wood mold comes, and I have used plastic to cover and prevent "soda ash". so what do you guys do? if I make "dollops" on top I dont want them smashed, but I dont want soda ash either. and when I get the wood mold do I plastic it or just put the top on? help!

 

[IanT]

I do!!

I either use wax paper or plastic wrap and then cover that with a towel for insulation

and when you use a wood mold, all ive been doing is putting the cover on and leaving it..seems to have worked so far...

 

[helpwithsoap]

No, I dont. I think they may cause overheating if you cover it too much.

Perhaps just tried wood or even cardboard

 

[CupcakeKisses]

No, I dont. I think they may cause overheating if you cover it too much.

Perhaps just tried wood or even cardboard

so, how do you prevent soda ash?

Waxed paper, thanks for that idea. I hate trying to stretch the plastic straight. lol

 

[IanT]

youve got to seal it off from the air, ash is a biproduct of the saponification process that occurs when the forming soap is exposed to air (oxygen)...either cover it with a piece of wood, or cardboard (preferably after you put wax paper or similar over the top of the soap) I usually wait a little until gel goes underway to cover it so the top is kind of harder to indent, then I just press it onto the soap and flatten the air bubbles out of it with my fingers...works real nice

 

[kwahlne]

So what do you do when you want the whipped up dollop look? Since flattening the wax paper over it would ruin the look...

 

[IanT]

if you want the whipped up look id say put a larger piece of cardboard on top so it covers the mold hws suggested, then you dont have to worry about smooshing them