CPOP: Cold Process Oven Process

[Marieke]

Thank you, I'm quite happy with it.

 

[tweetibyrd]

So true

Yes, I cover it with some seran wrap. Uncoverd the soap forms little bubbles on top like these:

I was afraid to cover mine thinking the plastic might melt and my soap was COVERED in little ripples and bubbles. I just trimmed the top off. This should be fine I think. I just wish I had covered it.

 

[paillo]

I CPOP almost everything, but if it's a loaf with a nice textured top I let it gel overnight in the mold, then CPOP the next morning. It goes thru a second gel but since it's already gelled, my pretty tops don't melt from the CPOP. I'll never go back to just gelling or preventing gel, love this method

 

[cleancanvas]

please help- cpop

Hey everyone. This is my first ever asking a question online so I really hope someone can be kind enough to reply.
I know how to make cp and hp soap but last night I made my very first cpop. The soap is firm but it has a thin layer of oil all around it. Not sure why that happen. Did I not leave it in long enough? I did 170F for 30 mins. I didn't do the full hour because little bubbles began popping all on the surface ruining my swirl. Is it even possible to have a decorative top like peaks and swirls with this process because it seems to melt away?
Please help with tips on how to avoid these problems because I really want to use this method successfully. Sorry for all the questions

 

[girlishcharm2004]

It's possible that it got too hot. Did you use a silicone mold? Or a silicone-lined wooden mold?

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome Cleancanvas!

It sounds to me like the soap was actually getting too hot. It's a good thing you removed it from the oven when you did (at least in my opinion).

When I do CPOP, I only heat my oven to 120F/49C and then I turn it off once I put my soap in there, where I then let it sit undisturbed overnight. My soaping temps are normally anywhere from 110F - 120F, and happily having my oven pre-heated to only 120F is all the encouragement my soap needs in order for it to gel. I know a lot of people heat their ovens to 170F, but I've found that to be way to hot for my CP soaps (it causes problems in them). For what it's worth, my peaks come out just fine with my CPOP method.

IrishLass

 

[Fit_and_Prosperous]

Okay, first time here! I made soap with a friend of mine (she's the expert) around Thanksgiving. The batch before TG is dry and ready. The two batches I made the week AFTER, however, are still not done.

They were CP only, in a gel mold that was then placed in a wooden box. I sliced them into bricks after 24 hours, and they've been sitting on parchment paper in my bedroom since.

The remaining bricks have circles in the middle (moisture), and I don't know how to speed up the curing time.

Is there any way to speed it up 3+ weeks after they've been cut?

I would LOVE for these to be Christmas presents, but I can't give them out if they're not cured.

Thank you so much for the help. I love all the knowledge on this forum!

Jami

 

[JustBeachy]

The circles in the centers sound more like partial gel. Just aesthetic, won't hurt your soap.

And, sorry no. There is no way to speed up the cure. It's more than just the water curing out.

 

[Fit_and_Prosperous]

Okay, so these are safe?

I grabbed a few and put them on a table in front of my West-facing windows. I have a fan blowing on them to see if that will help too. You can see the ring getting smaller.

 

[Seawolfe]

Yeah that's partial gel - that's just aesthetic, doesn't hurt anything.
If you made those on Thanksgiving day - 27 Nov, then 4 weeks would be 25 Dec - so the earliest cure time (but they might get better with more).
You can try them now if you like.

 

[JustBeachy]

Zap test them to be sure, but yep, that looks like a partial gel ring.

 

[DeeAnna]

If you think about it, you'll most likely realize the bars that have the smaller rings are from the ends of the loaf. The ones with a largest rings are from the center of the loaf.

The dark center bullseye in each bar is where the soap was fully gelled during saponification. The hotter center of the loaf gels more completely so those bars will have a bigger bullseye than bars from the cooler ends.

The rings won't ever disappear or get smaller, but they may become less noticeable as the soap dries and cures.

 

[Fit_and_Prosperous]

SO I zap tested most of them and all I got was a mild soap test. Nothing else. I'm good to wrap them up this weekend and send?

Next time I make a batch, I think I'll follow the CPOP method with the oven in the very beginning. It might buy me a week or two.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

...........Next time I make a batch, I think I'll follow the CPOP method with the oven in the very beginning. It might buy me a week or two.

Not really. Even gelled soaps need a cure. While some people cure bars for 6 or 8 weeks, most people agree that 4 weeks is really the minimum cure time before soap can be considered ready for use.

Of course, you CAN go with less of a cure, but you will be then giving your friends lower quality soap that is going to be used up quicker in use - in other words, a sub-par gift.

 

[shunt2011]

^^^^

This exactly. I never send soap to anyone without a full cure. I personally prefer 6-8 weeks but 4 will work in a pinch. I've heard of some folks putting a do not use until date on it but I wouldn't do that either. Just because it says do not use doesn't mean they won't. So, 4 week at the earliest. Longer better!

 

[DeeAnna]

As someone who does CPOP, I really don't see a difference in the cure time. All CPOP does is ensure gel, but it doesn't magically affect the amount of water loss, improvement in lather, and reduction in water solubility that happens during cure. I second the Gent's comments.

 

[IrishLass]

I third Gent's comment and second DeeAnna's.

I CPOP my soap, too, and I definitely concur with those who say there's really no way to speed cure ('cure' meaning water loss, plus the chemical micro-changes that take place in the matrix of the soap that bring about improvements in the soap's lathering abilities, reductions in solubility, which affect the longevity of the soap, increased mildness, etc....). Nobody in my circle of family and friends gets any of my soap before it's time. I want it to be the best it can be for them so that they don't ever view my handmade soap in a negative light.

Mine get a cure of at least 4 weeks. That's when they are at their earliest best for me and won't rain down shame and embarrassment upon me if I gift it to someone, lol, but they grow even more lovely after a few extra weeks of cure beyond that.


IrishLass

 

[JustBeachy]

I'm just going to agree with everyone, I CPOP all my soaps, with the exception of the salt bars. While I test the new recipes starting at one week, I don't really pay that much attention to the quality's of the bar until week 4. The difference between week 4 and weeks 6 to 8 are astronomical.

Just gotta wait it out man.

 

[ShaeDB]

Marieke, your soap is beautiful-like a rose sitting amidst flames. I love it. My avocado puree and creamy HP butterfly Swirl had partial gel. The creamy HP is still soft at 3wks. Any advice?

 

[Susie]

This thread is two years old. You may do better starting a new thread with your question.

I don't HP, so I am no help.