Cure HP shave soap?

[Nikkor]

I made a small batch of HP shaving soap this morning and I used the recipe from the epic "First shaving soap is a success" thread.

Since it's to soft to be cut into bars I glopped it into a few tupperware containers. Should I put the lids on right away or let them cure uncovered? If I'm supposed to let them cure uncovered, how long?

 

[DeeAnna]

Depends on whether you want the soap to firm up or not. Songwind's recipe is a dupe of a Martin de Candre shave soap. It's my understanding the MdC folks put their soap into pots, but allow the soap to cure with the lids off for some months -- I get the feeling we're talking 5-6 months, but I'm speaking from dim memory, so I could be wrong.

What I can tell you from my personal experience is this: After a month or so, the soap will still be fairly soft, like waxy clay. If you allow the soap to cure in the open air for another 2-3 months, the soap will dry and firm up considerably more. It will never be fully hard like regular bath soap, but the drier it is, the longer it will last in use.

 

[Nikkor]

Thanks DeeAnna! You were one of the people I was hoping would reply as I value your knowledge and I know you have been very active on that thread and experimenting with the process yourself.

I'd like to hear Songwind's opinion to. Or anyone else for that matter. I know that the soap is supposed to be softish and mine is but I think letting some of the water evaporate out wouldn't be a bad thing. I just don't want my essential oils to evaporate out with the water.

 

[wetshavingproducts]

The recipe is not a copy of MdC. It makes a workable and decent lather, but is not the same. Even if you cure it for a long time, it's not the same. I've tried it and I have a few pots of MdC for comparison.

MdC is completely opaque and pretty white if not scented.

edit: It gets better with curing.

 

[Bex1982]

I've never used that recipe. I would let it cure without the lids and maybe try to pop them out of the containers so they dry out faster. I hope your eo's stay in there, it's always a gamble how strong they will smell after cure.
I just made some rebatch shaving soap yesterday, its firm but I did not use the recipe that you did. Shaving soap is fun, one of my favorites to make.

 

[Seawolfe]

I followed that recipe, and then rolled and cut them in pucks. I cured them in open air for a month, and now they are in a cardboard box, very loosely bunched in paper to keep the different scents separated. They are still malleable, and work well.

When I made them hubby told me that he "didn't need any shaving soap", has plenty of supply from Italy that he is happy with, yadda yadda... But I notice he snuck a puck and has been using it almost exclusively, so there's that

 

[DeeAnna]

"...The recipe is not a copy of MdC...."

To be clear, I said Songwind's recipe taken from a B&B discussion is a ~dupe~ of MdC, as soapers use the term. As in look at the ingredients list of a commercial product and at least initially attempt to make something similar. As soapers, we know a dupe is not identical to the commercial product, since we don't have the exact recipe nor do we have the same equipment and processing conditions. <shrug>

"...MdC is completely opaque and pretty white if not scented...."
"...It gets better with curing...."

Ditto on both counts for the soap made with Songwind's recipe, at least the version I make.

 

[wetshavingproducts]

Sorry, getting used to the vernacular around here.

 

[DeeAnna]

It takes some time, WSP.