Cured soap before Xmas???

abigtroutt · Nov 28, 2008

Does anyone have a CP recipe that will cure before X-mas? I have made several soaps for the family and wanted to add one more to the mix. I been reading about cure times and been very confused…So I figured I’d ask the experts about a soap recipe with a quick cure time…and also what would be a normal cure time for soap

Thanks

Soapmaker Man · Nov 28, 2008

While allowing your soap to sit 4 to 6 weeks is the best, saponification is completed, at least, within the first week after pouting your soap. The rest of the "cure" process is mostly simple dehydration of the liquids you used to make the recipe. By reducing the liquids you use, or another way of saying it, using a stronger lye solution, you have a harder bar, faster. I am now soaping at about a 40% lye solution strength. Experience will allow you to use less and less liquids to make your soap, while allowing time to swirl and pour into your mold. Most floral scents accelerate trace time, so I would not recommend using a floral when discounting the liquids until you once again have soap making firmly in hand. If you take a modest liquid discount, say using a 33 to 35% lye solution strength, your soap will be ready by Christmas.

Paul :wink:

ChrissyB · Nov 28, 2008

Thank you for that information Soapmaker Man
Very useful indeed

pinkduchon · Dec 3, 2008

Paul, when you say 40% lye solution, does that mean your lye is set to 40% on the soap calculator? I use the Soapcalc.com and it is automatically set to 25.2996% lye. So using less liquid means upping this %?

carebear · Dec 3, 2008

Not Paul, but yes - click the box by the word SET in the Lye Concentration area and then enter your amount. But be prepared for soap to move fast at 40% - don't expect to do anything fancy with it, only use an FO you KNOW won't accelerate, and don't pick a recipe that moves fast. Personally if someone is a relative beginner I'd not go that high - you should increase gradually as you gain experience.

Even though I CAN soap at 40% I usually go 33-38% max depending on the formula. If you want to go high, I recommend soaping with lard in your formula. It moves nice and slow in the bowl.

You really can't speed the cure by choosing a different recipe (except you may want to avoid one with more than 30% olive oil as that's not nice with less than 4-6 weeks cure).

Soapmaker Man · Dec 3, 2008

Your welcome everyone.

Rest; what carebear said. It just takes experimenting, using different oils/fats/butters together to discover the "synergy" you like. Mine, I can go a 40% lye solution strength 80% of the time, and still have play time to do swirls. Experience, time turned, is the best teacher. Carebear and I have known each other for several years now. She and I started our soap making endeavors about the same time, almost 4 years ago. We both have much more we can learn, and have messed up a lot in the past, but trying to learn form our mistakes. There is no real secret to becoming a good soap maker; only time spent "throwing lye at oils" figuratively, will make you better.

Paul :wink: