Curing time for CP soap

[Dala3en]

Hi everyone
I have been reading a lot about CP soap making and a lot of the threads mentioned how it is important to wait for at least 4 weeks for the soap to cure, honestly I find this a little absorbed, since I used my soap the very next day after un molding and nothing bad happened, the only thing I noticed is that, the longer you cure it the better it smells and the harder the bar becomes and the more moisturizing it feels !!
Does the curing time has anything with the size of the bar?
I don't make very large batches usually and I always use single bar molds and usually cure them in a dry and windy area.
Oh... And I usually superfat at 5%.

Any thoughts?

 

[Carly B]

I think you answered yourself. I usually cure my soap for 6 - 8 weeks, because, as you said, " I noticed is that, the longer you cure it the better it smells and the harder the bar becomes and the more moisturizing it feels !"

It's perfectly safe to use long before that. But it's cured for the reasons you noticed.

 

[Ephemerella]

When I first started making CP soap, I started using my bars within days of making them. As time has gone on, I've found the value of cure time. In many cases, bars that I thought were really good matured into becoming great after a few months. Bubbles get bubblier, creamy lather gets creamier, my skin feels refreshed and healthy, and bars last weeks not days. I also find colors can change over many weeks, as can the fragrance, sometimes for better or worse.

Yes, I find that larger bars need more time to cure.

Three months ago, I made a lovely bar that was very moisturizing. The bars came out on the soft side but firm enough to cut. I cut them unusually large, about 7oz each. A few days later, I couldn't help myself and started using it. I loved the soap, but it did dwindle quickly. Last week, I wanted to gift a sample bar to two friends, so I cut one of those big bars in half. It was rock hard and glossy on the outside, but soft and tacky on the inside. Thats after 3 months of curing. I've set two aside and intend to cut them in 6 months, and then a year.

I think of my soap now more like cheese or wine, perfectly fine to use when 'young' but even better with time.

And this was a VERY hard lesson for me to learn, I am the least patient person I know!

 

[JuLeeRenee]

Does the curing time has anything with the size of the bar?

I have found the bar of soap does shrink as it is losing the water. You can always weigh and measure it right after you cut it then at different intervals to see exactly the difference. I personally wait till 8 weeks or more because I use to shrink wrap mine at 4 weeks and the shrink wrap will get loose on the bar of soap. I have even seen it after 8 weeks too.

 

[Relle]

I have bars I'm using now that are 1 year old, better than anything that I just made two days ago and I haven't used those because I know better. I cure mine 4 - 6 wks before trying them out, but like my old soaps the best.
Curing in a dry and windy area does not speed up the process, you can't speed up curing. Think about wine, they don't sell wine just after making. Be patient and you'll see for yourself how nice the soap is after a few months.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As above - "safe to use" and "best to use" are not the same thing at all.

You'll find your own sweet spot for curing your soaps. As you can see from the replies above, there isn't one answer for everyone (and it can also vary based on what type of soap is being made!) so you might not find the difference between 4 weeks and 8 weeks is enough to justify the wait, but the difference between 3 weeks and 4 weeks might be.

Of course, you might not find the difference between 4 weeks and 2 days is worth it, but it would be a shame as any soap you make would be far better at 4 weeks than 2 days!