Help a girl out

[Aubrianne]

Okay.I started CP a few months ago.

Are my soaps supposed to be soft when i cut them? That probably sounds dumb, but i can't find out. after 24 hours my soaps are softer, and i slice them then.

i really hope i am not messing up. i am really exact with my amounts and i make sure it traces but they are still so soft.

 

[Mindy07]

cutting soap

I was told that wait time depends on the climate where you live. I live in Florida and it is very humid this time of year--last month we had a drought so the weather was much drier. The soap person who taught me the basics told me that I should wait at least 24 hours a nd that I would know when to cut my soap when I push it and it doesn't leave a finger/thumbprint. If your soap is soft and gooey that means it might have seized (reacted with something that you have added to the other ingredients. Also that I should not use my soap for about 3 weeks to a month as the saponification process is not complete as quickly in humid climates.
How is your soap that you have made in the previous months? is it hard or gloppy?
check your lye vs. fat ratio. I hope this helps a little. I am still a newbie too.

 

[Mindy07]

wait time for cutting soap

one more thing...depending on your additives you might need to wait longer or less time. Like when I use oatmeal, I have to cut it much sooner than 24 hours because it will be crumbly if I wait too long and the soap will look ugly.

 

[Guest]

Well it could be numerous things. Can you post your oils in your recipe?
It could be that you didnt use enough hard oils, and when you use softer oils it will take the soap longer to harden and to cut.

Let me see your recipe and I will see..

 

[Aubrianne]

I used
9.12 oz water
3.37 oz lye
9.6 oz olive oil
6 oz coconut oil
4.8 safflower oil
3.6 sunflower oil

this is a different recipe than i've used in the past, before i used all coconut oil and a smidge of olive and it hardened so fast, this is just weird and new to me.