Letting your customers do the curing - thoughts?

[soaperwoman]

It's just not a good idea. Only give new soap to relatives. There are just so many things that could come back to haunt you. Of course I am really weird about the subject. I won't sell my soaps until at least 6 months. I want buyers to rave about how soapy and hard my bars are.

 

[duckinatub]

We have to tell the customers about the preparation time, and we are not able to send the soaps, before they cure... They might use it, and if anything happens, you are the one who is responsible for the incident. That can be a big problem. Let them know, you are accepting orders, one week before. Or if they buy them online, they need to order 4-6 weeks before. They understand.

 

[cherrycoke216]

It's just not a good idea. Only give new soap to relatives. There are just so many things that could come back to haunt you. Of course I am really weird about the subject. I won't sell my soaps until at least 6 months. I want buyers to rave about how soapy and hard my bars are.

Just out of curiosity, do you have a lot of storage space or rent a garage? How do you keep making soap and keep curing and sell until 6 months mark?

 

[biarine]

I make flavoured vodka but I need to age it for 6 weeks or more. The soap is the same needed to be age for safety and quality.

 

[Dlbroox]

Are we talking about cold process only or both hp and cp? How long do people who sell hp cure it for before selling?

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Are we talking about cold process only or both hp and cp? How long do people who sell hp cure it for before selling?

I can't answer your second question, because I'm sure many people sell before the soap is at its best. However, it's a myth that HP is ready any sooner than CP. In fact, HP often needs longer to cure because of its higher starting water content.

 

[toxikon]

Are we talking about cold process only or both hp and cp? How long do people who sell hp cure it for before selling?

Both cold-process and hot-process should be cured for at least 4 weeks before selling. For certain recipes, like Castile-types, they honestly need way more time before they become "good" bars of soap - like upwards of several months. Selling Castile at 4 weeks would result in a slimy, gloppy mess.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

"her bars are available as soon as they are out of the mold, and it's up to her customers to let them cure - and that fact is clearly stated on her website".

What are your thoughts on it?

The expression on Mr. Dwayne`s face sums up my feeling on this subject.

I may be overcautious of course (not).

 

[cmzaha]

Leave it to me, but I have sold soap that was not quite cured. These were usually when we would have an online special, if it was a good returning customer and I had run out. I would email them explaining the need to cure but would run a batch and put them in the mail with curing instructions, and a bar of soap that was ready to use in the meantime. I have also done this with good repeat customers that would only come out to the market every few months. I would let them know how many cured one's I have available and would run a batch if they let it cure. I have never had a complaint and they are still customers. You can make it work if you know your customers and explain well why they need to cure the soap. I will make it clear that this is not a habit of mine.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Those are different examples. I don't sell, but there are people who I know I can say "here is a bar to use now, this one needs to cure a while" and they will do it, and people who I can only give them fully cured soap.

As a general idea, it's not the best, especially with John or Jane Doe on the street. With regular customers who a) understand a little bit more and b) actually know what a good soap feels like - it can be an exception

 

[dillsandwitch]

I dont let any soap leave my racks till its been cured for at least 8 weeks or longer. Old soap is good soap.

I have told DH that I dont want any lard for my birthday this year as I still have lard soap left over from 3 years ago. He usually gets me a couple of KGs of lard each year, mainly cause its so expensive here and I usually dont use it. I have to hide the lard soap when family comes to visit cause I wanna keep it all to myself. hahahaha

 

[cherrycoke216]

I dont let any soap leave my racks till its been cured for at least 8 weeks or longer. Old soap is good soap.

I have told DH that I dont want any lard for my birthday this year as I still have lard soap left over from 3 years ago. He usually gets me a couple of KGs of lard each year, mainly cause its so expensive here and I usually dont use it. I have to hide the lard soap when family comes to visit cause I wanna keep it all to myself. hahahaha

Mm...thoughtful husband know how great lardy lard is!

Do you want to venture into rendering lard yourself? Haha...extra labor for extreme luxury soaping oil.

 

[Roxyjames3]

I shrink wrap my soaps when I ship. Can soap "cure" if its shrink wrapped or do I need to let them stay on the racks unwrapped for proper curing? Just asking because I can store easier if I can wrap them instead of having racks all over my garage.

I would also NEVER send an uncured bar of soap. Heck I can barely trust myself not to use it too soon....the smells are awesome. I have the best smelling garage on my block!!

 

[IrishLass]

It's best to leave them unwrapped for a proper cure so that the excess water can evaporate out, which helps the soap to be able to form a good internal crystalline structure, which helps to improve it's lathering properties, etc... If you shrink-wrap them before cure is done, the excess water will have no where to go, which can lead to spoilage/DOS.

Also, letting them air out naked allows the soap to chemically react with the carbon dioxide in the air, which has the affect of reducing the pH a little.


IrishLass

 

[dillsandwitch]

Mm...thoughtful husband know how great lardy lard is!

Do you want to venture into rendering lard yourself? Haha...extra labor for extreme luxury soaping oil.

Looked into it a while back but none of the butchers around here are willing to keep pork fat for me.

 

[cherrycoke216]

Looked into it a while back but none of the butchers around here are willing to keep pork fat for me.

Oh I see that you are in Australia, then sheep/lamb tallow might be plentiful? Wonder how it performs in soap.

 

[WhiteRiverSoap]

I'm of the opinion that the "curing" of the soap is mostly about loss of water and to harden the soap. I find that this process is variable based on lye concentration and water as % of oils where less water and higher lye concentration takes less time to "cure". I track water loss vs. time and when I go several days with no more water loss, it's done!

 

[IrishLass]

I'm of the opinion that the "curing" of the soap is mostly about loss of water and to harden the soap. I find that this process is variable based on lye concentration and water as % of oils where less water and higher lye concentration takes less time to "cure". I track water loss vs. time and when I go several days with no more water loss, it's done!

There's also the 'crystalization' aspect going on during cure, as interestingly explained by our DeeAnna here .


IrishLass

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Quite. water loss alone doesn't explain why a 6 month bar is better than a 3 month, as both would have stopped losing any sort of moisture long before that.