my first soap attempt- help

[FreeRabbit]

I did my very first batch of soap, and things looked great, my soap looks good (as far as I can tell) and smells good, I took it out of the mold after 48 hours and cut it- I have no way to compare to other homemade soaps since this is my first try...
But now after 72 hours (48 in the mold and 24 out to dry)- it is still a little irritating when I wash my hands with it. (Yes I know I'm not suppose to try yet but some web pages promised it should be 99% safe by now)
My question is will curing more help it or if by now it is still irritating then it's not good?
Thank you!

 

[Relle]

I've never tried my soap out until after 6 weeks curing time :shock: .

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Unless there is something amiss, it should get better with age. I would expect it to be a bit drying after 3 days. :wink:

 

[saltydog]

I did my very first batch of soap, and things looked great, my soap looks good (as far as I can tell) and smells good, I took it out of the mold after 48 hours and cut it- I have no way to compare to other homemade soaps since this is my first try...
But now after 72 hours (48 in the mold and 24 out to dry)- it is still a little irritating when I wash my hands with it. (Yes I know I'm not suppose to try yet but some web pages promised it should be 99% safe by now)
My question is will curing more help it or if by now it is still irritating then it's not good?
Thank you!

FreeRabbit- I did the same thing with my first batch. Tried it out on my hands after 2 days. I wanted to see how bubbly it was, I couldn't resist!
It was super bubbly & VERY drying!
Now, I put them away in cardboard boxes and just flip them every now and again and wait until cure date :wink:

 

[falldowngobump]

A good 4-6 week cure can make all the difference in the world in soap. I'm like most people and can't resist 'trying' a few days after making--and it's almost always drying. That same soap feels much different after a few weeks, just give it time!

 

[FreeRabbit]

thank you for the encouragment!

I was worried because it was drying and tingling still (still a little caustic?)
it was better today so only hope the improvment will continue!

 

[yoenoess]

yes it will improve

you should let it sit for 4-8 weeks

if you want No Cure time, i think you should go HP or MP

 

[Fyrja]

Waiting is probably the hardest part, but it really is worth it. When I first started making soap I really had the hardest time waiting. Recently, however, I've discovered that if I place my soap in the back of my linen closet to cure then I'm apt to leave it alone.

There's also the added bonus that the linen's and towels stacked neatly in front of the soap smell fabulous, as does the hallway everytime I open the closet door. :-D

 

[FreeRabbit]

Thanks everyone!
I moved them to the closet and they will be checked again after awhile!