Newbie--Question about when to cut soap

[citygirl]

Hello everyone,

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my question.

I'm wondering if there are any consequences to cutting your soap too early? Is it okay to cut your soap into bars and then letting them cure uncovered as long as your soap is somewhat hard and is no longer in the gel phase? Most of the material and youtube demonstrations tell you to cover your soap (in the mold) and to cut 24 hours later. However, I've read that some people uncover and cut their soap into bars in as little as 6-8 hours or 1 hour later (in the case of salt bars).

Which is best?

Many thanks again.

 

[Nightlilly]

I think the only problem in cutting too soon is having a possibly deformed bar if its too soft to cut evenly. Salt bars have to be cut sooner because they get so hard and if you wait too long they'll crumble and break. Also, some soaps require more than 24 hours before they can be cut. Some of mine have had to wait a few days.

If your soap is hard enough to cut without loosing shape then go for it.

 

[dragonblossom]

Oooh, I need to know this too! I thought I could cut my soap after the 24 hour period. If I have a high cocnut oil soap, then could I cut it after the 24 hour resting period? How can you tell if the soap will be hard enough to cut without loosing shape if you dont try to cut it? Thanks!

 

[Nightlilly]

I say poke it!...lol...seriously though if you give it a little poke and it leaves a mark, then wait a bit. You just want to be able to handle it with out it smooshing or leaving indents. I use a silicone mold and if I pull the sides back and the mold comes away cleanly then I can cut it. If you use a wooden soap mold and line it with freezer paper, you can pull the soap and liner out and slowly peel the paper away, if it sticks to the paper and still looks gummy, then wait. Sometimes I freeze mine if it's taking too long in my silicone mold, then thaw and cut. The more you soap with a recipe, the more you'll learn about how soon it can be cut, just takes practice.

 

[Obsidian]

I've made around 20 batches of soap since I started and I still have trouble determining when to cut. What I usually do is pull my loaf out of the wood mold and leave the paper liner on it then start giving it a poke or gentle squeeze every once in a while. As soon as it feels good and firm, I peel the paper way.
If the soap is tacky on the paper, I leave it sit longer but if it peels away smoothly then I will try a test cut. If the test cut goes ok and no soap sticks to the cutter then I will cut the whole loaf, if its too tacky inside I will wait a couple more hours.

I'm really bad about waiting to cut and I've cut more then one batch too soon but it didn't hurt anything besides making the bars look a bit smeared. The only time I had to wait more then 24 hours was a batch of castile that took 3 days before I could unmold it then another day of drying before I could cut.

 

[Nightlilly]

I'm really bad about waiting to cut and I've cut more then one batch too soon but it didn't hurt anything besides making the bars look a bit smeared. The only time I had to wait more then 24 hours was a batch of castile that took 3 days before I could unmold it then another day of drying before I could cut.

Doesn't it just KILL you to walk by the dang thing everyday and not be able to cut it??? My last batch was 3 days and I finally froze the stupid thing. I just couldn't wait any longer...lol

 

[Obsidian]

Ha, thats what I did with mine too

 

[PinkCupcake]

I wait until mine is sort of the consistency of cheddar cheese. Still kind of soft so that I want to be careful with it, but not so soft that I feel like I'm in danger of deforming it.

 

[shunt2011]

I cut anywhere from 12-24 hours most of the time. Then just let the bars cure.

 

[stargazer44]

Ideally, I cut after 2 days. HOWEVER, I am not patient AT ALL, and usually cut in a day I just cut 2 loaves that were still a little soft on the sides. Not a huge deal since I plane them, but I had a 3rd loaf that was just too soft to un-mold. If my soap is sticky, I usually wait to cut it another day. It really depends on the weather as to how long I have to wait.

 

[jenneelk]

Think the longest I've gone was 20 hours and that was overnight and that was cause I had and am appt. I usually soap at night (2nd HP trial cooking now ) and leave overnight. AM I test if its solid enough to remove which it usually is.. Let it air dry for a few hours and cut.
So about 18 at most for me but usually 12-14.