The Zap Test: A Visual Guide

[AlchemyandAshes]

Wait 48 hours for gelled soaps, a little longer for non gelled soaps.

 

[christinak]

Lol, I made my daughter taste it yesterday :twisted:

 

[Lindy]

Give it a couple of days. And then just wet your finger, rub it on the soap and then test....

 

[Smee]

"Wait 48 hours for gelled soaps, a little longer for non gelled soaps."

NOW I see this ....Once zapped twice shy. :sick:

"I made my daughter taste it yesterday"

There's another thing that makes kids useful (I'm making a list)

 

[mary]

Thank you

 

[seven8soap]

Hilarious, and well said. Thanks for making fun out if my least favorite part of soaoing. Who would have thought we would grow up and voluntarily stick soap on our flavor buds?! Adults have the world all backwards.

 

[Phyllis]

Thanks for the tutorial! I did the zap test today on my very first batch of soap. I am concerned that it is lye heavy since it is hard and breakable (after sitting in the mold for two days), but I didn't get a zap. At least I don't think I did; sounds like the "zap is hard to miss. I'm still considering rebatch though, just because I can't think why else it would be so hard so fast.

 

[sunfloweracres]

Zap test

Thanks for the awesome tutorial! I've not made a whopping three batches of soap and the first two, I waited a full 24 hours before doing a zap test, so my stuff was good. This last batch, however, has been done maybe 12 hours, probably less, and I have had my first zap! EWWWWWWW. I think I'll wait 24 hours from now one.

I have been using the hp crock pot method lately for shampoo bars and use pH strips for testing. Plus I do the zap test just to make sure, and have never been zapped. I almost feel left out!

 

[AnitaB]

This may be a silly question, but how strong is the zap supposed to be? Is it a noticeable zap (like the buzzy feeling of a fresh 9V battery) or more of a gentle tingle?

Not that I have a whole lot of batches under my belt, but in the ones I've tested, I've never felt a strong zap. In fact, I'm not sure if what I feel is a tingly sensation, or the sensation of my taste buds screaming, "Noooo, not the soap!"

I guess the question is, will I KNOW it's definitely a zap? Should I cut my next batch a little early, to know for sure what a zap feels like? It's like making myself put a 9V to my tongue to find out if it's fresh or not.

That's a very good question! As a newbie to soap making I only have one batch under my belt.

 

[soapguy]

I stick my tongue on the soap. If I can leave it there indefinitely and taste nothing but soap, then it's ready to go.

 

[ashleyrobertson]

You can also dissolve some of your soap in water, and use a digital PH tester. You can pick them up for pretty cheap.

With that said, I prefer the ZAP test. Much quicker

 

[SarahTH]

You are just too funny. I remember the metallic taste of the 9volt on the tongue (my brothers fault) It gives me shivers just thinking abt it. But I just did a zap test on the soaps I made last week and it taste like soap, no jolts or anything so I must be good to go Plus I've already used them on my hands and I still have all my fingers and no burn marks. lol

 

[ad02]

Hi,
I'm new to soap making and so far it hasn't gone perfectly. The soaps look and smell amazing, and I do not feel a 'zap' when I lick them, at all. But they do have that alkaline feeling when I wash with them, that slippery, hard to rinse off feeling, and afterwards my hands feel tight and dry. I should mention that these are either 100% olive oil or close to, with maybe 1/3 sunflower, or a couple oz coconut oil of the 24 oz oil total. I use 3 or 3.1 oz. lye with the 24 oz oil (and sometimes even I add an extra oz or so of oil). My digital scale weighs to 0.1oz. Do you think the harshness will 'cure' out? Its only been 3 weeks so far. The CP soapmaking class I did taught that saponification is complete after 24 hours. Other sources say castile has to cure for months to get mild enough to use. Which is correct? What the heck is going on here that I'm superfatting and still my hands feel dry and tight after washing?

 

[MKRainville]

Loved the photos very nice!!!

 

[Cally]

Deep inside I can't help but feel that this whole 'licking the soap' is just some awful, mean, horrible conspiracy on those of us (me) that are too stupid to know any better.

Someone on this very website, on this very forum once convinced me to try the zap test. I don't think it was a zap but oh my goodness I have NEVER tasted anything so disgusting in my life! Not even mushrooms are that revolting. I wanted to wash my tongue but that would have just started a vicious and unending cycle of abuse on my taste buds.

 

[Lidyax]

Deep inside I can't help but feel that this whole 'licking the soap' is just some awful, mean, horrible conspiracy on those of us (me) that are too stupid to know any better.

Someone on this very website, on this very forum once convinced me to try the zap test. I don't think it was a zap but oh my goodness I have NEVER tasted anything so disgusting in my life! Not even mushrooms are that revolting. I wanted to wash my tongue but that would have just started a vicious and unending cycle of abuse on my taste buds.

My soap taste weird, but they don't taste too horrible, IMHO. Perhaps what we put in our soap effect how it tastes?


Sent from my iPad using Soap Making

 

[athallr]

Thanks for posting this gonna get my hubby to try it, lol. I'm too chicken!


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making

 

[7Lbar]

During the curing phase, scientifically speaking: excess water evaporates and the pH will drop a little...anecdotally speaking: soap becomes milder and lather improves, and your soap will last longer in the shower. There's lots of theories out there over whether soap needs a 4-6 week cure...and in my experienced opinion, the answer is yes - CP soap benefits from a 4-6 week cure, and longer is better, especially if you use a high percentage of Olive Oil.
Experiment for yourself: use a soap that is freshly cut (as long as there's no zap) and take notes on how long it lasts, lather, hardness, pH, how your skin feels after use, etc. Then use a soap that has cured for 4-6 weeks and take the same notes, and compare the two.
There are generally no dire consequences to using a soap that hasn't had a good cure (with the exception of a lye heavy soap)...it's more a matter of quality.

This is very good information. I was wondering about writing down my notes on the soaps I make. My goal next year (Jan) is to start with 5-7 batches of different combinations that will be the standard soaps I want to make available, and after having them cure (using your guide for zap testing) use one bar from each batch before full cure. Then use one bar from each after total curing time to see how everything feels. I then will use/give/sell the remaining bars but keep one from each to test shelf life.

 

[Cinder]

Zap test

Hello, I made my first batch of soap 4 weeks ago. I did the zap test a day after the soap was made, then each week. I could tell the zap was getting less and less. Should it not be there at all? Should the soap only be used if there is no zap felt?
Thanks

 

[max_ime]

You can also dissolve some of your soap in water, and use a digital PH tester. You can pick them up for pretty cheap.

With that said, I prefer the ZAP test. Much quicker

I think ph and lye heavy are 2 things right? One could make a soap of a 9.3 ph and still get zapped.