to store cured soaps

[deafsoaper]

After I cured my soaps for 4-6 weeks

Can I use dollar store plastic container for each scent to store them? I assumed I have to put a few holes on each side or don't have to?

 

[mx5inpenn]

After I cured my soaps for 4-6 weeks

Can I use dollar store plastic container for each scent to store them? I assumed I have to put a few holes on each side or don't have to?

The plastic shoe boxes are exactly what I use. They don't seal airtight so I don't bother with holes.

 

[Zing]

I don't have any experience with plastic containers but I definitely recommend containers with holes. Not sure how you would make holes in plastic. I use cardboard shoeboxes that I've cut holes into. Good luck. And if this is your first soap, congratulations! Have you posted photos yet?!

 

[Kcryss]

I live in a very dry area so I use the plastic boxes with lids. If I leave the soap open to the air, even for 4 months, every drop of moisture is removed from the soap. They shrivel to half their original size.

 

[Kcryss]

I live in a very dry area so I use the plastic boxes with lids. If I leave the soap open to the air, even for 4 months, every drop of moisture is removed from the soap. They shrivel to half their original size.

Well, ok. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration. The ones that shriveled to half their size were over a year old. lol, still that's a giant decrease in size just for being allowed to sit in the open air.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

The ones that shriveled to half their size were over a year old.

Even at that, I doubt they would shrivel that much, especially since you do HP. You might want to try using a Cure Card to check the weight at first and then at various times for the 4-6 week cure time.

 

[deafsoaper]

I don't have any experience with plastic containers but I definitely recommend containers with holes. Not sure how you would make holes in plastic. I use cardboard shoeboxes that I've cut holes into. Good luck. And if this is your first soap, congratulations! Have you posted photos yet?!

Just use heat and something metal rod to melt through the plastic

Making soaps since early summer last year... made designs simple, nothing crazy lol

 

[Zing]

These are awesome photos! I'm jealous of your tops which I can't do to save my life. I have a soap similar to yours colored with turmeric and cocoa powder. Really like the all black one if you care to share your colorants? And I'm guessing the brown 2 layer was the coffee one you asked about before.

 

[deafsoaper]

These are awesome photos! I'm jealous of your tops which I can't do to save my life. I have a soap similar to yours colored with turmeric and cocoa powder. Really like the all black one if you care to share your colorants? And I'm guessing the brown 2 layer was the coffee one you asked about before.

Lol thanks I just keep it simple with the top... I wait til it like medium trace and use the spoon from the side to the middle and turn it around and do it again to overlap it ... the other design is just a toothpick and do circle motion from the front to the back, only like 1/4" deep ..that it

The black one is just activated charcoal, yeah the 2 brown layers is double strength coffee and a little bit of Dutch process cocoa powder in half batch ... i didn't do any design yet... it just a sample test batch to see the colour turn out and any scent from the coffee and added 1 tsp/2g used gr coffee to test the exfoliate

 

[Johnez]

Just use heat and something metal rod to melt through the plastic

Making soaps since early summer last year... made designs simple, nothing crazy lol

Cheap soldering iron works great.

 

[deafsoaper]

Cheap soldering iron works great.

Good idea but ain't buying one

Gonna just MacGyver it and use a food blowtorch that i already have and heat up a nail or screw and make holes with it

 

[BWt]

Just use heat and something metal rod to melt through the plastic

Making soaps since early summer last year... made designs simple, nothing crazy lol

Just saw your response RE black soap. Thank you !!These are most wonderful. Would you be willing to share how you colored the darker soap? Dye or mica or ? Thank you

 

[deafsoaper]

Just saw your response RE black soap. Thank you !!These are most wonderful. Would you be willing to share how you colored the darker soap? Dye or mica or ? Thank you

I don't use mica... only natural colorants

I just use 4g per 410g of oils/butters ... I just melt the oils/butters and then use the charcoal and kaolin clay then add my lye solution ... that it

I'm sure you can add the charcoal after u mix oil and lye together or add it at trace.. i assumed there is no difference anyway

 

[BWt]

I don't use mica... only natural colorants

I just use 4g per 410g of oils/butters ... I just melt the oils/butters and then use the charcoal and kaolin clay then add my lye solution ... that it

I'm sure you can add the charcoal after u mix oil and lye together or add it at trace.. i assumed there is no difference anyway

Thank you. Am making black embeds tomorrow (hopefully.). Yes agree with adding char and clay with oils. Easier to blend in. And I have the charcoal on hand. Very much appreciate your help!

 

[Whillow]

After I cured my soaps for 4-6 weeks

Can I use dollar store plastic container for each scent to store them? I assumed I have to put a few holes on each side or don't have to?

I use the plastic dollar store "shoe box size". I have drilled holes in each box on the sides and I also put in a couple packets of silica sand (I keep all the packets from pill bottles and Covid test packs) to keep things dry. The lids don't fit tight so that helps as well. I used an Exacto-knife and just sat and spun it as it drilled into the plastic. I tried to keep them without the holes but certain soaps smelled a bit musty (?) or off. This is after I cured them on racks for 6-8 weeks.

 

[deafsoaper]

I keep my cured soaps in a freezer.

Really?! Never heard of this... interesting

 

[Whillow]

I keep my cured soaps in a freezer.

It doesn't wreck the integrity of the soap? I once accidentally left a couple of bars of soap in my car in the winter and I thought it would ruin them, so gave them to my family LOL.

 

[user 58006]

Just use heat and something metal rod to melt through the plastic

Making soaps since early summer last year... made designs simple, nothing crazy lol

I was just going through this thread . And thought I would say your soaps look amazing . What are they ?