What if I don't cure for 4 weeks?

[TVivian]

I've been soaping for a little over a year now and just began selling here and there. I'll start off by saying that I gel (cpop usually) all of my soaps and cure for 4 plus weeks.. But honestly, honestly.. I don't notice any difference in a bar of soap after a 1 week cure vs a 4 week one. After a week it's mild, hard and lathers well. I thought maybe I just wasn't noticing the subtle differences time makes. Then.. I was chatting with another soaper who also cpops and they agreed about the soap being good to go after a week or so.

Anyone else who gels/cpops care to chime in about what their experience is?

 

[Meganmischke]

I don't usually gel and I think the only thing I notice is that the soap doesn't last as long. I routinely use 2 week bars and they are great but I don't sell. If I did I would think the customers would expect the longest lasting bar possible. If you already use a pretty steep discount you may be ok. I would then be concerned about consistency as your customers are currently use to a 4 week cure.

 

[Dorymae]

I would say take a fully (6week cure) bar and one 1 week old bar. Take them both into the shower with you (They don't need to be the same bars but should be the same formula, color fragrance and technique can vary). Use both bars equally for the next two weeks.

When you are done you will know the difference between a cured bar and uncured. The lather is not the main difference. Neither is the moisturizing property. However one of those bars will be a whole lot smaller than the other after you use them for 2 weeks, want to guess which one?

 

[lsg]

Your soap will last longer after a good, long cure.

 

[TVivian]

I do a good water discount. Maybe that's why I don't notice a huge difference between a 2 week cured and a 4-6 week cured although I don't really use the younger bars consistently.. More just as testers because I like to sample them. Now I notice a huge difference in the longevity of the bars after 2 or 3 months.

 

[judymoody]

I typically gel but usually I have so much soap lying around (no pun intended) that I don't use young soap. I do notice the most difference WRT cure with salt bars. Also a 6 month bar is a very different creature than a 6 week bar.

 

[Susie]

You need to test the bar at 6-8 weeks, compared to a 1 week, 2 week, etc, bar. I find my bars begin to really be at their best at 7-8 weeks.

 

[Obsidian]

I don't notice much of a difference between week 1-4 but I do after 8 weeks.

 

[jade-15]

My bars seem to improve around 8-12 weeks, doesn't matter the formula! They feel milder, lather better and have less skin drag... ALTHOUGH I take them into the shower at 8 weeks and notice this change over time - whilst they sit in the shower - so it's not a fair test to leave one in the box for 12 weeks and then test.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

If you haven't already done so, do a full-use test of one at the point that you want to consider selling it. Hopefully your customers aren't just using it once and then putting it aside, but using it at least once every day.

Until you know how it performs and how long it lasts (or doesn't) at the 1 week stage, can you really consider selling it at that point?

 

[Lion Of Judah]

a soap at several weeks old is like most things that gets better with age, its mild , stable lather , and full of mature character. longevity also enters to it as well.

 

[TVivian]

I would never sell after 1 week. There's no reason to because like Judy I have an excess. I WISH I had so many customers to buy it up! I have tested the soaps and just wasn't seeing a huge difference in a young bar vs a month old one, I guess the difference does come at 8+ weeks because that's where I can see a noticeable difference.

 

[TVivian]

I am also wondering if my climate has anything to do with it. Where I live is so dry that it may be as if my soaps are constantly sitting in a dehumidifier. .,, and drying out faster.

 

[new12soap]

another thing to consider is that even soap made with a water discount will continue to cure and lose water over those first 6-8 weeks, and the bar may end up being a lot lighter than your labels indicate or what the customer thought they were getting (you do label correctly and include the weight of your bars, right?).

testing a 1 week old bar washing your hands at the sink isn't the same as using it in the shower. as others have said, take it and use it for 2 weeks.

and also like others in this thread have said, I notice a large enough difference between 4 weeks and 8 weeks to make it worth the wait for me, and that is with HP soap!

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with the others. My favorite cure is 8 weeks or more. I love my soaps best especially salt soaps after a good long cure. However, I don't always get the opportunity to wait that long depending on sales at my markets/shows etc. But they never go to a show or market with less than 4 weeks.

 

[TVivian]

So we all agree that an 8+ week bar is best, but then I find the scent on the outside has dulled until the bar is in the shower, how do we get a good long cure while preserving the scent of a younger bar.. Ah soaper problems.

And yes, I do label my bars correctly but that's another topic entirely isn't it.

 

[new12soap]

And yes, I do label my bars correctly but that's another topic entirely isn't it.

Indeed!

(there was supposed to be a in there, didn't mean for it to come across as harsh!)

 

[TVivian]

( there was supposed to be a in there, didn't mean for it to come across as harsh!)[/QUOTE]


No worries! I didn't mean to sound so harsh either


I guess what I'm staying is that I've done things because were TOLD to. I waited a year before selling a bar because I was told to. I cure a full 6 weeks because I was told to. .. Because I read it online and that's what everyone says it should be. .. But what if I don't mind a softer bar. What if I would rather use the bar when the scent is at it's strongest and that mattered to me more than bar hardness. I have taken a younger bar into the shower (not just used it on my hands) and yes, if I were to use it side by side with an older bar it probably wouldn't last as long. But what if that's ok? I actually don't mind that a younger soap seems faster to lather because it isn't so dry. I like my bar at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and on. They're always good but I like them just as much or maybe BETTER **GASP**when they're newer. I want to be a rule and safety follower, but at some point you have to stop listening to the rules of what everyone says is "best" and decide for yourself what is best. If I prefer my bars newer maybe the people I sell to will also.. Maybe not, but that's for me to figure out. It was refreshing to hear someone say they like newer bars as well as aged ones.

 

[CanaDawn]

The bars will be safe to sell. You could always consider giving your customers the option: "If you prefer a harder, longer lasting bar, storing this soap in a dry location for X amount of time...blah blah blah, or suggest they slip it into linen cupboard or drawer of clothing (in the wrapper) to scent while it cures....

 

[Dorymae]

I guess what I'm staying is that I've done things because were TOLD to. I waited a year before selling a bar because I was told to. I cure a full 6 weeks because I was told to. .. Because I read it online and that's what everyone says it should be. .. But what if I don't mind a softer bar. What if I would rather use the bar when the scent is at it's strongest and that mattered to me more than bar hardness. I have taken a younger bar into the shower (not just used it on my hands) and yes, if I were to use it side by side with an older bar it probably wouldn't last as long. But what if that's ok? I actually don't mind that a younger soap seems faster to lather because it isn't so dry. I like my bar at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and on. They're always good but I like them just as much or maybe BETTER **GASP**when they're newer. I want to be a rule and safety follower, but at some point you have to stop listening to the rules of what everyone says is "best" and decide for yourself what is best. If I prefer my bars newer maybe the people I sell to will also.. Maybe not, but that's for me to figure out. It was refreshing to hear someone say they like newer bars as well as aged ones.

Well since you put it that way, I'll tell you I have sold a whole loaf that was about 2 weeks old to a customer who wanted it right then. They were told it was new soap, that it would not have the same lather, moisturizing properties, that it would be very soft and would not last very long if it were used right away. They were also told how to cure it properly. They didn't care because: 1- it was their favorite soap and they were totally out. 2- They said they would use a bar and let the others cure as they used what they needed. 3- They were afraid that if they waited the soap would sell before they could buy it.

I don't feel bad about selling that loaf because I know that the customer was told everything up front. They knew the score and still wanted it.
As a side note, they still buy the same soap, but now they are buying it fully cured and I am careful to make sure I don't go out of stock!