when is it 2 much soap?

[pbandtay]

I have been doing lip balms and lotions that I have sold to friends and family for a bit now. I was thinking soap would be great as well. So I read a bit and found that HP looked more like what I was wanting and would look at CP in a month or 2. So I am just playing around and giving away some soap not looking to sell till I know more about what to expect.
I got my paycheck (due to having to bootstrap my stuff for the time being) and bought about 70 bucks worth of oils......
I got my check 3 days ago. I am out of oil........
I have made goats milk, beer tonight, castile.
I have about 6 lbs of soap.... not counting the Melt and Pour I got a week ago.
I am having dreams about what would be nice for this person and that one.
I wondered around the soap and shampoo areas of every store going Can I make that???
Do I need help?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would say 'yes'.

The reason is, until these soaps are cured and tested, making lots of variations could have been wasteful - especially if you're on a budget.

If you used a similar recipe for all of them, you might not actually like the recipe and so you've made a lot of soap that you don't like.

If you used many different recipes, that is a different matter - but to mis-quote Dr Dre, soaping ain't a track heat - it's a marathon. You need to let these soaps cure, test them AND THEN look at the next steps

 

[pbandtay]

That I am sure is what pulled me to HP, I have read that it isn't much of a waiting game. I am reading about 1 week cure, but I am under the understanding of it is mostly to get the water out. So I make let them cool and cut, I then take the little end pieces that really will not interest anyone, cut them to about 1/4 of an inch squares and let them dry a little longer. when I can press on them and there isn't any give I take it to the sink or shower, and give it a good go.
should I wait even longer on the smaller ones? Is there more to do then letting the water out?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Hp needs the same cure as cp. Sometimes longer depending on the recipe.

The idea of less cure with hp was a mistaken hope that seems to refuse to die - it appeals a lot, of course. But it's just not true.

Eta of course you can use soap as soon as it doesn't zap. But it won't be anything like the cured soap would be.

 

[pbandtay]

okay cool how long should I wait to let them cure. I have a few batches that will need time before I give them away. I can always look at other things and maybe I should make some lip balm and lotion running low lol.

 

[normajean999]

Unfortunately there is a lot of misleading info out there. As I have learned recently too that HP should cure for 4 weeks. I can tell you it's true. I tired using one after a week and it practically shrunk in half. No joke. And it was hard believe me. So you need to give it a full month. And even some recipes may require longer than that. The longer you wait the longer the soap is going to last you and your peeps.

 

[Susie]

And the quality of the soap goes up tremendously between 1-6 or more weeks. Lather increases and becomes more luxurious and conditioning.

You need to give the soaps weekly tests between 4-8 weeks to see when you think it is best. Keep lots of notes so you don't forget.

 

[pbandtay]

Well thank good I put this post out there. I would hate to hand out that soap and get my rep ruined. Do with I would have know this before then I would have just gone cp and saved a little money on gear. That and cold just looks so much prettier.

 

[pbandtay]

But how does it work when you uses an oil with a shorter lifespan. I am still trying to wrap my mind around that does turning it into soap give it more shelf life? I have seen a few oils that I refused to work with in lotion due to only 3 to 4 month shelf life and that is in the fridge.