Why do people CPOP?

[BrittComninellis]

I've been making Cp soap for about a year now but I just stumbled over this term recently. I understand the process if you want to force a gel but does it really cut the cure time in half? How long should it be left in the oven? How do low flash point fragrance/essential oils fair in CPOP? I've heard they're typically fine since they're 'anchored' in the batter but I have my doubts.

 

[dryalligator]

:?: I have used cpop before and the only thing I notice is that you can cut faster. Depending on the oven temp it can leave you with beautiful soap with no scent. I have found you need to look at the flash point of the fragrence to see if it will hold. I'm switching to 2 hot pads to make sure of gel. Partial gel is ugly if you spent time with swirlies! You still need to cure for 4-6 weeks. My opinion.

 

[IrishLass]

I CPOP to ensure gel. It still needs to cure, though if you ask me.

At best, gelling will cut 2 weeks off of my cure time - not half. What I mean by that is that I let my gelled soaps cure for a minimum of 4 weeks- the amount of time that I've found my gelled soap reaches what I consider to be it's earliest best. My ungelled soaps don't reach what I consider to be their earliest best until 6 weeks have gone by. To me, cure is more than reaching tongue-neutrality or having excess water evaporate out of the bars. There's something still going on at the molecular level that makes my soap noticably milder and bubblier as the weeks go by.

To CPOP, I soap on the warm side (roughly 125 degreesF), and when the batter is poured into my mold, I set the mold (covered) in a 120 degreeF oven, turn the oven off as soon as I put the soap in it, and then I let it sit there overnight as I go to bed (I normally soap at night right before I go to bed). I unmold and cut the next day, usually about 12 to 18 hours after pour, sometimes sooner.

In the rare times that I soap during the daylight hours, I usually peek in on the soap periodically to check on the progress of gel, and then remove the mold as soon as full gel is achieved, which can take as little as 45 minutes to as much as a few hours, depending.

As far as flashpoints go, I've never experienced any adverse effects in my soap such as it catching on fire or or my scents disappearing, etc... Here are a few good discussions about flashpoints that we've had here on the forum that might be of help:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20108&p=179443&hilit=flashpoint#p179443

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17798&p=160055&hilit=flashpoint#p160055


IrishLass

 

[dryalligator]

Was not talking about fire hazards! I was noticeing that frag with a lower flash point don't seem to last as long as higher flash points in cold process. I've asked this question in my head often. How hot does gel get? I don't think I've seen this topic covered. I suspect it depends on the oils used in the recipe. Some oven proc soaps held scents. Same scent in goat milk lasts longer because its cool.

 

[dandelion]

I loved cpop and found the bar did cure faster and was more mild, then one day soap over heated in the oven, blew up like a mushroom cloud and then I had to get a neighbor to help me dismantle the interior oven so I could clean up all the scented soap.

Destroying my oven in which I cook food just wasn't worth it. I like locking my soaps in an old microwave thus creating a "hot box" to insure gel.

 

[IrishLass]

Yikes! :shock: I'm so sorry that happened to you! What a mess to have to clean up! How hot did you have your oven?

In any case, that hot box idea sounds like a great alternative and less of a pain in the butt to clean up if it were to ever happen again.


IrishLass

 

[motherhues]

I do CPOP to make sure the soap gels I love the difference it brings in feel to the soap. Natural colors "pop" more or darken more with gel.

I still cure the soap for the proper amount of time. Many say it helps cure faster, but honestly, nothing will speed up the gentling that happens with a long cure.

 

[Octavius]

...To CPOP, I soap on the warm side (roughly 125 degreesF), and when the batter is poured into my mold, I set the mold (covered) in a 120 degreeF oven, turn the oven off as soon as I put the soap in it, and then I let it sit there overnight
...

IrishLass,
Do you wait until the soap traces before you pour into the mold?
Thanks.
OffTopic: My mum and dad spent their honeymoon in Dublin at a B&B. They were about to set out for a morning walk when it starting really poring down with rain. My dad said the rain was bouncing off the pavement to waist high. The Irish landlady, standing on the doorstep, said "Ah, 'tis but a soft summer rain"

 

[IrishLass]

IrishLass,
Do you wait until the soap traces before you pour into the mold?
Thanks.

Yes, I like to pour my soaps at a medium-thick trace.

OffTopic: My mum and dad spent their honeymoon in Dublin at a B&B. They were about to set out for a morning walk when it starting really poring down with rain. My dad said the rain was bouncing off the pavement to waist high. The Irish landlady, standing on the doorstep, said "Ah, 'tis but a soft summer rain"

IrishLass