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cheri_j

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Hello Everyone! I am intrigued by CPOP. Can I use this method for all types of soap, including soaps with sugars, milks or food items such as avocado/cucumber?

Thank you so much in advance!
 
Short answer is yes, you can CPOP those types of soaps, but the real question to your question would by why?

As EG pointed out, all CPOP does is ensure a full and complete gel, and additives such as sugars, milks, etc., that already are known heaters, and can provide full gel without any help, is there really any point to CPOP? In my minds eye, no, there really isn't.
And as EG also pointed out, you could cause yourself more grief by overheating, which can cause a host of it's own problems, such as separation, volcanoing, alien brain look, cracking, etc.,
 
With the exception of my high% coconut oil soaps, I CPOP all my CP soaps- including the ones I make with sugar, milk and/or avocado and cucumber, etc.....- because I use a water discount, which impedes full gel (even in my soaps with milks, sugars, etc...)...... which is not acceptable for someone like me who prefers all my soaps to go through full gel.

I should probably clarify at this point what I mean when I say that I CPOP. For some, CPOP is heating the oven to 170F and leaving their soap in there for an hour at that temp, and for others it's preheating the oven to 170F and then turning the oven off as soon as they put the soap inside, etc... I CPOP differently. I soap warm (between 110F and 115F) and place my soap in my oven when the internal temp has come up to only as high as 110F on my oven's thermostat, and then I immediately turn it off as soon as I shut the soap inside. For me, this ensures full gel in my soaps without causing any drama, no matter if my soap includes sugar or milks or any other additive.


IrishLass :)
 
I think that is the question - op, do you have trouble with gelling the soaps? Is that why you are looking at cpop?

I've had one cucumber soap batch partially gel and one other that didn't have any additional additives. I thought by CPOP, I could avoid the partial gel. Even though the big circle in my cucumber soap looks kind of cool.
 
I've had one cucumber soap batch partially gel and one other that didn't have any additional additives. I thought by CPOP, I could avoid the partial gel. Even though the big circle in my cucumber soap looks kind of cool.

If you follow Irish Lass' advice you will get consistent gel every time without overheating regardless of the recipe.
 
Since I do not cpop, but use large totes and heating pad with hdpe molds I have a question. I do know silicone molds can cause, what I call, heat rash which I had happen once when I wanted some little flower soap in a silicone mold to gel. It ruined my little flowers with heat rash, will this do the same with larger silicone molds? Not that I am going to use silicone molds other than a 1 lb silicone test mold, I am just curious. Does is make a difference with the thin silicone molds used for baking versus the stronger silicone molds such as WSP carries?
 
Since I do not cpop, but use large totes and heating pad with hdpe molds I have a question. I do know silicone molds can cause, what I call, heat rash which I had happen once when I wanted some little flower soap in a silicone mold to gel. It ruined my little flowers with heat rash, will this do the same with larger silicone molds? Not that I am going to use silicone molds other than a 1 lb silicone test mold, I am just curious. Does is make a difference with the thin silicone molds used for baking versus the stronger silicone molds such as WSP carries?

I've had it happen with the thicker silicone molds. But I was a true newbie at the time, and didn't know better. I put the soap in the oven and left the heat on too long. I generally use a heating pad now, with my silicone lined wood mold wrapped in a blanket and don't have problems with rash. When I use a silicone mold that doesn't have a wood box, I have it sitting on a baking sheet to move it, and just put it all on the heating pad, with a cardboard box over the mold to protect the top.
 
I think the silicone rash is caused by overheating.
Every time someone reports it they've preheated the oven over 150*F or left the oven on.
CPOP is only to provide a warm atmosphere around the soap until saponification takes over.
Most ovens don't hold their heat at all well so you need to wrap the soap and not open the door.
I use 105*F with thick BB molds in a cardboard box wrapped in a small amount of old thin woollen blanket and it worked every time.

I now use a heat pad and it took a while to perfect that technique but now have simulated the oven CPOP and it works well with a wooden box around thick nurture molds that are too big to fit in the oven.

The key is the very low temp and turning off the oven as soon as the wrapped soap goes in.
 
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