Wrapping Cured Soap

[SoapSap]

After curing soap for three months can I safely cigar wrap my soap and then store it in boxes? So often I read do not wrap soap until up to the time you sell or give it away. This can be very inconvenient to do if you have a lot of soap to prepare.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

If you're giving a lot away in one go (like Christmas or something) then it shouldn't be too bad. When we have guests staying I have to do a fair few for them to take away but it hardly kills me.

How much do you plan on giving away at any one time?

 

[SoapSap]

The Efficacious Gentleman, to your question of how many bars would I be wrapping:
If I were wrapping for gifts maybe between 10 and 20. I can do that with no problem. But if I were preparing for a local craft event, or doing my nieces bridal shower event, it could be 100 -200 bars. That would take a bit of time and I am fussy about presentation.

Also, I just thought of this. For those of you who sell and bring home the soap you did not sell, do you the un-wrap the bars? Or do you store them with the cigar band?

 

[firedancer]

Also, I just thought of this. For those of you who sell and bring home the soap you did not sell, do you the un-wrap the bars? Or do you store them with the cigar band?

We sell weekly at a farmers market and the left over soaps are stored in a box, in a cool room. They go back on sale the next week.
I use a variety of wrapping methods, shrink wrap (lasts the longest without damage), gift wrapping and ribbon (depending on the paper will last as long as the shrink wrap,) and organza bag (still testing this one out). We normally dont have soap hanging around that long, maybe 2-3 weeks at the most. The soap fairs just fine!

 

[SassyKat6181]

I wrap and leave it. The only slight problem I've noticed is that if the bars dry a little more, they shrink and the band gets loose

 

[Seawolfe]

After 6-8 weeks I label wit cigar type band and store in a cardboard box, just so I know what's what, and they are ready for gifting. Haven't seen problems, but I don't sell, nor have tons of soap.

 

[pamielynn]

The only problem I've encountered with wrapping then storing is when I used shrink-wrap and/or cigar bands is that as the soap continues to lose water, you either have to re-shrink or tighten the cigar bands. Felt like it defeated the purpose of spending time to get them all wrapped all at once. I go through soap faster now, but I have since switched to boxes since selling outside at markets can affect the soap if I get stuck in a spot where the sun gets under my tent.

 

[bobbie.johnson]

In my experience cigar bands I wrapped at two or three months never fits any more at nine or twelve months. So you have to do the work twice. That is why I switched to Muslin bags with hanging tags

 

[shunt2011]

I use shrink wrap bands. I usually wrap at 6 weeks most times and find that they still have a tendency to shrink some still after time. I just hit it with the heat gun for a second and they tighten back up. I tried soap bands but they were more hassle for me.