? About curing

[Ljsm86]

I have been doing a lot of reading and I am getting different feedback, some people say cure 4-6 weeks and others say 3-4 weeks...what do you all recommend?

 

[Fragola]

You will be getting different feedback after asking this question

Depends on oils used, other ingredients, water discount, humidity, temperature, etc. What I do is take smaller piece, start using it and if I am not happy, I let them cure some more.

 

[jcandleattic]

Also, it's going to depend on personal preference. In reality soap can be used 3-4 days after making, BUT it's not really recommended and the longer a soap sits, the more mild and less drying it's going to be.
Most of my soaps cure for months before I use them, however, that's because I no longer sell and use them for personal use only at this time and in a family of 3 (now that my oldest is gone :cry: - moved out 2 weeks ago) we can only use so much... And I can only give away so much before the people I give them too are overwhelmed with too much as well.

 

[soapbuddy]

I find two week old soap harsh. I cure for 4 to 6 weeks.

 

[Fullamoon]

I've found that after four weeks, my soap is not ready to give away. My family found it slimy and it pretty much melted in the shower. I was so embarrassed! So I stopped soaping for a few months to see if my bars get better or if it's my recipe (I use a lot of olive oil). Well, my soaps are DELIGHTFUL after four months of curing. Now I wish I waited to try them on my friends!

 

[jcandleattic]

I've found that after four weeks, my soap is not ready to give away. My family found it slimy and it pretty much melted in the shower. I was so embarrassed! So I stopped soaping for a few months to see if my bars get better or if it's my recipe (I use a lot of olive oil). Well, my soaps are DELIGHTFUL after four months of curing. Now I wish I waited to try them on my friends!

High OO soaps do need a longer cure time to reach their full potential - I like giving them at the very least 6-8 weeks cure time.

 

[simplymcghie]

yep, everyone is going to have a different opinion. I go a very minimum of 4 weeks if I'm giving it away or selling. If it's for me or my own family we start testing after 2 weeks to see how it does. So, it's just personal preference. PH strips can help if you are worried about PH issues.

 

[SchenckOrchard]

I've found that after four weeks, my soap is not ready to give away. My family found it slimy and it pretty much melted in the shower. I was so embarrassed! So I stopped soaping for a few months to see if my bars get better or if it's my recipe (I use a lot of olive oil). Well, my soaps are DELIGHTFUL after four months of curing. Now I wish I waited to try them on my friends!

Thank you so much for saying this. I recently found that a few of my bars have been melting in the shower too, I didn't realize it was from too much Olive Oil. Darn it, I just made 5 pounds using a lot of olive oil yesterday, I guess that will be curing for a lot longer than I thought.

 

[busymakinsoap!]

It also depends on how much water you are using. I have only recently started using water discounts. When I used full water a 6 week cure wasnt long enough. It was mild but still not ready.

I now water discount and my soaps are ready in 4 -5 weeks.

 

[IrishLass]

For mine, I like to wait at least 4 weeks, but 6 to 8 weeks is even better.

But like the others have said- it all comes down to personal preference. You can actually start using it at any time as long as the soap is tongue neutral, i.e., it doesn't zap when the tongue test is applied (zapping would mean the presense of active lye), but soap does get better with age- I find that it lathers better, lasts longer and is more mild to my skin.

IrishLass

 

[rubyslippers]

I give my soaps a 2 month cure before giving them away. I only make soaps for my immediate family and a few select friends so it can easily be on the curing racks for a long time before getting used. I have found soap that I was not really impressed with after a 2 month cure is fantastic after a 4 or 6 month cure. My advice, as many others have said....the longer the better.

 

[Soapsugoii]

Yea, I agree, I use CPHP and I still think my soaps are best after AT LEAST four weeks. Even my boyfriend agrees (cause guess who gets to be my guinea pig?? )

I have a 50% CO/50% OO soap that's been on the rack for two months and it is absolutely divine in the shower now. Much much better than a month and a half ago

 

[judymoody]

I try to wait 6-8 weeks.

For salt bars, they got much better after about 4 months.

I have some bastille that's about a year old now and it's fabulous.

 

[pure&simple]

I've found that after four weeks, my soap is not ready to give away. My family found it slimy and it pretty much melted in the shower. I was so embarrassed! So I stopped soaping for a few months to see if my bars get better or if it's my recipe (I use a lot of olive oil). Well, my soaps are DELIGHTFUL after four months of curing. Now I wish I waited to try them on my friends!

That's exactly what happened to me. My first batch was 100% OO, I waited about 8 weeks before I gave them away. Boy, I only got 1 comment from a man who said that he didn't like to shower with it. The rest of the recipients simply forgot to comment. :cry:

For me, 100% OO soaps are the best after a 6 month cure. The rest, with a water discount of 25%, 4 weeks is good.

 

[Fullamoon]

SchenckOrchard and pure&simple, yes DO wait to give them away. you'll be so glad you waited! Now I wish I had saved even more. My husband won't even try them now. He's back to Dial. However, I see his Dial is all mushy and he doesn't complain about that! ...and yes, I stick my finger in it when he's not looking. LOL

 

[Shar]

I use about a 50/50 blend of hard/soft oils in my basic recipe and find that 6 -8 weeks is a much better cure time as the bar melts too fast in the shower if used at 4 weeks.