Cure Times

[ShirleyHailstock]

I've been reading messages and blogs on cure times and mostly what I see has a maximum of six weeks. Yet, the forum messages under various titles mentions longer times. What is the time for curing? And how can you determine if you have waited long enough before using?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[cmzaha]

I would change the maximum to a minimum of 6 weeks. My soaps are cured 8 weeks min to 1 year. I make a shea facial bar with over 50% shea which cures for a min of 6 months to make its perfect mark.

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

I would change the maximum to a minimum of 6 weeks. My soaps are cured 8 weeks min to 1 year. I make a shea facial bar with over 50% shea which cures for a min of 6 months to make its perfect mark.

Is this written when you buy shea? I was looking forward to 6 weeks, but I can be patient if it needs longer. I just need to know where I can find the statistics for length of time. Or is it experiment and experience?

Thanks for your reply. I'll put that in my notes file regarding shea.

 

[Misschief]

Most of my soaps cure for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. I cure my salt bars for a minimum of 3-6 months even though they're better the longer they sit. Try doing a lather test with your soap once a week; you'll notice the difference between a short cure vs a longer cure. It will also help you figure out how long a cure your recipe needs.

 

[shunt2011]

It will depend on your recipe. A soap with high olive or liquid oils may need 6-12 months to be a decent bar. However, a well balanced recipe can require 4-6 weeks or a bit longer. I like Carolyn prefer to cure mine at least 6 weeks.

 

[Obsidian]

It really is a matter of experience and experimentation. I cure my high lard soaps min 6 weeks but usually longer.
My salt bars on the other hand require min 6 months with 1-2 years being better.

It seems like a lot of time but after you have a few batches ready to go, the cure period for new soap just slides right by.

I make salt bars every 3 months or so, that way I always have a batch ready.

 

[cmzaha]

Is this written when you buy shea? I was looking forward to 6 weeks, but I can be patient if it needs longer. I just need to know where I can find the statistics for length of time. Or is it experiment and experience?

Thanks for your reply. I'll put that in my notes file regarding shea.

Experience, and it is the high amount of shea I use in one particular bar. My bars with 10% shea cure for 6 weeks which is my min preference cure time for soaps. If I end up short like I did this year I will take soaps to market at a 4 week cure but it is just not my preference to do so. I failed to mention my salt bar cure for 6-12 months preferably 1-2 yrs. Salt bars get better and better the older they get. Castile soaps (100% OO) I cure for 1 year, using Costco light Pure OO, or Pomace.

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

Most of my soaps cure for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. I cure my salt bars for a minimum of 3-6 months even though they're better the longer they sit. Try doing a lather test with your soap once a week; you'll notice the difference between a short cure vs a longer cure. It will also help you figure out how long a cure your recipe needs.

Thank you. That is a good idea.

 

[Dawni]

I also cure my "balanced" soaps a minimum of 8wks.... Not just coz of lather, hardness, too. Also, it more or less stops warping at that time and I can plane them if I need to sometimes.

I have a soap that has 40% combined shea, cocoa and mango. I keep forgetting to take pics of lather tests but I noticed the minimum for that soap to be what I like is 12wks. Same goes more or less for soleseifes.

I have small test pieces of each batch I make and try em weekly if not at least twice a month. You'll figure out eventually how much cure time which soap needs.

I should note that my soaps are 90% HP.. I raaarely CP.

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

Experience, and it is the high amount of shea I use in one particular bar. My bars with 10% shea cure for 6 weeks which is my min preference cure time for soaps. If I end up short like I did this year I will take soaps to market at a 4 week cure but it is just not my preference to do so. I failed to mention my salt bar cure for 6-12 months preferably 1-2 yrs. Salt bars get better and better the older they get. Castile soaps (100% OO) I cure for 1 year, using Costco light Pure OO, or Pomace.

I haven't done any salt bars, but I did a 100% OO (not pomace). I'll wait longer on that one.

I also cure my "balanced" soaps a minimum of 8wks.... Not just coz of lather, hardness, too. Also, it more or less stops warping at that time and I can plane them if I need to sometimes.

I have a soap that has 40% combined shea, cocoa and mango. I keep forgetting to take pics of lather tests but I noticed the minimum for that soap to be what I like is 12wks. Same goes more or less for soleseifes.

I have small test pieces of each batch I make and try em weekly if not at least twice a month. You'll figure out eventually how much cure time which soap needs.

I should note that my soaps are 90% HP.. I raaarely CP.

I noticed from your posts that you use HP. I only use CP at this point. I think my cure times are going to go longer. I want hard bars that lather a lot. I got into this because I bought a bar of soap after Christmas two years go from TJMAXX (a discount store in the Eastern US, not sure if it's nationwide). The soap smelled great, lathers with only a couple of turns and lasted almost 8 months. I wanted more, but it was exclusive to TJMAXX and Marshalls (another discount store). I could not buy it direct and it was hit or miss to find more. When I saw a Brambleberry guest appearance on TV, I decided to try and make my own. The 16 bars I just made is done with oils that make a hard soap. I think it will need to cure for months not weeks.

It will depend on your recipe. A soap with high olive or liquid oils may need 6-12 months to be a decent bar. However, a well balanced recipe can require 4-6 weeks or a bit longer. I like Carolyn prefer to cure mine at least 6 weeks.

I think I'm going to work on "well balanced" recipes. I'm not sure what this means, but I assume it's using the same type oils (balance between solid and liquid), and balance between percentages, not thing is heavy weighted in one oil.

 

[Dawni]

I initially thought to cure my soaps longer coz, contrary to common belief, HP does not cure faster than CP and a lot of it is to do with HP using more water.

Did you manage to get the ingredients of that soap to replicate it?

Good luck!

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

I initially thought to cure my soaps longer coz, contrary to common belief, HP does not cure faster than CP and a lot of it is to do with HP using more water.

Did you manage to get the ingredients of that soap to replicate it?

Good luck!

Yes, I used the soap calc and printed everything out. I attach the soap calc sheet to the curing soap, so I know the ingredients and proportions.

 

[Dawni]

Yes, I used the soap calc and printed everything out. I attach the soap calc sheet to the curing soap, so I know the ingredients and proportions.

I meant that soap from TJMAXX that you liked?

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

I initially thought to cure my soaps longer coz, contrary to common belief, HP does not cure faster than CP and a lot of it is to do with HP using more water.

Did you manage to get the ingredients of that soap to replicate it?

Good luck!

No, I didn't. The soap was wrapped for Christmas and I didn't think to get them. I didn't know I was going to think it was different from anything I found at the local supermarket until I used it for the first time. Then I didn't know it was going to last as long as it did. As I couldn't find it again, I was lost to replicate it.

 

[Dawni]

Awww that's too bad.. I've seen several posts here of people asking help to replicate a certain soap they liked.

I'm sure you'll make something close enough or even better over time

 

[cmzaha]

No, I didn't. The soap was wrapped for Christmas and I didn't think to get them. I didn't know I was going to think it was different from anything I found at the local supermarket until I used it for the first time. Then I didn't know it was going to last as long as it did. As I couldn't find it again, I was lost to replicate it.

It almost sounds like it might be a triple-milled soap which will last a lot longer than our handmade soap. Triple-milled are shredded, and many times have plasticizers added them run through roller presses. They do this process at least 3 times. This results in a very hard long lasting soap that we cannot replicate with handmade soaps.

I do have to ask why you are making batches with 72 oz of oils not knowing if you will even like the soap. You really should start with 1lb batches.

 

[TheGecko]

I've been reading messages and blogs on cure times and mostly what I see has a maximum of six weeks. Yet, the forum messages under various titles mentions longer times. What is the time for curing? And how can you determine if you have waited long enough before using?

Based on a number of factors...ingredients, lye concentration, time and temperature...four to six weeks is the MINIMUM amount of time you should allow your soap to cure. Part of the curing process is allowing the moisture in your soap to evaporate which produces a harder, longer-lasting bar of soap. My preference is for eight weeks for really no other reason than because it feels right (and it's easier for me to track). But it's winter now and I'm in the Pacific Northwest and it's pretty damp this time of the year so I am giving my soaps 12 weeks.

I just need to know where I can find the statistics for length of time. Or is it experiment and experience?

Experiment and experience mostly...based on experimenting and experience.

Basic rule of thumb (from research and experience), the more soft oils you use the longer your cure time...which is why a 100% Olive Oil Soap aka Castile Soap takes a year to fully cure. Also, your additives can affect how your soap cures...an example of this are salt soaps which do better with a longer cure time, somewhere around six months.

I noticed from your posts that you use HP. I only use CP at this point. I think my cure times are going to go longer. I want hard bars that lather a lot. I got into this because I bought a bar of soap after Christmas two years go from TJMAXX (a discount store in the Eastern US, not sure if it's nationwide).

The cure time for HP is probably longer than for CP because HP requires more liquid. A lot of folks think that HP is ready to go after it's unmolded...and it kind of is, CP can also be used out of the mold too, but you won't have a good, quality soap in either case. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but IMHO, the biggest difference between HP and CP is the saponification process. In HP soap, the saponification process is taking place while you a 'cooking' the soap...about two to three hours. In CP soap, while the saponification process starts as soon as you add lye to fats, once it's poured in the mold it takes 18 to 24 hours to complete.

Pacific Northwest...we have both stores here. I got into soap making because of Black Raspberry Vanilla Goat Milk Soap; bought it only for quite a few years and then the lady retired and no more soap for me.

I think I'm going to work on "well balanced" recipes. I'm not sure what this means, but I assume it's using the same type oils (balance between solid and liquid), and balance between percentages, not thing is heavy weighted in one oil.

A "well-balanced" bar of soap is one that is hard and long-lasting, gets you clean, doesn't dry out your skin, produces a nice lather and is soft and silky (creamy) feeling. And there are many ways to achieve it. For myself that is Olive, Coconut, Palm and Castor Oils, Cocoa and Shea Butters, and a little Sodium Lactate and Kaolin Clay. For someone else, it could be Olive, Coconut, Palm, Sweet Almond and Castor Oils. For someone else, that could mean adding powdered milks and Tusah Silk and the list goes on.

Two things I forgot to add:

1) Always run your recipe through a Soap Calculator

2) Soap making is exciting, ruining a batch is not. So start small, with 8o z and 16 oz of oils

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

It almost sounds like it might be a triple-milled soap which will last a lot longer than our handmade soap. Triple-milled are shredded, and many times have plasticizers added them run through roller presses. They do this process at least 3 times. This results in a very hard long lasting soap that we cannot replicate with handmade soaps.

I do have to ask why you are making batches with 72 oz of oils not knowing if you will even like the soap. You really should start with 1lb batches.

It was due to family asking for soap when they saw the first few batches I made. The 16 bars produced by the 72 oz won't be enough for all those who want it, but I have others from smaller batches. The process didn't take that long and it's come out looking great. It's curing now and the room smells so good. From what I've read here, my batches will be smaller.


I just read up on triple-milled soap and I think you might be right. Although that is very disappointing. I wanted to reproduce that soap and have it lather and last. I have one more bar, although I threw the wrapper out. I keep soap in a huge brandy sniper in the bathroom. It makes the place smell so good.

 

[Primrose]

I just read up on triple-milled soap and I think you might be right. Although that is very disappointing. I wanted to reproduce that soap and have it lather and last. I have one more bar, although I threw the wrapper out. I keep soap in a huge brandy sniper in the bathroom. It makes the place smell so good.

I was going to say, if you expect any of your handmade soaps to last 8 months I think you will be disappointed and I think that bar was a commercially made soap.

 

[bookreader451]

I started making soap last August and I began giving away bars in November/December. I experiment with different combinations of oils and keep a bowl of testers by my sink.

My first batches had more soft oils and the lather on those was thin and pathetic until about the 4 month mark. Some of my more recent recipes have nice lather at about the two month mark. I have a lard and sweet almond oil that cures nicely in about 6 weeks, while any HP I make seems to takes much longer as I superfat with shea and use more liquid.

None of the bars I have used last like a triple milled soap. I have Penhaligon's bars that last forever.

Unfortunately, nothing can be done but wait. It stinks, especially if you are just starting out and you want soooooo badly to use your soap. My way around that is my testers, that way I can try batches whenever I want, and see how the soap is progressing.