First Soap. Fun.

[JPicasso]

Hi all,

been lurking for some time, and finally put a batch together last night. It wasn't without it's hiccups, but all in all, I made a batch big enough for 6 good sized bars. Was able to cut them this morning and now have some curing in my basement.

I'll be making photogenic fishnet stocking bars before you know it. :mrgreen:

I was going to write up some things I've learned, but boy, I can be wordy, especially around DIY projects. Anyways, glad this place exists, lots of good info contained within the forums already.

Thanks
-JPicasso

 

[shunt2011]

Hello, welcome and congratulations on your first batch. You may want to take a minute and go to the introduction forum and tell us a little about yourself.

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your first soap.

 

[CaraBou]

Yippee! You've done it! And now you are sucked in. Mu-ah-hahahaha!

 

[snappyllama]

Howdy and welcome to the addiction.

 

[galaxyMLP]

I'll be making photogenic fishnet stocking bars before you know it. :mrgreen:

I certainly hope you can figure it out and share the secret with the rest of us!! Welcome to the addiction.

 

[jules92207]

Woo hoo! New soaper!!! Congratulations on your first batch and welcome to the addiction. I can't wait for the fishnet tutorial.

 

[Susie]

We all think soap is sexy! We're all a little crazy that way!

 

[penelopejane]

We all think soap is sexy! We're all a little crazy that way!

Crazy? Who's crazy! :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[JPicasso]

Thanks for the encouragement!
So my very first soap is only 3 days old, and I find myself visiting the curing rack and giving the bars a pinch to see how they are coming along. Is there a minimum time that they must cure before use? I mean, I've read they will be better with age, but are they safe to use at this point? The consistency is like modeling clay right now.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Yay, congratulations on your first soap!! :clap::wave:
But even though it is sooo tempting it would be smart not to use it just yet (tough, I know!)
Most soaps are done and ready to use after 4-6 weeks of curing, some longer (i.e Castille)
Soaps can be safe to use if they are zap free after some days, but a fresh but safe piece of soap isn`t a good piece of soap.

Let me give you an example. Have you ever made cookies before? After making the dough and before it goes in the oven you can taste the cookiedough and it will be ok, you just can`t help yourself, it will taste sweet and doesn`t make your tongue fall out. Yay, delishious cookiedough you made yourself! But after you baked them they will have a more solid texture and they are stronger so they can easily hold their shape when you put them in your cookie jar for... *cough* safekeeping. And a cookie will take longer to eat than a piece of dough. And it won`t be as difficult for your stommach to digest.

Curing means that the soap is drying into a hard and sturdy bar of soap that doesn`t easily melt in the shower/washing hands etc. In that time it evaporates water, but that is not the only thing a soap does during cure. It builds up a strong chrystalized structure within it self so that the soap becomes hard and durable from the outside to the inside, not only dry. And it will be better for your skin than a fresh piece of soap! This is the hardest thing to get over when being a new soaper, I know! But if you do it you will inded notice that soap is getting better in time, just like wine and cheese!

It is all in the structure - whether it be cookies or soap - the more solid a structure is, the better it will hold up, the longer it will last, and the quality will be greater.
All the best

 

[JPicasso]

Oh ya, I get it. I got no problem waiting some weeks before I break out the bars to actually use as intended. I was more curious if there was any danger to using a test piece this early to see how the soap behaves. More concerned about lye still being active and causing a reaction or something.

Thanks

 

[traderbren]

You can absolutely test them now. As soon as they stop zapping, they are safe to use. I whole-heartedly recommend sacrificing one bar and testing it weekly, so you can see and feel for yourself how it changes as it cures. Make notes on your recipe sheet as you do so you can refer back to them each time.