Hardness of Soap

[JessCharli]

So I make my FIRST EVER batch of soap today with a few things I need to improve.
Firstly, I bought scales without realising they weren’t digital ones, however I tried to my best ability to measure it accurately (digital scales on their way). Second I didn’t have a stick blender, so I just used an old smoothie type blender on low (worked well actually)
So I poured my soap, and I’ve let it sit. I did this about 4 hours ago and it’s still giving off heat but seems pretty hard. My question is how hard should the soap be a few hours after pouring? I’m just worried it’ll be too hard to cut? Or am I just over thinking this and a string of metal will slice easily?

 

[earlene]

It depends on your recipe, the temperatures at which you soaped (cool as opposed to hot), and some other factors. A 100% Coconut Oil soap gets hot and hard fast and can usually be cut within a few hours. A 100% Olive Oil soap takes a lot longer to get hard enough to even unmold (days).

So it would really help to share your recipe and process, including if you insulated the soap or not and if it is in a warm or hot area right now (such as your house is very hot or very cold, etc.)

 

[JessCharli]

Okay, still learning so it’s a little confusing at the moment. So I’m making a cold pressed soap, I used 500ml of olive oil and 100ml of coconut oil. And once poured I covered it and it’s fairly warm where I am and inside is about 30 degree Celsius.

 

[earlene]

With only 16% CO and the rest OO, and no other additives to harden the soap faster (salt, vinegar, sodium lacate), then I would just leave the soap to finish gelling and cut it tomorrow when it has cooled down. Of course with the indoor temperature that warm it won't get cold. But once it reaches room temperature, you should be okay to cut it. Leave it for now and give it at least overnight. Are your mornings cooler? That might be a good time to cut it.

Also, what kind of mold are you using? Some molds hold the moisture toward the bottom of the soap, so when you unmold it's possible that the bottom could be softer than the top. If so, just let it sit out and get some air for a couple of hours, then re-evaluate. But as long as it's not softer on some surfaces and feels firm sort of like cheddar cheese, it's good to cut.

 

[JessCharli]

Okay, we’ve had the aircon on inside every now and then at 21 degrees. I’m using a silicone Mold similar to a banana bread Mold. I’ll cut it tomorrow and see how I go! Thanks!

 

[penelopejane]

When you are ready to unmold it pull the sides away from the soap. If it is still sticky leave it for longer. If the sides of the soap are firm then it should be ok to unmold it. I do a lot of high OO soap and usually cut 12-24 hours after it’s been poured.

 

[JessCharli]

I cut and this happened

 

[SaltedFig]

Looks like it got a little too hot.

As long as it passes the zap test, the soap will be just fine to use after it's cured.

PS. Congratulations on first batch!

 

[JessCharli]

Looks like it got a little too hot.

Yeah I thought so, which is what this post was all about. How do I keep it cooler?

 

[Obsidian]

Looks like there was just air in the batter which is understandable if using a regular blender. It crumbled like that from waiting too long to cut. Olive oil soap can be unpredictable. One time it might take days to harden, other times it will get rock hard in a matter of hours.
When you first start soaping, you really need to watch your soap close so you can time the cutting. You want your loaf to feel similar to a block of cheddar cheese. Not super hard but firm enough you can handle it without leaving dents. It take a bit of time to learn the right consistency.

 

[JessCharli]

Looks like there was just air in the batter which is understandable if using a regular blender. It crumbled like that from waiting too long to cut. Olive oil soap can be unpredictable. One time it might take days to harden, other times it will get rock hard in a matter of hours.
When you first start soaping, you really need to watch your soap close so you can time the cutting. You want your loaf to feel similar to a block of cheddar cheese. Not super hard but firm enough you can handle it without leaving dents. It take a bit of time to learn the right consistency.

Okay that makes sense, I will buy a stick blender. It did got hard super quick last night but someone mentioned just leaving it so I did - which is fine, I’ve learnt lots doing so. I also noticed as it hardened, it changed colour super quick from outside in. Is that an indicator of how quickly it’s going to set?

 

[SaltedFig]

Yeah I thought so, which is what this post was all about. How do I keep it cooler?

It does look like you also had whisked in bubbles (as Obsidian said), which the stickblender will fix, but the little lines coming up from the bottom show that the soap was just starting to boil (the step you get before a full-blown volcano).

If you want the soap to gel, just watch it until the colour darkens and then (carefully) put the mold into an ice bath (to suck the heat out), being careful not to get water on the soap itself.

It probably helps to have the mold on a rack of some sort, so you don't dint your soap by moving the mold edges.

 

[JessCharli]

It does look like you also had whisked in bubbles (as Obsidian said), which the stickblender will fix, but the little lines coming up from the bottom show that the soap was just starting to boil (the step you get before a full-blown volcano).

If you want the soap to gel, just watch it until the colour darkens and then (carefully) put the mold into an ice bath (to suck the heat out), being careful not to get water on the soap itself.

It probably helps to have the mold on a rack of some sort, so you don't dint your soap by moving the mold edges.

Okay, it went from a darker colour to a lighter colour - so would that be the same concept? It was it a pretty think silicone Mold. I’ll try again with a stick blender and super precise scales when they come in the mail - thanks heaps

 

[Obsidian]

It does look like you also had whisked in bubbles (as Obsidian said), which the stickblender will fix, but the little lines coming up from the bottom show that the soap was just starting to boil (the step you get before a full-blown volcano).

If you want the soap to gel, just watch it until the colour darkens and then (carefully) put the mold into an ice bath (to suck the heat out), being careful not to get water on the soap itself.

It probably helps to have the mold on a rack of some sort, so you don't dint your soap by moving the mold edges.

I'm not seeing what you are. On my monitor all it shows is a pure white soap with lots of air bubbles. No weird textures or colors.

As far as keeping soap cool, I just pop it in the fridge or even freezer. There is no way I could use a water bath without making a mess.

 

[SaltedFig]

Okay, it went from a darker colour to a lighter colour - so would that be the same concept? It was it a pretty think silicone Mold. I’ll try again with a stick blender and super precise scales when they come in the mail - thanks heaps

That's the soap cooling after the gel.
So the sequence is batter color at pour, then darker color with heat (from the centre out usually), lighter color as it cools (from the outside in).

If it gets so hot that, when you hold your hand close to the soap you instinctively think it will burn you if you touch it, then you need to at least unwrap it, and maybe also cool the soap with a fan or ice bath.

 

[SaltedFig]

As far as keeping soap cool, I just pop it in the fridge or even freezer. There is no way I could use a water bath without making a mess.

I've got a solution for that one! ... I've done it a few times and it's good for low-mess, on bench cooling.

Pour water in your mold. Sit the mold on a rack inside a deep roasting tray (or similar) and fill that nearly to the top with water. Freeze the lot.

Take the mold out of the roasting tray. Empty the mold of ice and dry it.

The mold can be placed back into the large molded ice block at any point (mine are often poured with the mold in the ice, but the mold could be put into the molded ice block later).

I like this, because I can combine it with a fan for extra cooling (and it's minimal mess).

 

[earlene]

Wow, that is a lot of air bubbles! Even with a SB you can get them, but usually not like that. It's a good idea to tap your mold down onto the counter top (or table or floor, even) to help force any bubbles up to the top. That probably would not have worked so well with this many bubbles though.

Also, I am surprised it got so hard so fast. My high OO soaps don't do that without some sort of extra help, especially if I use full water. That's one thing I forgot to ask you about was if you used the default setting for water in the lye calculator or not. BTW, I think I have that same mold, two of them in fact. I recognize the design on the bottom and shape of the loaf.

Yes, the soap is still usable (after a cure) even if some of the bars look a little bit like white Swiss cheese. You can probably clean them up a little around the edges and make them look a bit smoother, but it's not necessary.

 

[JessCharli]

Wow, that is a lot of air bubbles! Even with a SB you can get them, but usually not like that. It's a good idea to tap your mold down onto the counter top (or table or floor, even) to help force any bubbles up to the top. That probably would not have worked so well with this many bubbles though.

Also, I am surprised it got so hard so fast. My high OO soaps don't do that without some sort of extra help, especially if I use full water. That's one thing I forgot to ask you about was if you used the default setting for water in the lye calculator or not. BTW, I think I have that same mold, two of them in fact. I recognize the design on the bottom and shape of the loaf.

Yes, the soap is still usable (after a cure) even if some of the bars look a little bit like white Swiss cheese. You can probably clean them up a little around the edges and make them look a bit smoother, but it's not necessary.

I think because we used a fruit blender that it’s become so full of air - I’ve got a stick blender coming so I’ll re try with that. I just used a simple recipe from a soap book that said 195g of water and 80g of lye. It just went super hot super quick and I could of cut it 4 hours after i poured it.. I also did tap it on the bench a few times but I really do think it was the blender. It smells really nice and I’ve let it start to cure so I’ll try it out in 6 weeks and see how good it is. Can’t wait to try again soon.

I also just used olive oil, not extra virgin - not sure if that’ll make a difference

 

[SaltedFig]

I think because we used a fruit blender that it’s become so full of air - I’ve got a stick blender coming so I’ll re try with that. I just used a simple recipe from a soap book that said 195g of water and 80g of lye. It just went super hot super quick and I could of cut it 4 hours after i poured it.. I also did tap it on the bench a few times but I really do think it was the blender. It smells really nice and I’ve let it start to cure so I’ll try it out in 6 weeks and see how good it is. Can’t wait to try again soon.

I also just used olive oil, not extra virgin - not sure if that’ll make a difference

You will easily see the improvement in your soaping once you get your stick blender and digital scales ... so much fun on the way!

For any recipe, it is always a good idea to run it through a soap calculator of some sort - there's a few online ones, but Soapee and SoapCalc are two popular ones (ask for help if you have any trouble with them, you will get lots of good information).

Even with a recipe published in a book, you are best checking for yourself to avoid any possible errors. It might be interesting for you to run this recipe through one of the calculators to get a feel for how they work (and to check the lye amount).

On the oil, I can't really help you, as the olive oil in Australia seems to be different to the American oils (I don't get the variance that some people experience). I have heard that pomace grade there sets up a lot quicker than the pressed olive oil I use.

 

[bathgeek]

In my experience EVOO is even slower than regular olive oil to set up. I now mix the two so that the effect is mitigated somewhat.