HP method to test CP soap recipes?

[rosyrobyn]

I'm new to soapmaking and there are so many recipes out there that I can't possibly try them all. I'd like to be methodical about tweaking a recipe to get the exact result I'm looking for but the cure time for CP is so long. Can I use the same recipe but use the HP method (much shorter cure time) to test? Will the properties be the same?

 

[shunt2011]

I'm new to soapmaking and there are so many recipes out there that I can't possibly try them all. I'd like to be methodical about tweaking a recipe to get the exact result I'm looking for but the cure time for CP is so long. Can I use the same recipe but use the HP method (much shorter cure time) to test? Will the properties be the same?

Hello and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately the curing time for HP is as long as or longer than CP due to more liquid being used. They both require at least 4 weeks (I prefer 6-8). There is more to curing soap than just cooking it.

 

[rosyrobyn]

Good thing I asked! I've got a fresh batch of HP soap that I made in a class and was told I could use it after a 1 week cure. So no shortcuts eh?

 

[shunt2011]

Good thing I asked! I've got a fresh batch of HP soap that I made in a class and was told I could use it after a 1 week cure. So no shortcuts eh?

You could use it but it won't last as long or be as good as it will be after a good long cure. Patience is required with this hobby for sure. You can test it out though. Try it each week and see how it is.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

You can use any soap once the lye is gone - with hp that is once it is cooked, with cp it is after about 24-48 hours. Of course, 'safe' and 'ready' are two different things

 

[IrishLass]

Ditto what Shari and the good Gent said. I don't HP often, but when I do, my HP bars at 4 to 6 weeks are so much better than when they are only 1 week old. At 1-week old, mine are still very dentable when pressed, and they melt away much faster.

Please do use your HP bars through the course of the following weeks after unmolding, though (they should be safe after the cook), and take many notes on it's performance, but like the good Gent said, don't mistake 'safe' for 'cured'. Soap is much like wine or cheese in the sense that although they can be consumed after being made, they are much better when aged.

IrishLass

 

[rosyrobyn]

I have patience. I can wait... maybe.. My first HP soap just smells so good! Cinnamon and cardamom absolutes with vanilla and sweet orange EO's. Yummy!

In the meantime, I've got a bunch of CP soaps that are just coming ready that I can test out (6 week+ curing) with varying amounts of OO and CO. The one castille recipe I did has just finished an 8 week cure and now I've got it packaged away to wait for next year.

I truly don't mind waiting. It's just that there are so many variables that to narrow down what works for me is going to take some time. Now I see why people are still calling themselves beginners after even 2 years of soap making.

Forgot to add that I will test out the HP soap over the weeks to see how it changes. I've got a little notebook going that I can make my notes in since I need to keep track of what works and what doesn't.

 

[shunt2011]

I have patience. I can wait... maybe.. My first HP soap just smells so good! Cinnamon and cardamom absolutes with vanilla and sweet orange EO's. Yummy!

In the meantime, I've got a bunch of CP soaps that are just coming ready that I can test out (6 week+ curing) with varying amounts of OO and CO. The one castille recipe I did has just finished an 8 week cure and now I've got it packaged away to wait for next year.

I truly don't mind waiting. It's just that there are so many variables that to narrow down what works for me is going to take some time. Now I see why people are still calling themselves beginners after even 2 years of soap making.

Forgot to add that I will test out the HP soap over the weeks to see how it changes. I've got a little notebook going that I can make my notes in since I need to keep track of what works and what doesn't.

If you don't have a problem waiting you are truly a rare breed in the soapmaking world......I hate the wait. Just have fun trying different things and you'll find that recipe(s) that make you go that's it.

 

[rosyrobyn]

Yeah but while you wait, you can plan. Just about as much fun to dream about what to do next. That and you have to wait for supplies to arrive anyways.