Humidity and CP Soap

[KiwiMoose]

While many of you in the northern hemisphere are freezing your b*tts off, we, on the other hand, are experiencing rather high humidity at present, with thunderstorms brewing almost every day this week. I'm wondering if there are any tips and pointers on soaping in this weather?
NZ has only recently (in the past decade) started using air conditioning in homes, and even now it's not all that common. We open windows and doors when it's hot, and maybe put a fan on.

 

[Obsidian]

Keep your lye sealed up tight, it absorbs humidity quickly.

Besides that, I never have issues with humidity. Not even when its rains for weeks on end

 

[Dawni]

The weather is more or less the same here.. We don't also always use air conditioning, only when the heat and humidity is intolerable.

I noticed I have more of an issue with storing the curing soaps, than the actual soap making.

My CP soleseife in particular is sweating excessively this last week. My HP soaps seem to be fine though. They're stored in the coolest, driest room in the house.

 

[Obsidian]

If your soap does start sweating, you can either use a dehumidifier or a small fan to help dry out the air in the room. Salt soaps can be tricky in more tropical locations.

 

[DeeAnna]

My unpackaged curing soap will sometimes sweat a little in the high humidity of Iowa summers. The sweat is more like a slightly damp, sticky surface, not actual beads of moisture. I package cured soap in shrink wrap and that helps a lot to control sweating.

I've taken my soap to use and to share with a friend who lives in Belize. When she lived on a tiny island off the mainland, the air was always very humid and slightly salty. That was tough on my handcrafted soap -- the soap would stay damp and gradually soften despite giving it every chance to dry out between uses. I realized if I intentionally made soap for that kind of environment, I would have to reformulate my recipes. Since I only visit her once a year or so, she and I make do with my Iowa recipes. She lives on the mainland now with a much drier climate, and I suspect Iowa soap would do fine where she is now.

 

[Hendejm]

I live in Orlando, Fl and haven’t had any issues with my soaps sweating....yet. However - I’ve purchased several soaps from retailers and those have gotten moisture on them. I’m not sure why mine haven’t had an issue because we live in a very humid climate where it rains nearly every day for much of the year. It may be because my soaps aren’t fully cured yet and still have moisture going out rather than attracting moisture...not sure.

 

[penelopejane]

I don’t think we’ve experienced this high humidity in years.

My salt soap sweats for about 6 months regardless of the temperature or humidity. I decided last year that I’d make it so that it was 6 months old before it got really humid.

Interestingly this year I have a few different recipes curing at the moment in the exact same conditions. A couple of them are sweating and one isn’t.
So...your recipe will make a difference to whether your soap will sweat or not!

 

[Dawni]

My HP neem, rice, dead sea mud and coffee mini soaps aren't sweating.

My CP soleseifes are all sweating, 3 batches. I don't have any CP soaps that aren't made with brine so I can't do a comparison of that.

It's December and it's supposed to be drier and cooler already but it's not. Sheesh.. In a few more years we'll perpetually be in the heat if this continues.

I lived in the UAE for about 8yrs and people told me it has rained several times this year there, when it used to rain once or never.

 

[Paperbackstash]

I've learned the hard way that the empty cupboards in an extra, non-used bathroom did not work well with storage for soap around here in Florida with the high humidity levels. Bummer as that seemed the perfect spot for space. Live and learn. There was definite sweating of the soap after awhile. Right now mine are curing in the kitchen near a fan for a few weeks.

 

[Koric]

If you're using a dehumidifer what is the target % you're looking for?
Or are you just aiming to stop or cut back in the sweating? My workshop is in my basement so it's usually cool down there so humidity usually a problem. I usually use them when I make the bath bombs or salt bars, but can't say I've noticed much of a difference.