Marseille/Castille soap (with seawater) help and suggestions

[sirtim100]

As promised, a truly immense photo of my work (never got the hang of attaching photos to messages)

Poured, moulded and cut a la village idiot. But, they smell lovely. Now they're off to cure until Autumn 2020. The round ones come from the egg-custard containers, which are looking to be pretty cool for this sort of thing, although the brand name of the egg-custard on the top may make one or two people suspicious...

Happy soaping, everyone

 

[Zany_in_CO]

CONGRATULATIONS! Well done!

Now they're off to cure until Autumn 2020.

Nonsense! Seriously, I start using mine at 2 weeks, although the longer the cure, the better the soap. This recipe was formulated not only to eliminate slime but also for a quick cure... the two things that make Castile type soap less desirable to people like me. That being said, some soapers cure their castiles for a year as a matter of preference. Prior to formulating this recipe, a 12-week cure was sufficient and the general rule of thumb for castiles.

The round ones come from the egg-custard containers, which are looking to be pretty cool for this sort of thing, although the brand name of the egg-custard on the top may make one or two people suspicious.

If t'were me, I would slice up one of the round ones into 3 slices, using one of the "molds" as a guide for the knife. Wait 2 weeks and start using it. As long as it doesn't leave your skin feeling dry, it's good to go.

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[sirtim100]

View attachment 41959 CONGRATULATIONS! Well done!


Nonsense! Seriously, I start using mine at 2 weeks, although the longer the cure, the better the soap. This recipe was formulated not only to eliminate slime but also for a quick cure... the two things that make Castile type soap less desirable to people like me. That being said, some soapers cure their castiles for a year as a matter of preference. Prior to formulating this recipe, a 12-week cure was sufficient and the general rule of thumb for castiles.

If t'were me, I would slice up one of the round ones into 3 slices, using one of the "molds" as a guide for the knife. Wait 2 weeks and start using it. As long as it doesn't leave your skin feeling dry, it's good to go.

​

OK, many thanks

I've cut one of the round ones, and the pieces are now in Curing Corner.

So, following that reasoning, a batch of Castile I made in August (23rd) should be ready in mid November, am I right? And not sometime in the following millenium as some soapmaking websites would have you believe?

 

[Dawni]

Congratulations! Those look great

I hope these work out for you, short or long cure...... I've noticed olive oil n me don't mix well. Granted, my Castile hasn't hit one year it, I only made it last March. But I have small test pieces and unfortunately, they're too drying still, and still a wee bit slimy.

So, with respect to Zany.. See for yourself when your Castile starts working for you at intervals. Good idea to cut up a piece.

Oh btw, here's an interesting read on recycled molds, in case you haven't seen it yet behehe

 

[Zany_in_CO]

So, following that reasoning, a batch of Castile I made in August (23rd) should be ready in mid November, am I right? And not sometime in the following millenium as some soapmaking websites would have you believe?

For traditional castile, yes, that would be the 12 weeks scenario. If you followed the directions in the No Slime Castile, for me, it's ready to use in two weeks due to the 1.7:1 water to lye ratio and 0% SF. Forgot to mention... with all castiles, be sure to keep your soap high and dry in a soap-saver type dish between uses to extend longevity.

See for yourself when your Castile starts working for you at intervals. Good idea to cut up a piece.

 

[sirtim100]

Just a quick thank you to all forum members for your advice and help with this batch. Great fun to do and even more fun sharing the experience with you all.

Thanks again and happy soaping to all.