Nice goat milk soap getting better. Cure time?

[IrishLass]

I’m now curious how much cure time matters in general for soap quality. There seems to be a strong consensus for aging salt bars, but what do we think about aging other kinds of soap? Do all soaps improve with time? Or, is there an optimal amount of time to cure a soap and before it starts to go down hill? If you feel like piping in, please do!

I agree with amd that well-made soap should last indefinitely without any problems. And depending on climate, proper storage most likely plays a role, too. I live in a very dry climate with one or two brief humid periods per year, and my soaps that I have saved from even my earliest years of soapmaking are still in great shape .

I also agree 100% with jcandleattic that cure time definitely matters......for all kinds of soap formulas, i.e., not exclusively for salt bars or Castiles.

Our DeeAnna has written a lot on what goes on inside a bar of soap at the molecular level as it cures. Here is one of most comprehensive posts on the subject.

I've been soaping for 13 years now and my favorite soaps to use are the ones I've saved from my beginning years of soaping. The soaps are super hard and the lather is so rich. The most recent 'oldie' I used was at least 6 years old. It was still in perfect condition, i.e., no DOS and no discoloration, no off-smells, and believe it or not it still retained it scent perfectly. The FO scents on most of my oldies are gone or are at least very faint, but believe it or not, this one still retained its original scent as if it had been made yesterday. For what its worth, it was scented with Intense Almond from MMS. It's quite the hanger-on! Other long-term hangers-on I've noticed are Salty Sailor from Daystar, Mediterranean Sea Salt from Oregon Trails, Paradise from Daystar, Crisp Apple Rose from Brambleberry, among others.

Based on all the testing and note-taking I did early on with my different formulas, I came to the conclusion that the well-touted minimum cure time advocated within Soapdom of at least 4 weeks was not pulled out of the air as willy nilly as I may have originally thought before then. I found that it is a pretty solid 'earliest best' cure time for all my soap formulas, including my salt bars and Castiles. I'm convinced it is so well-touted because that's most likely what everyone else down through the years that tested their soap and took notes noticed, too. Of course, they all do get better with an even longer cure, but if I don't feel like waiting until the 'absolute best' time for whatever bar of soap, I know that if I use one of them at 4 weeks, it will be gentle enough and the lather is going to be pleasing enough to me to get the job done. It definitely won't last as long or have the awesome-est of lather as an older soap, but it won't irritate my skin and won't be too skimpy for my likes where bubbles are concerned, and I'm fine with that.


IrishLass

 

[Liesel Atwood]

I'm wondering if I might ask a question that is kind of "sideways related" (lol) to the best cure time topic. I have made a few batches of milk soap during the past few months. When I say milk, what I really mean is a combination of coconut milk, heavy cream or buttermilk. One of the batches also has some yogurt. The water amount was about 6 oz (I don't have my recipe handy at the moment) so I used 3 oz distilled water and 2 oz of the combined milks. The last oz was discounted. My oils are coconut, palm (sustainable), olive, jojoba, cocoa butter and shea butter. It hardened up beautifully overnight and has been curing since May. I am now using it in the shower, and the bubbles are amazingly big, creamy and fluffy all at once...if you can imagine that! LOL! But here's the problem; even though the bars are nice and hard, they are not lasting long enough in the shower. I keep the bar away from the water when not in use and try to let it dry out between uses, although it does still sit on a drainable soap dish at the back end of the tub, so unfortunately, it isn't completely out of the reach of some moisture. I feel badly that all those lovely ingredients are being washed down the drain so quickly. (about a month, I would guess. Lots of family staying so I don't know for sure how many people are using the soap, as opposed to their own body wash etc.) I wondered what you gals and guys think....could it benefit from another month of cure time? Maybe I should have water discounted a bit more? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Lisa

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I'm wondering if I might ask a question that is kind of "sideways related" (lol) to the best cure time topic. I have made a few batches of milk soap during the past few months. When I say milk, what I really mean is a combination of coconut milk, heavy cream or buttermilk. One of the batches also has some yogurt. The water amount was about 6 oz (I don't have my recipe handy at the moment) so I used 3 oz distilled water and 2 oz of the combined milks. The last oz was discounted. My oils are coconut, palm (sustainable), olive, jojoba, cocoa butter and shea butter. It hardened up beautifully overnight and has been curing since May. I am now using it in the shower, and the bubbles are amazingly big, creamy and fluffy all at once...if you can imagine that! LOL! But here's the problem; even though the bars are nice and hard, they are not lasting long enough in the shower. I keep the bar away from the water when not in use and try to let it dry out between uses, although it does still sit on a drainable soap dish at the back end of the tub, so unfortunately, it isn't completely out of the reach of some moisture. I feel badly that all those lovely ingredients are being washed down the drain so quickly. (about a month, I would guess. Lots of family staying so I don't know for sure how many people are using the soap, as opposed to their own body wash etc.) I wondered what you gals and guys think....could it benefit from another month of cure time? Maybe I should have water discounted a bit more? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Lisa

Based on the responses above, the consensus is that soap continues to improve with age, unless it degrades due to humidity or other factors that cause DOS. Past that, the longevity of the soap in use depends in part on how it’s being used, but also the initial recipe, e.g. what percentage of a recipe is hard oils or butters. I suggest that you ask your questions in the recipe help forum (where you will almost certainly be asked to post your recipe). That will help you get informed advice and keep the focus in this thread on cure time.

 

[Liesel Atwood]

Thank you, Mobjack! I will do that. Wishing you a wonderful evening!
Liesel

 

[Lin19687]

@Liesel Atwood Please start a new thread in the beginners area so we can help you more.
but higher CO recipes don't last long

 

[Liesel Atwood]

Thank you, Lin19687! Isn't it funny how many of us (well, me I suppose), have the mistaken impression that the higher coconut oil soaps will last longer because they are harder. I've been making soap for a long time, but never tried the higher % coconut oil recipes because I didn't want to use up my limited supply on one batch of soap! Only in the last few months have I reached out of my usual comfort zone. Anyway, I'd better hop out of this thread so others can post without distraction. Many thanks for everyone who helped!
Liesel