I made 2 loaves of CP. soap high in Palm Oil. I zap tested on from each batch and the test was negative. I know what to feel for, but am wondering if the high PO made for fast cure soap. One of the soaps has Oatmeal Powder added in at trace. Has anyone had this experience?
No Zap on Just Made Soap?
- Thread starter Kiti Williams
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Hi Kiti- it sounds like you may be confusing 'cure' with ' fully saponified'? They are actually two different things. Full saponification (i.e. when the lye has been completely reacted with the oils to form soap and then reach the point of zaplessness/tongue-neutral-ness) normally happens anywhere between 6 to 48 or so hours after pour in CP, depending on the formula, and/or if you let the soap go through the gel stage or not. For example, the majority of all my soap formulas made via CP and fully gelled are normally completely zapless within 12 to 18 hours after pour. The exception is my 100% CO soap (fully gelled)..... that one takes only 6 hours after pour to set up and reach zaplessness. However, if I prevent the gel-stage from happening in my CP, it can take 48 hours or more after pour to reach zaplessness.
Cure, on the other hand is a process that the soap goes through after it has been completely saponified (turned into soap) and reached zaplessness/tongue neutral-ness. During cure, which generally takes a minimum of 4 weeks, chemical micro-processes are going on in the soap that affect all kinds of wonderful things, such as increasing the soap's hardness and increasing its ability to lather more easily, and decreasing harshness and bringing the pH down slightly.
IrishLass
Cure, on the other hand is a process that the soap goes through after it has been completely saponified (turned into soap) and reached zaplessness/tongue neutral-ness. During cure, which generally takes a minimum of 4 weeks, chemical micro-processes are going on in the soap that affect all kinds of wonderful things, such as increasing the soap's hardness and increasing its ability to lather more easily, and decreasing harshness and bringing the pH down slightly.
IrishLass
You don't say when you tested the soap after the soap was made, but a no-zap result is what you should get within a day after the soap is made, unless you've made a mistake, or you've refrigerated or frozen the soap or otherwise done something unusual to slow saponification, or you've intentionally made a lye heavy soap.
I can't remember the time when I got a zap when I unmold my CP soap -- that usually happens 12-18 hours after it's been poured into the mold.
Cured? No, the soap is not remotely close to being cured. All the zap test tells you is the soap is sufficiently saponified so it no longer has any excess alkali.
I can't remember the time when I got a zap when I unmold my CP soap -- that usually happens 12-18 hours after it's been poured into the mold.
Cured? No, the soap is not remotely close to being cured. All the zap test tells you is the soap is sufficiently saponified so it no longer has any excess alkali.
Ah, good! The whole scientific thing can get me confused, sometimes. Thank you both!
