Saving my CP

[cambree]

I have a new little plastic mold that I wanted to try with my CP. I did not insulate it good enough and knew something bad would happen. But I wanted to see what "to gel or not to gel" would look like exactly.

So what I got were the rings. Outside being opaque and the inside being clear (like glycerin). Some people may just let it cure longer and use it anyway.

But I think it can still be salvage. I'm thinking of heating it up in a double boiler and then pouring it into a better insulated mold. Would there be any reason NOT to do this? Would love to know if anyone has done this before. thanks!

 

[carebear]

you would be rebatching it. and your resulting soap will likely not be as smooth. and then you won't get gel at all cause you are cooking which will finish the saponification anyway...

you might try heating this one up (put it on a heating pad and cover it) to see if you can re-start gel...

 

[bassgirl]

So how does one go about making CP soap in smaller individual molds? Are all the cute molds I see for sale really just for M&P?

 

[carebear]

you can use individual molds like Milky Way molds for CP soap. you will need to grease them (I use a silicone spray sold for use in commercial bakeries) and be prepared to leave them in the mold several days because a) it's unlikely they will gel without a lot of extra help and b) intricate designs do best if they are really very hard before you try to unmold.

 

[bassgirl]

By extra help, do you mean wrapping them in blankets?

But it's OK if they don't gel, right?

 

[SimplyE]

It is okay if they don't gel. I have used them before and have had luck with them gelling sometimes, but not a lot. I wrapped them really well. This does not always help. I have never greased them, though. When they were hard, I set them in the freezer for 1/2 hour to an hour and they popped right out. You don't want them in the freezer too long because of the condensation.

 

[bassgirl]

I got some plastic microwave egg cups for free, and thought it would be fun to have some half round bars. So I oiled them with a little canola oil and poured soap in them. I don't know if they gelled or not. I tried freezing them but I still haven't been able to get the soap out and it's been about a month!

 

[reallyrita]

Canola oil is not a good choice for oiling your indy molds. Canola will saponify and make it very difficult to get the soaps out. I use mineral oil...the kind you buy in the drug store...but I am hoping to find that silicon baking spray that a lot of the soapers use. I don't even try to gel my little molds. I also use a very small amount of SL in my lye water to harden up the soap. I get nice definition of the mold design on the top of my soaps when I remember to use it!
good luck with this...it is tricky to get good results!

 

[carebear]

by extra help, when you make CP (not during the rebatch you mentioned) I meant adding heat. Your best bet is to put them on a heating pad and cover them to insulate. Make sure the heat stays on till they are gelled. I would personally put the heating pad in a cooler or insulated box and that should help.

 

[jcandleattic]

What you are describing sounds to me like partial gel and there really is no need to rebatch unless you want to. There is nothing "wrong" with the soap other than the way it looks, and after a full cure it may not be as noticable as it is now.
As someone mentioned earlier, you don't have to gel soap in order for it to be soap. In fact I never gel any of my milk soaps because I like the creamy look better than if I gel them, and also by preventing gel they don't overheat and they stay lighter when there is no gel.
It's all just a personal preference.

 

[cambree]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I might cook up half and let the other half cure on it's own. Just to experiment.

So how does one go about making CP soap in smaller individual molds? Are all the cute molds I see for sale really just for M&P?

I have made CP with these small individual molds before. I did not oil them and it was easy to remove. I used the plastic molds for message bars. I think it turned out really nice. It's a ginger bar made with ginger powder. After curing for much longer, the color has become more consistent (unlike in this older pic) and it's a creamy white/yellow color.