Soaps are melting too quickly

[Viore]

So I've been making soap for about 4 months now, and I've given samples to family and friends and asked for their feedback. The number one complaint I hear is the soap doesn't last very long. How long are the bars supposed to last? Any ideas on why they only last for two weeks?

I know at least one of the samplers said she kept the bar in the shower, so I think that was a contributing factor. The soap cures for 4 weeks minimum before I give them out to people to try.

Recipe:
5% Avocado oil
5% Castor oil
20% coconut oil
30% olive oil
40% Tallow or lard (depending on recipe)

 

[Dahila]

how long you are curing it? Eight weeks of cure will give you an awesome hard bar of soap, it will last long time

 

[Viore]

They cure for at least 4 weeks. One person's bar had been curing for about 7 weeks and it still only lasted for 2 weeks.

 

[Susie]

How large are your bars?

 

[snappyllama]

You mentioned that the soaps are kept in the shower. Are they out of the way of water directly running over them? Can they dry out between uses? Are they in a dish that lets the water escape?

Standing water will make any homemade soap disappear much faster.

Are you using a loofah with them or otherwise going hogwild with them? I like my CP soaps so much I lather up much more than I did with sydnet bars...

 

[newbie]

In addition to the above questions, how many showers or how many people are using the soap? If there are 4 people using it and they all shower daily, 2 weeks might not be out of line.

 

[afbrat]

I am fairly new to soap making, but I read somewhere that the person posting always had I think it was 3 bars that they rotated in their shower to give each bar a chance to properly dry between uses to extend the life of the bar

 

[Obsidian]

I think two weeks is a decent amount for a bar. Thats about how long they last for my hubby. He uses one bar until its gone, I on the other hand have 10 or more in rotation.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

How much is your SF?
I found higher SF adds to mushier bar that melts faster.

 

[Susie]

Also, if they are being used by a big, hairy man, they go away very quickly. My hubby goes through twice the soap I do.

 

[Dahila]

Also, if they are being used by a big, hairy man, they go away very quickly. My hubby goes through twice the soap I do.

So is mine, One 8 weeks cured hard soap is for a week and half for him. I have no idea how long it lasts for me, I am like obsidian having tons of them in the shower))

 

[IrishLass]

As you can see, there are lots of different variables that can come into play in regards to a soap's longevity, but a good thing to keep in mind is that handmade lye soap will very seldom (if ever) last as long as a bar of commercial triple milled soap. I'm not sure what kind of soap your family and friends were using before, but if they are comparing yours to commercial triple milled, then they are comparing hard-tack biscuits to croissants. lol

My hubby and son are in the habit of sharing the same bar of soap, and they have it sitting on a well-drained soap saver dish in the built-in porcelain soap dish shelf thingie attached to the shower wall. Although not in direct line of water spray, it does get wet from indirect splashes, and between them, they go through a bar in a week, sometimes 2 weeks, depending on the size of the bar. I should note here that my son usually takes 2 showers a day- once before work, and once after, so it's really more like 3 people are using the one bar of soap. I keep telling them that it will last longer if they put up on the flat ledge of the shower door, but they say it's more convenient for them where it is.

I, on the other hand have a rotation of about 4 or 5 bars and I keep them high and dry out of both direct and indirect spray on well-drained soap saver dishes on the high ledge of the shower's sliding door. It takes me forever to go through a bar of soap- more than a month, for sure. But then again, I'm a fairly petite person (5'1") compared to two 6' hairy guys. lol


IrishLass

 

[Seawolfe]

I have noticed that the soap by the sink lasts a whole lot longer than the ones in the shower, and I wash my face and hands a LOT. I've had the same 2 bars out for months now. So drying well does make a lot of difference.

 

[Viore]

The bars are about 2.5" x 1" x 3.5," and in most cases they are being used by one person in the shower. I've asked everyone to please put their soap in a soap dish on the bathroom counter to dry out, but that is obviously not the case here! One person keeps their bar in the shower and it lasted for 2 weeks (one shower per day, I believe). Another was a family of four to whom I gave 3 bars, and that lasted them about 3 weeks. One person uses the soap with a loofah, but it seems to last her a while.

My superfat is 5% usually, never higher than 6%. I like the idea of giving several bars so they can rotate them around. I'm start giving them away in multiples then =) I know I have about 10 half-bars as samples that I rotate through and there's still soap left from some of my first "good" batches! (that didn't develop DOS within two weeks).

Thank you so much for answering my questions! So 2-3 weeks is a good lifespan of a bar of soap. I will let future samplers know!

 

[nsmar4211]

Just a warning if you ever decide to try 100% coconut oil soap, it won't last at all! Was messing around and seeing if that was true (I had read it) and managed to dissolve half a bar in one bath. I'm very very clean now!

A longer cure will definitly help, my three month old bars last a lot longer than my month olds.

Just think, if they go fast, you can sell them some more..... :lolno::lolno: