Soft Unmolding

[MashEcon]

Hey guys! I just made my 2nd batch of soap (first on my own, had someone showing me the steps the first time). Im attaching my recipe here. The only change was I used half the water amount to mix the lye, then added the other half (3oz) as canned coconut milk into the oils before adding the lye.
Anyway, it’s been about 40 hours in the mold and I just tried to cut it and it’s still quite soft. My first soap was a goat milk soap and it was cut in less than 24 hours and was hardened up. Only difference was the milk type and also didn’t use castor oil in that one. I soaped with my oils and lye around 80-90 degrees and just left on the counter after in the mold.
Is this normal? How long do you guys usually wait to cut?

Sorry for the long post, thanks guys!!

 

[Obsidian]

It probably didn't gel which mean its takes longer to set up hard. There is nothing wrong with the soap, it will be fine.

If its firm enough to cut then do so. If its still a bit too soft, check it every couple hours until it is firm enough.

 

[MashEcon]

It probably didn't gel which mean its takes longer to set up hard. There is nothing wrong with the soap, it will be fine.

If its firm enough to cut then do so. If its still a bit too soft, check it every couple hours until it is firm enough.

Thank you! I need to read more about gelling. I know people force gel but not really sure of the benefits. I’ve read if you use colors they look better, I guess it also hardens up faster too?

 

[Obsidian]

Yes, one of the benefits is setting up faster. Gel is when the soap goes through a hot, fast saponification.

I don't generally worry about forcing gel, I just let the soap do what it wants but many people do like to completely gel.

If you use micas for color, gelling can make them more vibrant.

 

[BattleGnome]

If I don’t gel my soaps it can take up to a week for them to harden enough to cut. In that time I usually gently pull the mold from the sides of the soap (I have silicone molds) to get some air flow to the bottom and have even left the unmolded soap on the counter for a day or two to let the bottom harden. It’s not always the prettiest soap when I do this but it helps get everything laid out to cure

 

[DeeAnna]

Gel doesn't happen just during saponification; it's just that saponification is the time when most soap gets warm enough to reach its gel temperature.

You can gel (liquefy) soap after it's done, if you want. This "rescue oven processing" method is a useful technique to know in case you want to firm up a soap that didn't gel during saponification. This rescue method is pretty flexible -- you can use lower temperature for a longer time or higher temp for a shorter time. I cover the two alternatives in my article -- https://classicbells.com/soap/rescueOP.asp

 

[MashEcon]

If I don’t gel my soaps it can take up to a week for them to harden enough to cut. In that time I usually gently pull the mold from the sides of the soap (I have silicone molds) to get some air flow to the bottom and have even left the unmolded soap on the counter for a day or two to let the bottom harden. It’s not always the prettiest soap when I do this but it helps get everything laid out to cure

Whew, this makes me feel much better. I wasn’t under the impression soaps were always ready to unmold after 24 hours for some reason. Thank you!!

 

[MashEcon]

Gel doesn't happen just during saponification; it's just that saponification is the time when most soap gets warm enough to reach its gel temperature.

You can gel (liquefy) soap after it's done, if you want. This "rescue oven processing" method is a useful technique to know in case you want to firm up a soap that didn't gel during saponification. This rescue method is pretty flexible -- you can use lower temperature for a longer time or higher temp for a shorter time. I cover the two alternatives in my article -- https://classicbells.com/soap/rescueOP.asp

Great article and information! Very helpful to me. Thank you!

 

[Arimara]

I could barely read that recipe you posted. It's so small. From what I could gather, the recipe looked good and well balanced. It likely is a gel issue and an easy fix, as others stated.