speed curing?

[onesickfreak]

So, I was wondering if I could speed up curing by placing my soap in a dehydrator with a low setting... Maybe place it in a decassant chamber (like some dam rid).

What you guys think? Anyone ever try?

 

[not_ally]

Freak, if memory serves on seeing similar posts, this won't work and will warp your bars.

I'm afraid that if you do a search for speeding cure (including w/a dehydrator) there is no way to do it. That is one of the holy grails of the soapmaking world, no joy so far.

 

[galaxyMLP]

Sorry, no speeding up cure. Cure occurs when water evaporates, soap becomes milder and the crystalline structure of soap becomes more regular. Unfortunately, you cant speed this up with a dehydrator (or anything else for that matter).

One person tried to tell me that his "temperature and humidity controlled" racks basically made it so that his soaps didnt need to cure. This is wrong and incorrect. Even soaping with very low water percentages, you still need to cure for a minimum of 4 weeks to get the true feeling of how your soap will be.

I know its unfortunate news. I used to think HP soaps didnt need a cure but, with experience I learned this was false.

That is not to say you cant try out an end piece at the second week of cure just to see how it is. It certainly wont hurt you. But, I would not give away/sell soap that has not cured a minimum of 4 weeks.

 

[Seawolfe]

Think of soap as similar to a young cheese, beer or wine - while they CAN be used before their time, the results are much less than desirable.
Dehydration is probably only 50% of the curing process, and speeding it up only warps the soap. Leave it be, have patience padawan

Of course try it out yourself: let one (~ 50% OO or less) batch cure properly, and make the same batch a day or two before the 4-6 week mark and put it in the dehydrator. Test both.

 

[shunt2011]

Many have asked and tried with not so good results. Drying is only part of the curing of soap. Patience Grasshopper....the only thing that makes a good soap.

 

[Susie]

I was going to repeat the same thing as above, but I won't, LOL.

However, do yourself a big favor, and test that soap at 1 week, then weekly intervals, until you KNOW the difference between a properly cured soap, and a not ready one. I leave mine 6-8 weeks minimum because I like those the best. Everything about that soap changes during that cure.

 

[TeresaT]

Yes. Nothing beats a well-cured soap. I have used all of my soaps as soon as I am able to safely do so. My batch of Bastille soaps finally spent their six weeks on the rack and I pulled one down to give it a go. That is truly the best soap I have ever used and it gave me the best shave of my life. Now I am a dedicated "curer" - I will use no soap before its time! I am planning on making MANY large batches of Bastille and letting them cure for a year then selling them next year at the yard sale from hell. I'm sorry, for those not familiar with it: "The World's Longest Yard Sale." (Anyone else on the route feel the same way about it? It goes from Gadsden, AL to Addison, MI along Highway 127. That's 690 mind-numbing miles of rubbernecking from August 6-9 this year. It takes me 20 minutes to go from the county line to my road during the fun fest. This is normally a 30 second drive.)

 

[IrishLass]

Ditto to all of the above. I've resigned myself to the fact that some processes just can't be rushed..... and that's perfectly okay. Everything according to it's time. As one wise soap-maker once said, "If you want to have good soap quickly, then lye-based soap-making is not for you."

The motto that I frequently like to use when it comes to curing soap (or for anytime when I'm feeling rushed or impatient about anything.....or for when anybody else around me is feeling rushed or impatient) is a line from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, spoken by a Ent (a very ancient tree who does and says everything quite slowly): "Now don't be hasty, Master Meriadock"- Treebeard.


IrishLass

 

[TeresaT]

Tolkien was a master. There is much wisdom and beauty in his works. Thanks for the helpful life reminder, Lass. Sometimes, when I feel overwhelmed and life just isn't going well for me, I remember another great line from LoTR and it puts it all into perspective for me: "Where are we going?" - Merry Took