Too soft soap when demolding

[Mayrarossy]

:cry: this is my fourth batch and the recipe I used was: 850g olive oil, 158g coconut oil, 119g palm oil, 40 g shea butter, 152g lyle, 393g water. Rosemary and lavender eo. 8% SF and 28%Conc.when demolded is was too soft and sticky. I can cut the soap, but the bad weather can affect the final result?

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome Mayrarossy!

One of the reasons your soap may be on the soft side right now is because of how much water you used in relation to the high % of olive oil in your recipe, but not to worry- your soap is more than likely just fine- it will just need more time to harden up.

A 28% lye concentration is pretty much what I consider to be a 'full water' amount. Whenever I make batches that contain a high % of olive oil, I try to stay away from using a full-water amount because it prevents me from being able to unmold and cut as soon as I normally like because things are too soft from the excess water. For my batches with a high amount of olive oil, I like to use a 33% lye concentration.

Another cause of soft soap upon unmolding is ungelled soap. Do you know if your soap gelled or not? If it didn't, don't worry- there is no cause for alarm. All your soap needs is more time to firm up. Time is a soap's best friend.


IrishLass

 

[Mayrarossy]

Thank you so much for your response. i think the soap gelled completetly. i going to wait patiently the next 4 to 6 weeks... (By the way, sorry for my english, my first language is spanish.) I learning how to make soap with You tube and intenet tutorials, so i have a lot of questions about it. Thanks this forum could clarify many doubts.

 

[Seawolfe]

Are you using a silicone or wooden mold? I've noticed that silicone molds sometimes want a bit of extra time.
And I have had some soaps that wanted up to 4 days before unmolding. Theres no harm in waiting

 

[Mayrarossy]

I use silicone mold. Next time i wait more days.. Thank you!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Aye, my usual answer to the question "when should I unmould and cut my soap" could be taken as being unhelpful - "when it's ready!" You can certainly have a guideline of when to unmould, but the best thing is to check the soap itself and wait until it is ready.

For one recipe it might be a few days, for another recipe it might well be 1 day or even less!