What happens if we use soap without curing ?

[saqqa]

Hey guys
1) Is it dangerous if i use a soap after just few days without waiting for weeks ?
Can the lye still be there ?

2) I sometimes do ph testing with tip of tongue, is it ok ?

3) If a soap zaps on my tongue testing, does that mean I should not use it at all ? Or i wait for it to cure ?

 

[shunt2011]

Soap that has not been cured won’t be as mild and won’t last as long. As long as there’s no zap it’s safe to use. Soap need a good cure to be at its best. There’s more than just evaporation going on. It also changes structure somewhat with cure.

 

[jcandleattic]

Hey guys
1) Is it dangerous if i use a soap after just few days without waiting for weeks ?
Can the lye still be there ?

2) I sometimes do ph testing with tip of tongue, is it ok ?

3) If a soap zaps on my tongue testing, does that mean I should not use it at all ? Or i wait for it to cure ?

1) no, as long as the soap has saponified it is safe to use - once saponified there should be no active lye present. The soap will probably be harsh and drying though, if used before a full cure, and it will also dissolve much quicker than a fully cured soap.
2) you are not pH testing with your tongue, you are zap testing (different things) and as long as there is no zap, that means there is no active lye present, so it's okay to use
3) I would wait for cure and then zap test again. Some soaps take longer to saponify than others, even when using the same recipe.

 

[dixiedragon]

It will explode! j/j

It will make your skin very dry and irritated. Try it on your hands - PLEASE PLEASE don't try it on your face or any delicate parts.

 

[SoapySuds]

The sky explodes, millions of voices are silenced all at once, and an old man gets quiet....

Are we talking about soap?

It can cause irritation, possible burning sensation and snotty slime. Depends on the recipe, how well you followed it, whether it was CPOP, cp, hp, or rebatched.

Just be patient and wait four weeks.

Zap testing won’t tell you the ph of your soap. To test the ph of your soap, you’ll need a meter, a cross section of your bar of soap fully dissolved and mixed in a ten percent solution 10% bar 90% distilled water, to get accurate ph.

The NaOH will react and fully saponify over time with the oils in your bar. If it’s lye heavy, too much lye, and the lye was fully dissolved in water before you added it to your oils, the lye will turn into washing soda over time (like 9 months or longer) and be safe. If there’s lye crystals in your bar, either they weren’t full dissolved or you need to let your bars sit for longer. NaOH pulls water out of the air and reacts with it.

Be patient grasshopper. Your soap will be fine.

 

[Bladesmith]

I HP my soap. I use a sample piece of every bar the day that I make the soap. Obviously if it was CP, it might still by lye heavy.

 

[Dawni]

I HP my soap. I use a sample piece of every bar the day that I make the soap. Obviously if it was CP, it might still by lye heavy.

Me too.

But what happens to a fully saponified bar that's used without at least a short cure is, it won't last as long as a nicely cured bar - and it could still be drying, and have poor lather compared to if you waited to use it.

 

[math ace]

I found the best way to overcome the urge to use your soap early is make another batch lol!

 

[Unlimabun]

Last year at the HSCG conference in Dallas, Kevin Dunn stated that CP soap is technically okay to use after it has completely saponified, typically a day or two. I don't remember the exact science he gave, (okay, his geeky science explanations went over my head) but as long as the soap was made correctly and wasn't lye-heavy it was completely safe. However, he also stated that cured soap will last much longer, won't be as slimy etc. if it is allowed to cure properly.

 

[TheGecko]

1) Is it dangerous if i use a soap after just few days without waiting for weeks ?

Will your skin burn, fall off, and the world stop turning? No. But it's the difference between drinking moonshine and 10-year old whiskey.

Can the lye still be there ?

Not if the soap has been made properly; the lye is used up during the saponification process...which can vary. Just because you can unmold a soap in 12 hours, doesn't mean that it's fully saponified. As I have delved more into the science of soap making, I have discovered that it can easily take a good 48 hours for the fats and lye to saponify and that it's best to wait at least five days before testing your soap. It's like cooking any kind of meat...one you take it out of the pan, it's not done...it needs time to rest and while it's resting, it's still cooking.

2) I sometimes do ph testing with tip of tongue, is it ok ?

It won't kill you if that's what you're asking. I did it once just because and it instantly took me back to the day when I was six and my Grandmother washed my mouth out with soap for calling my cousin a 'poophead'.

3) If a soap zaps on my tongue testing, does that mean I should not use it at all ? Or i wait for it to cure ?

If you made your soap properly, you just need to give it time. If after a week it's still zapping you, you first should review your recipe to make sure you didn't forget to add something (which I've done) or check your scale to make sure it's weighing correctly. My understanding is that you can rebatch lye heavy soap, but I have zero experience with that.

 

[IrishLass]

Hey guys
1) Is it dangerous if i use a soap after just few days without waiting for weeks ?
Can the lye still be there ?

As long as it doesn't zap when applying the zap/tongue test, a soap is safe to use......but in those early days/beginning weeks of cure, don't confuse safe-to-use with optimal-time-to-use, because once saponification is complete, the soap is still going through chemical changes on the inside as it works to establish its crystalline structure. Those changes that go on are what helps to make the soap less harsh, improve a soap's lathering abilities and increase its longevity. Even though technically safe, it's not matured to be the best it can be yet.

I sometimes do ph testing with tip of tongue, is it ok ?

As mentioned by other the tongue/zap test does not measure pH....it just tells you if there is active lye still in your soap, which is actually more useful to me than a pH test....because you can still have some active lye in the soap even though the pH looks good. For what it's worth, the range of pH in a properly made, fully saponified, zap-free, cured soap can range anywhere from 8.5 to 12.....which explains why the zap test is more reliable to me when it comes to testing the safety of my soap.

If a soap zaps on my tongue testing, does that mean I should not use it at all ? Or i wait for it to cure ?

Don't use it yet..... wait for it to cure. For what it's worth, my un-gelled CP soaps sometimes zap for up to 7 days before finally mellowing out and becoming zap-free, while my fully gelled CP batches are zap free between 6 to 18 hours, depending on the formula.


IrishLass

 

[Bladesmith]

And I didn't mean to give the idea that the soap is at it's peak when I use it same day as made via HP. I do, however, enjoy using it then. It's a bit different as it's quite soft and soluble. Generally, for me, it creates a lot of lather easily. Yes, it goes quickly. That said, since I just make it for myself... I can just use up a bar while waiting on the others to cure.

I just feel like people make a huge deal about soap curing but if you're just making it for yourself, just do what you want. If you're selling it, you should probably let it cure so your customers get a longer lasting bar so you can give them their money's worth.

Just be sure it's not zappy, and you're fine

 

[Dawni]

Haha I'm the same.. Test bits get used up immediately next day and for however long they'll last.

I do hang on to most though.. To get my money's worth out of one batch. It's an expensive hobby. I only sell tried and tested recipes. The rest of my experiments are for me and mine and I still let them cure minimum 8wks.

But you're right. As long as it doesn't zap, and they don't mind less than optimal lather, any soap is safe to use without the cure time.

 

[TheGecko]

I found the best way to overcome the urge to use your soap early is make another batch lol!

I also make a little extra batter to pour into small individual molds (“guest soap” size) and then I can play with those.

 

[saqqa]

Thank you everyone for your informative replies
- Isn't it dangerous for tongue if zap test it and the soap is lye heavy ?

 

[jcandleattic]

Thank you everyone for your informative replies
- Isn't it dangerous for tongue if zap test it and the soap is lye heavy ?

Not if you do the zap teat correctly it’s not. You don’t touch your tongue directly to the soap. And if it zaps, it will be no more harmful than when touching your tongue to a 9-volt battery.

 

[Quilter99755]

I was one of "those" soapers who didn't find this site when I first started soaping. I jumped right into HP because it was "ready to use" as soon as you cut it! LOL I've always tested my soap by keeping the crumbs or the end cuts and using them right away. When I finally discovered that HP soap did need to be cured, I started making batches of soap a little more often ra ther than waiting until my soap pantry was empty. Now I have enough on hand to wait 3-4 months before I use any of the soaps. They do last longer and are oh, so much milder that it is worth the wait. But I want to make notes of how the soap lathers or if it dries or how the scent is faring over that time. So I still use the crumbs and end cuts for testing...and because I can!

 

[Dumfrey]

I also made some HP soap before discovering this forum.
Made several batches, and used it right away.
My first batch of soap just hit the three month mark. I have only one bar of it left
I looked back at my notes, and its a completely different bar of soap.
Much harder, better lather, lather seems creamier...

AMAZING the difference between a cure can make.

I am now at the point you reached @Quilter99755.

Will be stocking up the soap closet for gifts and personal use.

 

[Quilter99755]

I also made some HP soap before discovering this forum.

AT least you discovered this site a long time before I did! LOL

I actually found a few sites for HP soap that said to let it cure so it would become milder, etc, so I was on my way to letting it all cure by the time I found SMF. Now I can't imagine not letting it cure. But in my estimation, right out of the crock pot is so much better than what passes as soap in the stores. Because it was so much better was probably the biggest reason I didn't let it cure like I should have. Am certainly glad I have that stockpile now...my goal is to get an even longer cure, now that I know how important it is.

 

[Dumfrey]

I agree that fresh HP is still better than store, nut, now know what good cured soap is l in me. I really am hooked.