Teach Soap

I am just starting out at soap making. I am having lots of fun. There is just one thing I can not figure out(so far). Once my molds have hardened I have a lot of trouble getting them out of the mold.Any helpful hints?

Welcome to the forum Mrsgbus! Glad to have you here.

To remove soap from the mold, I run my fingers around the front edges of the soap mold to loosen the soap then I apply gentle pressure on the back of the mold to pop out my soap.

I wait at least 2-4 hours minimum before unmolding my soaps so that they can fully set, or even better I leave them on the counter overnight before unmolding.

I try to invest in quality brand molds because the cheaper brand molds like the ones sold by most craft stores or the ones used for chocolates don't release the soap as easily as quality soap molds do, quality brands like MilkyWay, Aloha Molds, Market Molds, Spinning Leaf and Chase Holding, (most of which are sold by Brambleberry). Quality brand molds also make better detailed soaps than cheaper ones do and last a lot longer.

When I first started soapmaking, I bought a soapmaking book that suggested coating your molds with Pam, petroleum jelly or mineral oil. I quickly found out how wrong that was! Your soap molds should be clean and dry (no water, oil or jelly coating!) when you use them in order to avoid contaminating your soap and it unmolds properly.

Certain additives like oils, butters, honey or beeswax can make your soap softer and more difficult to unmold and decrease its lathering ability. Try to limit your total additives to no more than 1 tbsp per pound soap base if possible.

Hope this helps! Happy soaping!

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Armi

Thank you for the advise. I can't wait to try your trick. I am also going to look at purchasing some of the Brambleberry molds.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Soapbuddy's right. I forgot that tip.

(This is one of PJ's tips:) If you're in a rush, stick your soap in the freezer for a few minutes, only enough to chill the mold, not the soap. Then it should be easier to pop your soaps out of the mold. You can tell that the soap is ready to unmold because the soap should be separating from the walls of the mold - you'll see air pocket(s). Don't leave your soap in the freezer longer than necessary because then you're more likely to experience glycerin dew - the soap will sweat and feel slimey.

Try to wrap your soap in plastic wrap afterward to prevent it from getting glycerin dew especially when it's hot or humid. A neat trick I learned from Bramble Momma: you can heat the surface of the plastic wrap with a blow dryer (hold the blow dryer about 10-12 inches away from the soap) to tighten the wrap and get a better seal. Don't overheat your soap though so it won't melt.

Another one of PJ's tips: invest in non-bleeding oxides and micas. BB has a list of them here . If you do multiple color pours in one soap, you'll be glad you bought these because your color won't run/bleed.

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Armi

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Armi

Was just going to second was lbb231 said: sometimes if you try to take it out too early, it sticks a little, too. I am a personal fan of the freezer method because I'm a little impatient.

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Darkness called... but I was on the phone so I missed it. -- WC III