Teach Soap

As I posted before, I rebatched soap a few weeks ago. It's 100% olive oil soap. Checking my molds nearly every day, I've realized that they are simply not getting hard at all. They're drier, but they aren't appreciably hardened at all, just less sticky.

I'd be fine just leaving them in the molds for a year or so and maybe trying again, but for one thing: I'm moving in October. I don't want to leave the soap molded during transit; I want to pull it out, pack it away, and then be able to use it once we arrive in the new home. Alternatively, I want to pull it out, cut it up, and give or sell it to other people.

Even using minimal amount of added fluid, my rebatch soap takes months and months and months to harden.

I've only rebatched a couple of times. One was hard immediately, the other took longer as I added too much water as I was rebatching.

100% OO soaps can take longer to get hard, as well as needing a longer cure as well to gain optimal hardness.

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

If they're not hard enough to unmold yet, then there's something wrong. I make castile soap twice a month every month and once in a while I have to rebatch, but within at least 2 days it's hard enough to unmold. The latest was 4 days.

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Genny

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

When I make olive oil soap, it tends to need anywhere from three to ten days to unmold. This rebatch, though... it is taking its sweet time, and I'm nervous about it. What ought I to DO about it? Believe me, I can tell something's wrong, but I need a course of action.

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Genny

My exact recipe changes, but I invariably use the SoapCalc.net lye calculator and follow their proportions to the letter. I don't know if my soap gels, because I don't lift the wooden (non-see-through, non-monitorable) lid off of the soap for at least two days; if it's gelled during that time, I wouldn't know.

So you use 38% for the water? With castile soaps, that's going to make for a soap that will take a lot longer than usual to harden up.

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Genny

Fresh soap does not need more water or liquids for rebatch. If it's just a small batch, toss it and start new.

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

What was the reason for the rebatch?

I hate to sound like a broken record, but could you please post your recipe? We are pretty much going to be guessing at stuff without seeing what you did.

Anita

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

Whoops, also meant to ask the superfat amount.

Anita