Teach Soap

Greetings fellow soapers! I was wondering if someone could help me out with something. Recently, I made my second batch of CP soap using BB's 12-bar silicone soap mold. I soaped around 100-110 degrees and did not insulate or cover the mold. I simply poured the batter and let it set up over night. I took a peak the next day and noticed that the bars were still really soft. I soaped Wednesday evening and I didn't remove the bars from the mold until yesterday afternoon. The bars were still pretty mushy. I decided to cut them up last night into half size pieces and they were still really gooey. Today, the bars are a bit harder. Could it be that my recipe is making the bars extremely soft or should I have insulated the mold?

It sounds like your soap didn't gel. Ungelled soaps do start out softer. I would give it some time.

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

0o0oh ok thanks! The last time I made CP I used our homemade wooden soap mold and we covered it, but I wanted to try to do a batch without insulating. Now I wonder if I should have left the soaps in the molds a bit longer...ah well its just a test batch.

Thanks for your help, as always

You're welcome. Soap does not need to gel in order for it to become soap.

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

I took the bars out of the mold when they were still quite mushy because I was afraid they wouldn't dry out properly and/or they would harden to the point where I wouldn't be able to cut them. I think next time I'll give it a solid week in the mold and then check on it.

That mold doesn't hold in heat at all, so lots of times the soap won't gel. If you want to force gel, you can set it on a heating pad or put it in a warm oven.

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

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~*~ Jennifer ~*~

Depending on the recipe, if the soap didn't gel, about 24 hours.

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

This last batch of soap I made with the Celine swirl I tried soaping cool and poured in a silcone mold from BB. I inulated but four hours later is never had heated up at all so I turned the oven on 170 and put on a baking sheet and left in for 50 min then took out and covered for about 30 min or so then uncovered and by 24 hrs it slid right out like normal. First time I have ever put CP soap in the oven other than Salt soap

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JULIE

The Lord is my Shepard