# Curing?



## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

Hi Everyone,
I made my first ever soap yesterday :dance: 
I will be unmolding it in a few hours and was curious as
to how everyone cures there soap. Been searching for an
answer on the net and have not found one yet, everyone
says how long to cure but not exactly how they do it. :help:

Tonya


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## kidsngarden (Mar 24, 2006)

I have wire shoe racks up on this huge shelving unit that I cure them on. 

Bethany


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

kidsngarden, 
So they are just open to the air or do you cover them with something? Is it better to find a cool dry place or warm and dry, I am a little clueless :shrug: Nobody I know does stuff like this, I am pretty much the only one into homesteading or crafting . They all think I'm a bit off my rocker I think


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

I use stackable cookie racks that were given to me, and also some plastic coated wire shelves from an old refrigerator. Make sure you don't use anything made of aluminum which some of the cookie racks are, if you do you'll have marks where the wire was.

Dawn


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Congrats on your first batch of soap! I just started making soap a couple of months ago and I am loving it. Be aware though - you just might become obsessed with it! Which is where I am now....

I put mine on wire racks my husband took out of closets and replaced - I line them with paper bags I open and spread across the top. I stack the bars on thier ends, rather than laying them flat. I'm not sure if it's true, but it seems to help them cure faster. I also put them in a spare room we have and turn on the ceiling fan to circulate the air. Mine usually cure within 4 - 6 weeks, depending on how thick I cut them.

Don't cover them with anything - just set them out.

Good luck!

Penny


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

Thank you for the tips and congrats!
It was exciting and I do think I will be making more.
This is the recipe I used
http://www.homestead.org/Kristen Embry/MyHomesteadIncome.htm
Its a very small batch....good size for a first try I thought.


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Let us know how it turns out after curing! I haven't tried just using lard yet - but I want to. I worried that it might be too soft - or not lather enough. I'd be interested to hear how it turns out.

If it's not lathery enough, try adding 5% castor oil. Once I started using castor oil, I was sold on it. It really brings in a nice lather.

Please let us know how it turns out - and good luck!

Penny


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

Yeah after all said and done I read that it might not be very lathery,
but I bought a bar of goats milk soap at the fair last year and its is not 
real sudsy/lathery but I love that way my hands felt after using it. Wish 
I could remember what she used. It was in the old time part of the fair,
along with the blacksmith and gold panner and such so I imagine they 
were very basic ingrediants.


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

My first batch wasn't very lathery - but it was really creamy, so I use it to shave my legs and it works great!

I did alot of seaching on the internet and learned that 5% castor oil makes a big difference for lather. so I started adding it to my soaps and it really works!

Yours may lather just fine - like I said, I've never made soap with all lard for oil. It doesn't matter though - it will clean just fine and I bet you'll love it!

Penny


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

The needle point plastic canvas works really well for keeping your soap up off shelves, and it also keeps your shelves clean, and are easy to clean and cheap at walmart.

I use the dishwash racks sold at resturant supplies, they hold glasses or silverware and then go through the large commercial dishwashers. They free stack onto themselves and take up a 2 and 1/2 foot square. Stacked 8 high it holds 400 bars of soap taking up very little space. The way they are built it also gives you alot of aircirculation.

During the spring, summer and fall my soaps cure in an airconditioned room for 3 weeks, during our mild winters they set in a closet with a dehumidifier running for about 4 days. Vicki


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## Fifilaflea (Sep 28, 2007)

I bought some wire racks with wheels and three shelves each, so I can put a batch on each shelf and roll them in and out of a closet.


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

An old bakers rack with shelves works for me, I also use the plastic canvas and racks scrounged to hold the soap up off the thin wood we cut for shelves.


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

WOW thanks for all the tips! I have some of those wire coated racks so thats what I am using. 

The soap seems to be hardening but if I were to add the caster oil how much would I use in this recipe...I tried to figure it out but it seems a little greek to me LOL


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## Fifilaflea (Sep 28, 2007)

Dreaming2Loudly said:


> WOW thanks for all the tips! I have some of those wire coated racks so thats what I am using.
> 
> The soap seems to be hardening but if I were to add the caster oil how much would I use in this recipe...I tried to figure it out but it seems a little greek to me LOL


General rule with castor is to use no more than ten percent of the total recipe.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Castor oil for lather ....  I remember about 5 years ago when I first heard someone mention that castor oil will boost lather. Some said it would, some said it didn't make a difference, some said you needed to add it right to your lye solution for it to lather, some said it didn't make a difference.

I did some experiments with it. Mostly I took a look at fatty acid make up of castor oil and compared it with the fatty acid make up of the 'lathering' oils (coconut, palm kernel, babassu)

The fatty acid responsible for latherin is Lauric. The lathering oils have between 46-48% of lauric fatty acid (castor has none).

What castor oil does have is ricinoleic fatty acid. The -oleic fatty acids are conditioning oils.

What does make a difference for more lather (besides using lathering oils) is a long, long cure.

If you are not doing so, please use an electronic calculator to weigh your ingredients.

When making soap batches using less than 3 lb of oils, I always switch to grams instead of ounces since only one tenth of an ounce per pound of oil can mean the difference of a mild or caustic soap!


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

It really is like chemisty...wish I had taken that course :stars:


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

Can't say this without sounding uppity, but it is a little bit scarry making soap, with made up reicpes, by folks you don't know, who don't know the chemsitry of soaponification. More than 10% of this will make your soap drying. No more than this percentage of this or that percentage of that, although I make a wonderful 100% coconut oil bar  A 60% shea bar. There was a single oil test on soapdishforum.com Most oils are about label appeal, really good soap, really nice soap is mostly butters. And if you don't label (because you don't have to really) lard and tallow soaps are unbeatable for really good soaps. It's expensive to replace tallow or lard with butters that are as good. I use a lard recipe for teaching and also when experimenting with scent, and I use it in my own bathrooms...I sell another recipe because lard and tallow soaps won't sell into my stores...but the bars aren't better than the lard bars Vicki


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Dreaming2Loudly - I know how intimidating all this can sound. I just started making soap and I'm still learning - A LOT!

But, if I may offer two things that really helped me understand things a little better. The first is this soap calculator - and there are several good ones out there, but this is the one that I use http://www.soapcalc.com/calc/SoapCalc.asp I like it because once you choose an oil, the column on the left will tell you how lathery, bubbly, cleansing, conditioning, etc. that particular oil is. Just click on an oil, and look at the properties. It makes it easier to come up with your own recipe and have a better idea of what you are going to end up with before you make it. It also calculates the amount of water and lye you'll need for a given recipe.

The other thing that helped me understand calculating weights/percentages was this article http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldprocesssoapmaking/a/measvspercent.htm

Hope this helps.

Penny


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

> but the bars aren't better than the lard bars Vicki


OK, that does make me feel better! Thank you Vicki.

Thank you Penny for the article..I will definately read it. I did check out some books from the library, one called The Art of Soap Making is actually helping me understand things a bit better.
My goal here is to try to create something I can give as a gift from one of our farm products (goats milk) and can actually send in the mail. Soft cheese is a bit of a problem to mail across country to my Grandmother


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## thefarm (May 11, 2002)

Dreaming2Loudly said:


> Thank you for the tips and congrats!
> It was exciting and I do think I will be making more.
> This is the recipe I used
> http://www.homestead.org/Kristen Embry/MyHomesteadIncome.htm
> Its a very small batch....good size for a first try I thought.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope all works out for you! I just went to the link and read recipe how many bars would this make? and what type of lard did you use? Did I read that right it takes about 3 weeks to cure? and how do you know when its ready? Thanks Brenda


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Brenda,
I've used lard from the store and home rendered lard, both with success.

Be sure to use an electronic scale to weigh the ingredients!


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## thefarm (May 11, 2002)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> Brenda,
> I've used lard from the store and home rendered lard, both with success.
> 
> Be sure to use an electronic scale to weigh the ingredients!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Does it have to be electronic? I have a produce scale and an antique scale. Thanks Brenda You can't just plop out a pd of lard ?


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## beaglady (Oct 7, 2002)

No, you really need a precise electronic scale. Especially to weigh your lye, when you take the plunge into CP. If you are making a 2 pound batch of soap, a nice beginner size, a fraction of an ounce difference in your lye measurement can make the difference between burning your skin, and a luxurious soap. 

Just for conversation, I went to soapcalc and put together a quickie recipe for a 2# batch of 5% castor, 15% coconut, 40% lard and 40% olive. 5% superfat uses 4.39 oz of lye. If your scale was not accurate enough, accidentally weighing 4.72 oz of lye will make your soap lye heavy (and painful) by 2%. So, having your scale off by only 3/10 of an oz can make a serious difference. For this reason, lots of soapers weigh the lye in grams for small batches. A decent electronic scale can switch back & fotrh between oz & grams.


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## thefarm (May 11, 2002)

beaglady said:


> No, you really need a precise electronic scale. Especially to weigh your lye, when you take the plunge into CP. If you are making a 2 pound batch of soap, a nice beginner size, a fraction of an ounce difference in your lye measurement can make the difference between burning your skin, and a luxurious soap.
> 
> Just for conversation, I went to soapcalc and put together a quickie recipe for a 2# batch of 5% castor, 15% coconut, 40% lard and 40% olive. 5% superfat uses 4.39 oz of lye. If your scale was not accurate enough, accidentally weighing 4.72 oz of lye will make your soap lye heavy (and painful) by 2%. So, having your scale off by only 3/10 of an oz can make a serious difference. For this reason, lots of soapers weigh the lye in grams for small batches. A decent electronic scale can switch back & fotrh between oz & grams.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you!Brenda


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

I had bought 2 fun little soap molds from Michaels craft store, one was 3 regular bar shapes with lettering but they were thinner than a regular bar would be. The other had 5 different ones in it all smaller gift type shapes. 
The recipe filled both with about a TBSP and half blob left over. I wish they had said how much each would weight but no such luck. The blob will be for me to test out before I give this to anyone LOL
They have been curing for 8 days now and seem to be doing quite good, I think =o)
Its hard like soap anyway, they still smell good. I had added some vanilla FO but not much at all...I didn't know how much to use so it was only like 10 drops. 
Is there a Soap Making for Dummies book LOL


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

Tonya, fill your molds with water. Put a container on your scale and tare it back to zero. Now fill your container with all the water from all the molds you want to pour. That's your recipe weight.

soapdishforum.com dairygoatinfo.com barb is great on our soap forum....and go to the sites that gals on here run, better than a book. Vicki


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

Well now theres any easy way to go about it  
I do visit dgi often and just reregistered and have a new login name of MysticHollowGoats. Haven't posted yet, I am mostly a lurker/info gleaner on forums. Now that winter is nearly here I will have more time to join in on conversations...I hope! Although now that outside work is slowing I guess that means onto all thoughs inside projects I have been putting off


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

BasicLiving said:


> But, if I may offer two things that really helped me understand things a little better. The first is this soap calculator - and there are several good ones out there, but this is the one that I use
> http://www.soapcalc.com/calc/SoapCalc.asp


this is the one I recommend too!!!


then again, I'm a bit biased about it! I created a lye calculator in 2001 (2002??) in Excel that gave you the percentages of the various fatty acids, gave your iodine & IV values, blah, blah, blah

The first of it's kind on the internet. The gentleman who created the soap calc page asked if he could use my information to create a web based calc. I told him yes IF he continued to keep the information free to soapers.

The original Excel lye calc is still in the files of my Yahoo group Tallow_Soapers


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Well, there you have it Cyndi - you have helped me even more than I recognized!

That soap calc is great! So easy to use - and just clicking around on it and seeing oil properties taught me a lot. I used it to make my first very own soap recipe - and a few since. I LOVE IT!

Thanks!

Penny


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

That's what it is all about Penny - paying forward! There are no real secrets to life and they more we spread them around, the better all of us will be!

I'm just tickled that after this many years, the soapcalc is still free (because I know there are some that you have to pay for where the information was 'borrowed' from my Excel sheet. Shoot, I even contacted Woody to get a copy of it and she said, "Sure for $60!!!) 

NOT!!!


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

Pic of my very first soap :happy: 
Hope this works


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

hmmm didn't work, how do I post a picture?


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

You need to upload it to something like photobucket. There are others, but I use www.photobucket.com It's free - once you register and login, just upload your pic, and then copy the html code they provide you under the pics and paste that html right into your message.

And hurry up so we can see the pics!!!! :hobbyhors 

Penny


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

trying again


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## kidsngarden (Mar 24, 2006)

Those look great!

Bethany


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## thefarm (May 11, 2002)

WOW that is beautiful.. How did you make it? What are the ingredients? thanks brenda


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Absolutely gorgeous! Great job!!!


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

The recipe is here
http://www.homestead.org/Kristen Embry/MyHomesteadIncome.htm


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

nice looking soaps, Tonya!


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## thefarm (May 11, 2002)

Delete I put in wrong spot sorry!brenda


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## Dreaming2Loudly (Apr 19, 2007)

Thanks for all the help and encouragement everyone. I am happy with the end result, for goats milk soap it stayed a really light color. Only 6 more days until I can try it :happy:


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