# Soap that won't harden



## Lilith (Dec 29, 2012)

I have one batch of soap that no matter what I have done to re-process it, it just won't harden. It ends up being a soft gooey thing that Idk what to do with. Any Suggestions? I'm done trying to fix it - just hate to waste it.


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

I've only seen that with olive oil soap (castile) and soaps made with all liquid oils. I let them cure for 6 months to a year.

What was in your soap? If you don't mind me asking.


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## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

The only batch I had like that, it was because I accidentally added too much liquid. What I did was, spread it all out in a thin layer on a piece of wax paper, and let it dry in a warm spot. Then when it solidified, I peeled it off, broke it in little pieces, and melted it down in a double boiler. Then I poured into molds to make new bars.

You could also still use it like it is I guess - maybe blend it up with more water, so you can put it in a pump bottle like they sell for hand soap. That would make it go further than just using it as is.


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## Lilith (Dec 29, 2012)

It has crisco, Coconut oil, and olive oil in it (don't have my notes in front of me for weights) water, lye, old coffee grounds, cocoa powder, and peppermint essential oil. The other batches without coffee grounds and coco powder turned out just fine. Coffee grounds alone are fine, coco powder alone is fine, peppermint essential oil is fine. I may have used to much liquid. Guess I can let one mold sit for a while and see if it hardens, the other I can turn into liquid soap. Right now, it is about as firm as a nice moist cake.


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## NostalgicGranny (Aug 22, 2007)

If it were not for the coffee grounds and cocoa powder you could have used it as laundry soap.


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## anahatalotus (Oct 25, 2012)

Feather In The Breeze said:


> I've only seen that with olive oil soap (castile) and soaps made with all liquid oils. I let them cure for 6 months to a year.
> 
> What was in your soap? If you don't mind me asking.


Sorry to hijack this thread instead of starting a new one so just to confirm the pure olive oil Castile soap I made yesterday is just as liquid as it was when it started to trace after six hours of hand churning just because it's the way pure Castile soap is? I have it in moods I was hoping to take it out in a day or two, but I guess I should aim for a couple of weeks instead? 
Thanks!


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

anahatalotus said:


> Sorry to hijack this thread instead of starting a new one so just to confirm the pure olive oil Castile soap I made yesterday is just as liquid as it was when it started to trace after six hours of hand churning just because it's the way pure Castile soap is? I have it in moods I was hoping to take it out in a day or two, but I guess I should aim for a couple of weeks instead?
> Thanks!


Yes. I've found olive oil soap (castile) to be slow to trace, slow to unmold. When I use it at first it has an unfortunate slimy feel to it, I so disliked it, I stopped using it and let it sit (cure exposed to air). After 6 months to a year, the slimy feel is gone and it is very nice. Olive oil soap is the only all liquid oil all vegan soap I make.
My standard soap recipe uses <15% coconut, <45% animal fat and <45% vegetable fat/oil. That gives me a hard bar, creamy lather which is what I want.

Lillith, I've had no luck ever turning a lye made soap into liquid soap, as it will be a slimy mucusy mess. The only good liquid soap is made with Potassium Hydroxide (versus lye of Sodium Hydroxide), and that is not a slimy mucusy mess.


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## anahatalotus (Oct 25, 2012)

Thank you for your response. Although I read it in a few places online it makes me more confident to hear it from a real pain here on homesteading so when the top feels solid should I take them out of their moods? If I leave the min extra long because if forget them will they crack or should they be okay?
For curing I wrap in a burlap sack on top of a book shelf. The burlap lets the air pass through but that way the cat hair and dirt from their paws does not get into the soap...I considered putting them under a screen. It don't have money to buy any.


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

anahatalotus said:


> Thank you for your response. Although I read it in a few places online it makes me more confident to hear it from a real pain here on homesteading so when the top feels solid should I take them out of their moods? If I leave the min extra long because if forget them will they crack or should they be okay?
> For curing I wrap in a burlap sack on top of a book shelf. The burlap lets the air pass through but that way the cat hair and dirt from their paws does not get into the soap...I considered putting them under a screen. It don't have money to buy any.


Each kind of soap has it's own personality, hardens too fast, when you cut it pieces break, hardens too slow, when you cut it it kind of mashes and the knife/wire leaves cutting marks....
If the top feels solid and the middle and bottom are solid, like cheddar cheese, then unmold it and cut it. If it seems a little too soft, like solid mashed potatoes, let it sit unmolded for a day or a few days and then cut it.

The only time I get a 'crack' in the middle of the loaf is when I make soap at too high of a temperature and it cooks (saponifies, gels) in the middle after it goes in the mold, leaving a crack, which I push down the next day (because it is soft enough) and smooth over.

The other kind of 'cracking', is when the soap is too hard and during cutting pieces break, like corners especially.

Olive oil soap is so slow, I'd let it sit longer, but still, don't forget about it. Once it is hard--months from now, it will crack if you try to cut it because it is a very hard bar once it is cured. Curing it in burlap is good, anything as long as air can get to it.


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