Ever had Twice Baked Soap?


So you all know my soaping method of choice is Cold Process Oven Process right? That's where I pour my soap in the mold and instead of putting it away wrapped in a blanket for 24 hours, I put mine in the oven at 170 degrees for 90 mins. I then turn the oven off and let the soap sit in the warmed oven for up to 18 hours. This shaves at least 2 weeks off the cure time which is right up my alley since I'm an impatient individual.

Now, one evening I decided to make a batch of soap. I went through the whole oven ritual as per normal. The next morning I checked my soap log and it was beautiful. Nice and firm and ready to be removed. For whatever reason (possibly laziness), I decided to let it continue sitting in there until later that day when I would have the time to slice it right away.

My mother would have said "Never put off til tomorrow what you can do today" - never a truer word has been said!

Later on that afternoon, to my horror I discovered that husband had decided to make dinner so turned the oven on full hilt to get it warmed up (of course he didn't open it to check 1st). I didn't even remember my soap until I smelled something funny coming from the kitchen. I ran like I've never run before, flung open the oven door to discover it was a little smokey in there. The wax paper lining the mold was a little burnt and worst of all my soap log had reverted back to the gelling stage. It was soft and mushy'ish. I wanted to cry.....I mean really really cry. This was a batch of plain unscented oatmeal soap and you all know how hard it is for me to make "unexciting" soap. I sat my burned up soap to the side and removed myself to the bedroom where I could mourn the death of my log in peace.

Fas forward to the next day......I went to check on the burnt up log and to my surprise, it not only looks normal but is ROCK HARD. I mean it's as hard as it would have been if it had been curing for a month. I did the zap test and it passed. I sliced a piece off and immediately washed my face with it. If anything was wrong with it my face would certainly tell me. NOTHING! The soap was perfectly fine.

So once again another lesson has been learned. Twice baked soap is OK. I guess it's no different to hot processing!

Next time I'll try it with a scented batch just to see if double cooking affects the fragrance at all.

Comments

Kim Caro said…
i too get impatient :) i like to take other obstacles to get to the goal faster
egassner said…
Oh NO! Sounds like something my hubby would do too! Glad it turned out ok!
Joanna Schmidt said…
You are funny, Sharon! I JUST posted something about this very question.... can you speed up the curing process to harden up a soft bar of soap? http://thesoapbar.blogspot.com/2009/01/force-curinghardening-after-fact-help.html

Someone shared your blog posting. So hopefully this will help the woman who has asked me about this.
Daisy Soap Girl said…
Sometimes a mistake can be turned into a fabulous success. It reminds me of why Ivory soap floats. Someone went to lunch and left the mixer running. What they thought was a failure turned into a wonderful marketing idea.
Ahh..impatience, I know it well, lol.
I told my husband your story, and he said that's something he would do! Many a time he's turned up the oven, only for me to come running it stating that there's a sculpted baby doll cooling in there..
Sheila said…
Are we married to the same person? :-) Love your soap and your shop!
When you left a comment on my blog I almost pooped with excitement. You're the bees knees and I love all of your stuff.
SudsnJewels said…
Your blog is great ! I would love to follow but cannot figure out how. Never heard of putting the soap in the oven but I LOVE it !!!!
Lori
Jessica Morelli said…
Hi Sharon, I've never heard of putting the soap in the oven before. I would love to try this. Is it ok to do with wood molds? Im wondering if you would be willing to share anymore information on this process with me or direct me in a way I could find it. Thanks for sharing your stories,
Jessica
Morgan Street said…
Jessica - send me an email. I'll gladly help you with your CPOP soaping. yes wooden molds are perfectly fine in the oven at 170 degrees.
Stacee said…
I have been "baking" my soaps now for 4 years and it works great. I bring them to the gel stage like you did and it works perfectly. NO dealing with gloopy hot process or waiting for cold process. Just make sure you use an oven safe container. I really like using silicone baking stuff. ;0)
Jan said…
Thanks so much blog hackers!
I'm going to be brave and try this.
Luann said…
Could you perhaps cull all the "anonymous" gibberish posts on this page?
Morgan Street said…
blog hackers/anonymous gibberish - ALL GONE now! took me a while but i got 'em :-)
So at what temp do you bring it back to the gelling stage?
Unknown said…
Hello, I know this is an old post but I am trying to understand your soaping process step by step. I am confused as all get out. What is this process called and how do I do it. I am to bake it at 170 degrees then what? When do I put it in the oven after I cp it? HELp
Anonymous said…
Yes that exact same thing happened to me. I left it in the oven overnight and my husband turned on the oven in the morning to bake biscuits. Burnt my wood mold but the soap came out great.
TDL Hygiene said…
Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! best cheap automatic soap dispenser

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