Silicone molds are among the most popular options among soap artisans and enthusiasts as they’re easy to use and don’t need to be lined. However, these items are not perfect solutions and can present problems from time to time. This way, it can get especially challenging to get the soap out of silicone molds for multiple reasons.
Whether you’re seeking a fun hobby, saving money, or pursuing a new business venture, our step-by-step guide makes crafting spa products enjoyable and easy, perfect for hobbies, saving money, or starting a business. Explore 126+ recipes, from soaps to lotions, with our beginner-friendly Quick Start Guide. Ditch store-bought products with unknown chemicals and embrace personalized, high-quality creations that cater to allergies and sensitivities using The Handcrafter’s Companion.
How do you get soap out of silicone molds?
For starters, confirm that your soap has cooled down completely. It can take from six to 24 hours, depending on the size of the mold you’re using. Typically, loaf molds take more time to cool down.
Once your soap has hardened and has cooled down, you can get it out of the silicone mold by following the steps described below.
- Pull each side of the mold to break the airlock.
- Once done, please proceed to flip over your mold on a clean surface.
- Use your hands to press the back of each cavity. If you’re using a loaf mold, pull on each side of it with your palms or in the middle. Do it gently not to damage the soap.
If the soap seems to have cooled down but doesn’t get out of the mold, you can store it in the freezer for 10-20 minutes. Then, you can try again and see if the soap comes out again. Repeat as many times as necessary.
How do you get soap out of soap molds?
You can typically unmold soap after two or three days, regardless of whether you’re making cold process soap or pour and melt soap. Thus, you can confirm that it is ready to be unmolded if you touch it, and it’s 100% firm.
Depending on the mold you’ve used, the unmolding process might differ. Some molds are lined and some don’t require them. You can just push it out while others would just pop out by themselves using gravity.
- Wooden loaf molds need to be lined with parchment or freezer paper, thanks to lining you should be able to unmold it easily by just flipping the mold on any surface and the batch will easily come out of the mold. It’s in fact, one of the fastest options.
- Plastic or silicone molds don’t need to be lined. All you need to do is flip the mold and push on each cavity to pop out the soap. However, adding a thin coating of mineral oil will help prevent it from sticking.
Getting soap out of a mold can be tricky sometimes, especially if your soap is not ready, but it doesn’t have to be so challenging. If you’ve taken the appropriate measurements and waited long enough, you should be able to unmold your soap easily after it has cooled down completely.
Why does my soap keeps getting stuck in silicone molds?
A few reasons why your soap gets stuck in the silicone molds you use. Here we explain some of the most common reasons:
- The soap still needs a bit more time to be ready. Remember, you need to wait about six hours if the mold you’re using is small, while bigger molds require from 12 to 24 hours.
- Your soap has not saponified. You can only remove your soap from the mold if it has saponified completely. You can tell it has happened if the soap is cool to the touch; if it’s still warm, you need to wait for a little longer. Contrary to this, if the soap is wet, then it was unable to reach the correct temperature to complete the saponification process.
- You’ve used vegetable oil. If you’re making cold process soap, it is highly recommended to add a thin layer of mineral oil to prevent it from sticking to the mold (this is advised with any type of mold). Vegetable oils often react with raw soaps, which will make it stickier, and therefore, harder to get out of the silicone mold.
Once you’ve gone through the process a few times and you’ve experienced one or two sticky situations, you’ll know exactly what to do with your next batch. Below we have some tricks you can use to make the soap easier to unmold if you’re using silicone molds.
How do you know when soap is ready to unmold?
For starters, you need to consider the ingredients you’ve used. For example, cold process soap, you need needs about 12 and 24 hours to unmold.
If you’ve made soap with a high percentage of soft oil o if it’s milk-based, it needs to stay in the mold for a more extended period. It can take a few days or a couple of weeks.
Soaps artisans use different techniques to determine if their soap is ready to be unmolded. For example, you can try to push on the soap with your finer. If it dents easily, then the soap is ready to unmold.
You can also try to pull the sides of the mold (if you’re using a plastic or a silicone mold) and see what happens. If it sticks while you’re pulling, stop. It is not ready to unmold. With that being said, if the mold doesn’t stick while you pull, then you can remove your soap from the silicone mold.
What can you do to get soap easier out of the mold?
- You can run warm water on the below area of the mold or apply heat to it with a hairdryer.
- If you’re using a silicone mold, try not to use soft oils. They make the soap more difficult to unmold.
- You can also add sodium lactate to the cool lye water during the soapmaking process. You can use one teaspoon per oil pound.
It will also help make your soap harder. - Adding one teaspoon of salt per oil pound to the lye solution while it’s hot can help, too.