Even though making soap is an easy process, not knowing how long this process takes could lead one into an endless loop of frustration. But luckily, it won’t have to happen anymore with this article.
Making soap takes around 1 to 2 hours to prepare the batter and pour it. Then another 12 to 24 hours for it to harden, and finally, depending on the type of soap you’re making, it can take up to 6 months for your soap to cure and be ready for usage. The shortest would be hot process soap which only takes about a week.
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The problem with making your own soap is that you have to learn how to do all of these different processes before you even get started. And this can be confusing, but above all, it can be time-consuming!
How long does it take to make soap at home?
If you’re a beginner in the soapmaking world, you should know that making soap takes time. While the main process may take you a couple of hours, such as mixing all the ingredients and getting the soap batter ready, you’ll still have to wait from 12 to 24 hours for your soap to be ready to unmold. However, it doesn’t end there.
After unmolding the soap, you also have to wait a few weeks until it is ready to use. Of course, this is based on the type of soap you’re making.
Therefore, we can say that making soap at home is a long process. You’ll need to be patient if you don’t want your soap batch to fail!
How long does it take to make a batch of homemade soap?
You’ll equally have to spend some time getting your oils ready, preparing the lye solution, and a few other minutes mixing everything together for the soap batter to be ready.
You’d then leave the batter to cool and harden for about 24 hours, and once the loaf is ready, you’d need to cut it and leave it to cure for about one, four, or six weeks, depending on the soap type you’re making.
You should know that the basic soap types are cold process soap and hot process soap if you’re a beginner. Both options are pretty easy to make, but the former takes more time than the latter. Therefore, hot process soap is more appropriate for beginners who want to test their soapmaking skills without waiting up to half a month to see their results.
How long does it take to make cold process soap?
Cold process soap needs at least 18 hours to cool and harden. But it’s generally recommended to leave it longer so the unmolding can go smoother.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t make the soap ready to use yet as we still need to cure it. If you’re lucky, it may only take four weeks, but if you’re a complete beginner and you think you messed up the measurement or are trying your own recipe, you’ll most likely have to wait up to six weeks for your soap batch to be ready.
How long does it take to make hot process soap?
Preparing the hot process soap batter only lasts about one or two hours. If you’re efficient, it may only take you half an hour.
Hot process soap is an easy-to-make method that does not require precise temperature as with cold process if you want to add some extra additives, such as essential oils or fragrance oil though the pour at certain points will be crucial for your final end product.
Hot process soap is ready to use after 24-48 hours, but you can get better results by leaving it for about one week.
How long does it take to make melt and pour soap?
Making melt and pour soap is an intricate process, as the mixture needs to be carefully heated. It can take some time before you get used to making this type of bar soaps, but once it becomes second nature, preparing these types will not seem complicated.
How long does it take to make triple-milled soap?
After making the soap batter, you’ll need to pass them through high-pressure stainless-steel rollers at least three times. As you may have guessed, yes, this is why it’s called triple-milled soap.
Triple-milled soap is considered less common than other types of soaps, but some people still love it for its texture and fragrance. They also contain more actual soap, which means they last longer.
How long does it take to make gel soap?
Gel soap has a specific “gel phase.” It takes almost as long to go through the process as other types of soaps, but you can trigger it within 15 minutes or even hours. This happens because the soap needs enough heat to start becoming gelatinous.
It’s also worth noting that the soap needs about 180ºF to go through the gel phase.
After you’ve finished the main process, you’ll need to wait 24 to 48 hours for the extra additives (fragrance oil, for instance) to be converted into soap.
How long does soap take to cure?
The curing process is different in each soap type, as we’ve mentioned in the article. The curing process allows the rest of the ingredients to turn into soap. Therefore, it may be done as soon as 6-7 hours with melt and pour soap, or it can take up to 6 weeks if you’re making cold process soap.
How do you harden soap fast?
Hardening your soap quickly is a tricky process that depends on different aspects. Here we mention some things you can do to make the hardened soaps easier for unmolding and quicker in hardening.
- Putting in Fridge: You can put your soap in the fridge if you’d like it to harden faster. Some types of soaps may benefit from this, but It is counterproductive in certain soap types.
- Use less water: The amount of water you use will make a difference in the cure time and also affect how hard your soap is. This is done by dissolving the lye in water. Simply put, too much water leads to softer soap.
- Adding wax may help: I know it sounds weird, but it does really help.
The best way to harden your DIY bar soap is by adding beeswax. If you want a vegan alternative, try soy wax or bayberry wax for example; any other vegetable-based oils will also work. - Sodium lactate: When you add sodium lactate to your DIY bar soap, it will harden the mixture and make intricate designs possible. This is an ingredient that can be found naturally in many things like sugar cane or sugar beets; 1% in an amount should do nicely for any recipe.
