Courtney89 Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 Before I start my question. I'm just curious if it's true. I did not try it nor do I plan to try it. I'm new to the craft and am not completely certain on some of the science yet. So my curious mind needs to know. Please don't make fun of me because I'm fully aware of how strange this advice sounds. Anyway, I was reading an article about soap making and someone asked the question "How do I know when my soap is done curing?" to which someone told them to wait two weeks and then lick the soap and if it tastes like soap it's ready but if it burns your tongue it's not. So I tried looking it up and found it in two more blogs. I'm not sure which ones though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 The tongue test is only to detect free lye. If you have used a calculator, and your measurements are precise with a safe factor for superfat you should not have any free lye after about a day. Most of the saponification happens within the first few hours, using up most of the lye In the blend, Licking Soap directly is dangerous advice from a scientific perspective. Any lye you may happen to encounter will tingle to burn depending on how much free lye is on that surface. If you want to do the test, wet the soap, touch a finger to it, then lick the finger. Keep in mind many fragrances are not “safe” for oral use and could cause chemical burns or adverse reactions. Curing has more to it than just detecting free lye. Keep reading, testing and learning. You’ll soon realize the bogus sites and those well worth your time. 🤗 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtney89 Posted October 8, 2018 Author Share Posted October 8, 2018 Thank you. It just sounded a little crazy to me. I have been doing so much research on everything before I really get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 I never do the tongue test. It always seemed a bit silly to me that some soapers do this. My soap is generally saponified by the time I take it out of the mold to cut anyway. That's because I let my soap sit overnight in the mold for at least 12-18 hours before I unmold. But I do that not only to not disturb the soap while its saponifying but also to eliminate any chance of it developing ash. But you have to not peek at it and that is hard to do when you are anxious about a new soap you just made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponiebr Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Yep! It's legit. It's called the zap test. I've done it. I've done it A LOT, but: "I'm feeling much better now." These days I use the method TallTayl details above. HTH, Sponiebr The Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 When I first started out I did the zap test. Now I pretty much know if a soap has failed or not, so I don't bother. I do always keep a small end piece out of every batch for myself though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmommaya Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I used to zap tongue test, I no longer do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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