CPOP question

[*Dee*]

ok i made my first batch last night, warmed the oils and cooled the lye water in the sink. once the oils melted i put them in a bowl and added the lye water, used the stick blender until i got a thin trace. added some of the soap to 2 different glass cups for the colors, then placed in the mold and poured my colors on the top and used a skewer to swirl kinda lol put it in the oven. i turned the oven off after about 20 minutes. this morning i looked at the soap and it looks like the colors are faded and the top looks grainy. is it supposed to look like this ? ill take pics when my hubby comes home.

the reason i turned the oven off is because when i was reading about cpop half the people kept the oven on for an hour and half the people put the soap in and then turned the oven off. my oven has one line that doesnt say a temp then the next line says 200 so i wasent sure exactley what temp it was so i didnt want it to overheat. also i didnt cover the soap.

[bayougirl]

When I do CPOP, I put my soap in the oven at 170 for 1 hour and turn off the oven. I have an electric oven so when it starts to cool down I move my mold to the laundry room and put it in a bed of towels. I put plastic wrap over the top when I put it in the oven, but it does get a bubbly (very small) top to it. I really like that the soap is ready in two weeks after curing, but the top is a little distracting. I did it with Drakkar scent and a black with white swirl. It looked cooler with the bubbly top, so I left it. If I do something fancy, I try to just to it CP and let it rest for the longer time, it looks prettier.

Here's a photo of the soap, notice the top is a little grainy looking. I just hate cutting the swirl pattern off the top.

Good luck.

[Sister Kya]

What colorants did you use?

It's nearly universal that colors will look stunning "wet" but fade significantly when "dry". Some fade even more than others but I don't know of any that look as amazing in a freshly poured soap as they do in a finished one.

[bayougirl]

I used black oxide and titanium oxide for the white. The last time I tried for the black, though, I got grey, not enough oxide, I guess.

[*Dee*]

i used the pop colors from tkb. but i guess it could be from the FO it was pink sugar and the top turned dull and brownish but the inside is still yellow.

[topofmurrayhill]

The lowest setting is traditionally 170. There's no exact answer regarding whether to turn the oven off or keep it on for a while. Your soap might benefit from the extra warmth or might not need it. Everyone's variables and preferences are a little different.

Warm soaping temperatures, well-insulated molds, larger molds and well-traced soap will create less need for extra heat. Certain recipes and fragrances will also saponify faster and get warm with less help.

You have to just soap and learn what works best for you, but it should normally turn out all right either way. Most batches don't heat up so fast that the extra warmth will hurt them.

[Carriegsxr6]

did you cover the top of the mold? Sometimes I know the tops can get a little too hot, which will wrinkle a bit and lighten up the color or cause it to become white.

Edited February 9, 2010 by Carriegsxr6