Source
r/soapmaking•
Code3Resources

Can saponification happen too quickly?

This seems like a strange question but I just started making my own soaps using a hot process. Everything I've seen online says it should take several hours but mine has been done after about 1.5 hours. I know it isn't recommended to test the soap on your tongue but I have done that just to check because it didn't seem like it had been long enough and I didn't get zapped or anything. The soap has been great. Besides having to rebatch my second batch because I waited too long to mold it and it crumbled when I cut it, the soaps have been nice. I guess I'm just wondering if I should be concerned because saponification has seemed to take so little time. Thanks for any input. Cheers!

Posted Jan 13, 2016, 4:31 AM UTC

69
vfessentials•

If your crock pot runs hotter than the ones in the tutorials, then you're going to finish faster. I don't HP much, but people I trust do, and I haven't heard about their cooks taking much more than 90 minutes.

If it didn't zap, then I can't see how cooking for less time is going to be an issue. You might lose slightly less water than a longer cook.

Personally, even with the HP soap I've made, I still like it better after a cure.

3
Code3ResourcesOP•

I figured it was probably a temperature thing but I'm so new to this that I wasn't sure. Thank you.

2
ref2018•

It's fine, it's just soap; if it gets you clean, it ain't broken.

3
jayblue42•

Having a hotter crock pot or sometimes even a larger one makes the soap finish saponifying faster. I use a fairly large crock pot and my soap usually finishes in 1-1 1/2 hours because the soap is spread thinner over the heating element in the bottom.

2
shavenut58•

This is typical for me, wondered that too once. I use the low setting and it's still within 2 hours. I test with phenol and it's fully saponified.

2
mvpetri•

In Chemistry, there is this rule of thumb: Every 10 degree Celsius will make the reaction go twice as fast. It is not always true, but you can have a pretty good understanding on how temperature will affect your work.

1
Not_sure_I_concur•

Side question: do people HP with their lids on their crock pots? I always HP with my lid off and I'm wondering if that's why I've only had a 90min soap once.

1
Code3ResourcesOP•

Lid on would make for a hotter cook because the heat wouldn't be able to escape as easily. I've only been making soap for a little while but I've always done it lid off so that I can see what the soap is doing as it cooks. The kid to my cooker is not clear.

1
J_ology•

saponification is a chemical process that is often affected by heat, so the short answer is yes.

0