I was recently at a local market when I heard a fellow soapmaker promoting their product as being "freshly made." Ahh, fresh soap! Sounds so good doesn't it? And watching how people were responding to this marketing angle it was working! I mean we all love fresh things like fresh baked bread, fresh picked vegetables, or fresh bottled milk. So why not fresh soap? We'll because like a fine wine, soap is best with aging, or what is known in soap maker's lingo as "curing."
Curing is a very important part of the soap making process and should not be overlooked by the serious soapmaker. Curing allows freshly made soap to lose the excess moisture leftover from the soap making process thereby causing it to become harder, longer lasting, and better lathering. Curing also allows time for the soap to become milder (ph lowers naturally with cure time) and thus much gentler on the skin than a piece of freshly made soap. The curing process usually takes about 1 month to six weeks and sometimes even longer depending on the soaping method used and the oils used in the recipe. And there's just no good substitute for the time spent curing soap if one wants to produce a premium soap. So leave fresh for bread, vegetables and milk, but buy soap that has aged some if you truly want a premium product.
Some of our Almond Delight soap on the curing rack. The card notes the date it is ready for sale.
