the skin, so it must be rinsed or trimmed from the soap. If the mold is airtight, this
problem should not occur; however, monitor the soap closely, as sealing it off from the
air may also cause it to overheat.
After being poured into the mold, the soap should turn slightly darker in the
middle, continue to get hotter, and have some bubbles rising to the surface. This is an
indication that proper saponification is taking place. Once the neutralization process
begins to slow, the soap should return to a normal, uniform color. If the soap is
poured into a mold that is too small, or is not insulated properly (or if it cooled too
much during tracing) you may not see these signs of neutralization taking place, and
caution should be used with the soap, as it may be greasy, or have an excess of lye.
If you notice, within the first 24 hours of the molding stage, that the mold is no
longer warm to the touch, or the soap fails to harden, there may be a problem with
the mixture. If your measurements were off, then the saponification process may
have failed. If you’re sure that the measurements were correct, then pour the soap
into a pot and heat it on the stove, until it reaches approximately 130°F. Then pour it
back into the molds. If the soap still doesn’t solidify normally, then you may have to
discard the batch.
STEP 11: REMOVE THE SOAP FROM THE MOLDS
Once the one- to two-day molding process is completed, the soap is firm enough
to be removed from the mold and cut. Be sure to use gloves when you remove the
! Page 35