soap from the mold, because the lye may still burn your skin. If you lined the mold
with cellophane or wax paper, it should be fairly easy to get the soap to release; if not,
try putting the mold in the freezer for a while. The cold will cause the soap to
contract, and it can be removed much more easily, but if you used colorant in
the soap, it may fade a bit.
STEP 12: CURING THE SOAP
After they are removed from the mold, the bars should be placed on wax paper,
and left in a cool, dry place for 2 to 6 weeks, to cure and harden. The actual curing
time required will depend upon the recipe, because the initial water content of the
mixture will vary depending upon the ingredients used.
STEP 13: TEST THE PH OF YOUR SOAP
Before using your soap, test a bar for pH level. This is an important step; even
veteran soap-makers test their soap before using it, because mistakes are always
possible, and a single batch with a lye content that is too high can have dire
consequences (chemical burns, etc.). You can test the pH of the soap using a
chemical called phenolphthalein; this chemical turns fuchsia, or pink, if the pH is too
high. Un-reacted lye is a very alkaline substance, meaning that it has a pH of 14;
water has a pH of 7, and most of the oils you will use have a pH of 0-2. The pH of
soap that will be used on skin should be between 7 and 9.5; if the drop of
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