# Soaping in warm weather



## sherridi (Jul 11, 2011)

I've been making soap now for about 6 months now, and doing well, due to all the generous and patient people on this forum -thank you all so much! Up until now I've only soaped in the cold weather, with a wood stove as my heat source, so it's been kind of chilly where I work. With warmer weather coming, and higher humidity, I'm wondering what (if any) changes I can expect in how the soap acts. Does anyone have any advice? Thank you!


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

For me, it means putting away my stick blender except for those FOs that decelerate trace. Melting my oils until just melted instead of getting them a little warm and no need to warm the milk. I will still insulate my molds, but with only one cover and no blanket like I do in winter. (I soap in a basement so it's never going to be hot). It also means I can get my soap out of the molds a few hours sooner. And I will need to run the dehumidifier in the curing room. I much prefer soaping in the warmer weather!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I never put away my stick blender  But it means my coconut oil is already melted and I can turn off my whelping mats. It means my shea is melted, and I only have to nuke my cocoa butter and for two recipes the mango. No more false trace from the cold, but I do have to run the AC because of the humidity, both to soap comfortably for me, but also to cure the soap faster. Vicki


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## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

For me the coconut and shea, mango are soft and/or melted. Cocoa butter I put in microwave. I still use my stick blender to blend the butters and oils really good just doesn't take as long. Soaping is done a lot faster. I do have the ac as it gets too hot not to have it on. I also use it to keep my soaps from heating up too much and in the curing process. ~Betty~


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Oh yes....totally forgot about not needing to warm the can of coconut oil prior to getting any out! Haven't reached that point yet this year. And the time it takes everything to melt will be considerably less. We had to get a 2nd microwave for melting oils in colder temps because we were just wasting time waiting for everything to melt.


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## hmcintosh (Jan 8, 2013)

The whole soap thing is very confusing to me. I keep thinking I am going to learn to make it I have so much milk but I don't even know where to start. And reading
post like these really make me feel like it will be to hard. What is decelerate trace? LOL


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Most people worry about fragrances that accelerate trace, meaning it makes things move fast so you have to work quickly to get it mixed in and poured into the mold before it starts setting up. But there are a few fragrances that seem to do just the opposite by making the soap take much longer than usual to come to trace and even longer to set up in the mold.


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

I love warm weather soaping! Like, Vicki, I never put the stick blender away and do have the ac on but everything just goes much more smoothly in the warmer weather.


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