Long Term Storage of Artisan Soaps

[kcmodan]

Greetings all,

In reading over several threads about artisan soaps I found a few distressing comments about soap going bad over time. Like many here, I have a vast collection of current super-fatted artisan soaps. Additionally, I am in the habit of buying several jars of particular artisan soaps figuring they won't be around for repurchase when the time comes. I have soap for the rest of my life, and well into my sons...

So I have been thinking about long term rancidity in the current crop of artisan soaps, particularly those using unusual fats or milks. I am perhaps like everyone else, a little surprised by the weird animal lipids or proteins artisan soapmakers put in those $$$ plastic jars (water buffalo milk? Really?? I would like to shake hands with the person milking the water buffalo... )

Anyway, I did a search of threads on the topic and determined that most are old and didn't really apply. The threads discussed soap drying out over the long term. I am not so concerned about that - afterall, face it, Arko or Williams will last until the end of time, and water is cheap... I am just thinking of long term fat rancidity in super-fatted artisan soaps.

Apart from the generic "cool, dark places" which in my case is a cabinet over my toilet, is there anything else that I can do to ensure that 7 years from now my newly opened Wholly Kaw Pasha's Pride or CBL California Sunrise is still up to the task??

Any amateur or professional soap makers care to weigh in on this?


Peace to You and Yours

DCJ

 

[Avi]

Why not stick them in a food saver bag (vacuum packing) and then the freezer? Its not everything but the simplest path to prevent rancidity of high fat soaps?

Regards
Avi

 

[kcmodan]

Not a bad idea, Avi, but I would need another freezer, which would eat into my soap budget...

I have a lot of soap... My aforementioned 19 year old son could probably shave on them into his dotage at this point...

DCJ

 

[Steve56]

Get a small dorm fridge. Or a large walk-in one, lol.

 

[MrSpeedy]

I've got a soap from an artisan maker that includes tallow and lanolin. It's at least five years old and has always lived in my (poorly ventilated) bathroom. It's completely fine. Used it last week; performed as well as it did the first time I used it.

I leave it open to dry after using it, then put the cap on when I come home. So it dries uncovered for about 7-8 hours.

 

[sarimento1]

small wine fridge, keep it a 60 deg F. enjoy!

 

[geneaut]

I still have artisan products from the early 2010s in my collection and haven't done much for them but keep them sealed in the containers I purchased them in.

 

[Racquet]

I have quite a few soaps that are 4 years old and I use them, put the top on and continue my rotation. I live in a humid area yet I have not had any issues with my soaps. I lather all directly from the container and if they are particularly wet I let them air dry for a few hours. I suppose that if I had a soap that I wasn't going to use for 15years or so I might do the vacuum packaging or humidor thing but I don't think that's going to happen. Short of it is I don't think soap storage or degradation is an issue.

 

[kingfisher]

Seal them the best you can and keep them cool.
Recently I had to throw out an artisan soap that was perhaps four years old. It still lathered well and it looked ok, but the scent had turned nasty in that early rancidity kind of way.
If you like them, keep them cold. I don't think a freezer is necessary, but a refrigerator would be a good idea.

 

[ShaverAZ]

Betcha you've also got several bales of TP, too.

 

[JoeLr]

The question I have is: is putting soap in the freezer going to negatively affect it?

I'm thinking of buying a large brick of croap. The plan would be to slice it it into ten smaller pieces, putting each piece into it's own zip-top storage bag, then putting all of the individual bags into a large zip top storage bag. Going forward I would retrieve a piece from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature whenever I need to reload the PETG container I would use.

 

[kcmodan]

Bidets, actually ShaverAZ.
One must have priorities...

Perhaps I worried about nothing...

 

[jesseix]

Seal them the best you can and keep them cool.
Recently I had to throw out an artisan soap that was perhaps four years old. It still lathered well and it looked ok, but the scent had turned nasty in that early rancidity kind of way.
If you like them, keep them cold. I don't think a freezer is necessary, but a refrigerator would be a good idea.

Randall out of curiosity, which one did you throw out? I don't look at one soap going bad being a turnoff for from supporting any producer, would be interesting to know if maybe it was something in the scent composition that made it go "bad" (not that we really could).

 

[Rustyshackelford]

You might try lathering it even if it seems a little off. My tub of DG milk steak base massacre of the innocents has smelled off, from the tub since the third week I had it. I still lather it up and there is none of that scent whatsoever. I also dry my soaps if I load in the tub, either by setting out overnight or I have a small usb fan that I direct toward the tub resting on its side. This gets it dry in 20-60 min. The DG doesn’t smell odd when I lid it, but come back an hour later and it’s funky again. One of the reasons I’m not buying anymore DG.

 

[jesseix]

The question I have is: is putting soap in the freezer going to negatively affect it?

I'm thinking of buying a large brick of croap. The plan would be to slice it it into ten smaller pieces, putting each piece into it's own zip-top storage bag, then putting all of the individual bags into a large zip top storage bag. Going forward I would retrieve a piece from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature whenever I need to reload the PETG container I would use.

There's lots of folks that have bought bricks of soaps like Cella, Vitos, 3P etc and done that, I don't recall any saying that they've had ill effects so you should be fine. As long as you're ok with having that soap for the rest of your life

 

[kcmodan]

One of two I wouldn't mind if the mortician used, and I sincerely hope that's a goodly ways away...

 

[kingfisher]

Randall out of curiosity, which one did you throw out? I don't look at one soap going bad being a turnoff for from supporting any producer, would be interesting to know if maybe it was something in the scent composition that made it go "bad" (not that we really could).

Not sure it wasn't still usable, just smelled a little bit off. It was a tub of Soapy Science. I have two other tubs of it that I have had about the same length of time that are fine. In fact, I shaved with Doc's Special Blend this morning. It lathered up, smelled, and shaved wonderfully.

Not sure why the one tub didn't hold up as well as the others.

 

[kcmodan]

Well, in reading over the suggestions thus far, cold, whether deep or moderate, is winning this horse race. Or just not worrying too much about it at all and rolling the somewhat cold dark places dice.
I suppose the dorm room fridge idea is cheap enough via the Craig's List route. Afterall, why pay retail? I did get into this to save money, right?
My only other alternative long term thoughts had been sincerely muttered prayer or sprinkling the tops of long term stored soaps with granules of BHT which prevents free radicals in lipids, but that seemed bit drastic and unknown.

DCJ

 

[Hachet]

I've got a soap from an artisan maker that includes tallow and lanolin. It's at least five years old and has always lived in my (poorly ventilated) bathroom. It's completely fine. Used it last week; performed as well as it did the first time I used it.

I leave it open to dry after using it, then put the cap on when I come home. So it dries uncovered for about 7-8 hours.

This is what I do with all of my soaps. I let them dry out for a day or so (usually only half a day) and then close 'em tight and put them back in the closet. I have soaps pushing four years old. They look and perform identically to anything new I have. Don't waste your money on a fridge or freezer. Months and years will pass. Your stuff, your current situation, and your preferences will change. Life happens.

In other words... stop worrying and enjoy your soaps. They aren't more important than your kids

 

[old_school]

Just asked that question from some soap makers. Here's my take away from the reply's. The super fat trendy PSF stuff needs to be used up before it sours. But we knew this all ready.

Probably ok after the apocalypse;
Ingredients: Stearic Acid, water, coconut oil, shea butter, potassium hydroxide, glycerin, sodium hydroxide, castor oil, fragrance.

Probably not not ok;
Ingredients: Water, Stearic Acid, Beef Tallow, Castor Oil, Palmitic Acid, Avocado Oil, Glycerin, Cupuacu Butter, Shea Butter, Safflower Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Betaine, IsoStearic Acid, Whey Protein, Goat Milk, Jojoba Oil, Lanolin, Colloidal Oatmeal, Mango Butter, Linoleic Acid, Coconut Milk, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Allantoin, Sodium Lactate, Sunflower Lecithin, Caprlyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Gluconate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopherols, Silk peptides.