I am pretty sure I over cooked it. I kept waiting for the mixture to look glossy but it was only ever partial so I wound up cooking it for 3 hours before deciding to just put it in the mold anyway and the soap doesn’t hold together very well. I am leaving it in for a day but when I was pressing it into the mold it just felt like it wasn’t forming a cohesive whole.
For the cold process, sure. But that is not how the hot process works. Edit: Well I guess it depends how thick you are referring to. All the guides I have seen say to cook until it is shiny like petroleum jelly.
i started with hot process ±20 years ago and optimized my timings with every passing summer. For the first couple of years I had unpleasant experiences like yours but now i start hot and stop as soon as i can “draw on the surface”.