Teach Soap

Ok, so I know that preservatives are not needed for soapmaking. But I recently had someone (who is in cosmetics) ask who not since water is an element and products made using water DO need to be preserved. Well, I did not have an answer for her that i was satisfied with and wanted to explore this in detail so i understand and can clearly explain to someone who asks.

Can anyone give me a clear cut answer on this? I would be so appreciative.

Thanks
Erin

oh, and GO STEELERS!!!!!!

The pH of handmade soap is high enough to keep germs at bay, unless you are adding something that can mold easily like fruits or vegetables in chunks.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks SB!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

So if you were going to use a preservative in soap what would you use?

the high pH and temperature of soap during saponification would most likely render the preservative ineffective.

Citymouse is correct....even if she is a Steeler fan. Lye would kill the effectiveness of any preservative you try to use.

In my opinion, you don't need a preservative in CP soap. Preservatives prevents the breakdown or degradation of elements or compound in the soap. For degradation to occur, you need 3 things: a food source, moisture content (generally over 70% moisture content), and oxygen.

Since a CP bar of soap (the finished product) has a food source (anything organic can be a food source), it would require oxygen and a high moisture content within the bar of soap to degrade.....and require a preservative. There isn't any oxygen inside a bar of soap. And in a short period of time after your soap hardens, the relative moisture content will be lower than 70%....and it keeps getting lower with time. Keeping in mind you need all 3 of these things for product degradation. You have 1, but not the other 2.

Don't know if that clarifies or confuses.

A bar of soap has a snowballs chance in heck of needing a preservative. (YES!!! Idiom Man strikes again!!)

wow supersoaper you really are a Jack of all trades. Scientist, football player, soap maker...is their anything you cant do?

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ASH

I am no longer a football player. I am educated in science disciplines and am, therefore a scientist. Soapmaking is a hobby and not a means of support for me. A Jack-of-all-trades is nothing I profess to be though I had to Google the meaning. All NFL players, both current and former are college graduates, and have advanced education. You get to the NFL through college drafts or through trades with other teams.

soapbabysoap: I'm sure there are things you no longer are/do. Perhaps you were a cheerleader in school, or a church organist, or a marathon runner. And now you are a soapmaker. You also, are a jack of all trades. I believe all of us are if we have done more than one thing in our lifetime.

Is there something I can't do? Yes. I can't fall from a hayloft onto a running tractor without getting 32 staples and 2nd degree burns on my back and legs from the exhaust.

You?

it was my idiom for the day, idioms seem to be the trend today so i thought id join in. sorry about your accident.

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ASH

I owe you an apology for being defensive. I am sorry soapbabysoap. And now I have learned a new idiom! I had to look up Jack of all trades because I had not heard that one before. Soapbabysoap, please understand that American English symantics are sometimes lost with me. I certainly meant no offense.....though I think I've done that a lot here lately. Now you know why my wife keeps me drugged to oblivion....it's to keep my mouth shut because I am often too vocal with my opinions and vocalize my thoughts. I really do walk on thin ice around here. Again.....Mea Culpa.

Oh no its totally fine, I thought I offended you. I do remember you said that English wasn't your first language and sometimes things don't translate as well through the written word. All is good!

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ASH

well I just wanted to know if there was a way to keep my flowers from browning. I put lavender flowers in my MP soap and was going to try rebatch because I thought it wouldn't brown, but I was told it would brown in all (MP, Rebatch, and CP) soaps. So is there anyway to keep flowers from browning in soap? Please if there is any trick(s) to it let me know.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

ljm1180 that was a dirty trick....but right up my alley (Yes!!!).

Indigo: I've never seen a botanical that didn't turn brown in CP soap. I've used about a dozen different flowers, leafs, buds, etc. They all turned brown. I may try coating one with oil then covering it with a very thin layer of clear M&P, then submerging it into a bar of CP. I'll let you know how it turns out if I try it. Won't be until late tonight because my wife is home today and I'm still not supposed to be playing around yet.