Teach Soap

I've got some castile soap (liquid) base on my hands however, I would like to add something to these saponified oils that can lower the PH because it's around 10, yikes. I would love for this body wash to be PH balanced and have a PH of around 5.0 for the skin. What I'm hearing is that Apple cider vinegar is a horrible idea because the acid will unsaponify the oils! Any suggestions?

Have you tried Citric Acid or Boric Acid?

No I haven't! I'll have to research if citric acid can cause the oils to unsaponify, it's a great ph stabilizer but I've never seen a formulation containing both citric and castile soap. Thanks for the suggestion!

Handmade soap is naturally high in pH. If you decide to go this route, go very carefully, add a very small amount at a time and check the pH with a test strip or a pH metter. If you lower the pH too much, you will end up breaking down the LS into a caustic mess.

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

_________________
Four Seasons Fine Handcrafted Soaps
& Specialties, Inc.
Laugh, Love, Live!

Commercial shampoos are made with surfactants, so their pH can be adjusted down if need be.

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

I've heard of a soaper that uses lemon use in her soaps with very good results

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

Can you add apple vinegar to your shampoo bar recipe with good results?

_________________
______________________________________________
The Lord is my Shepard and I shall not want.

Yvonne

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

Thanks Ginger,

I saw a few shampoo bars for sell with apple vinegar and was wondering how they could do that.

Have a great day

_________________
______________________________________________
The Lord is my Shepard and I shall not want.

Yvonne

Since it's a wash off product does lowering the ph really matter? Not trying to sound critical or anything. But would it matter since after washing, your skin returns to it's normal ph?

_________________
Genny

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

What Irena said is on the nail. Before I had heard about it, I tried once to lower the pH of my CP soap using citric acid. It turned into a disgusting mess of slops before I even got near pH7.
There's no point in bothering when there are excellent synthetics available that do the job better.

It's not just that handmade soap tends to be around pH 10. it's that it's supposed to be between pH 8 to pH 10. If your soap isn't of at least pH 8, it's probably not chemically appropriate to use, even if it does saponify, which will be much harder. Lye is a base, otherwise known as an alkali. Alkali, by definition, means a pH higher than 7.

That said, skin is supposed to be very slightly acidic. If you or your client wishes to re-acidify the skin after washing, which is a good idea, it's better to use a slightly acidic toner after washing and before moisturizing. Lemon juice, vinegar, and other (slightly less acidic) acids are useful in such preparations. But don't try to make your soap into the opposite of soap.