Teach Soap

Hi. This is my first time here. I joined coz I'd like to start making lotions. I've actually tried making lotion thrice already. One I recipe I kinda followed was the Lotion from Scratch from this site, but less the stearic acid (coz I don't have it yet) and the phenolic (coz what I have on hand is phenoxyethanol). I also used the oils and emulsifier I have on hand - vco, castor oil, mineral oil, glycerine and gms. It turned out creamy coz I used less water, which is just fine with me. However, after a few days water beads would come out. Is it because I didn't add stearic acid? Is stearic acid suppose to stabilize the emulsion? How different is stearic acid from cetyl alcohol and cetyl stearyl/cetearyl alcohol? I've been searching the Internet for the definition and applications of those three ingredients and they seem to have the same use basically. Also, isn't possible to just use phenoxyethanol as preservative? It's what I've been using in the soaps I make. Thanks.

Welcome!
Soaps do not need a preservative at all, due to their higher pH.
I use Polawax or ewax NF as an emulsifier. Depending what your actual recipe is, it's possible that the water beads are actually glycerin seeping out. I would read Susan's blog http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2 ... aking.html

Her Lotionmaking 101 is a good e-book to purchase, study, read and make lotions from. http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/s ... making+101

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

thanks for your reply! so if the water beads is glycerin seeping out then i'm doing something wrong? will read the blog and look for the book.

have i mentioned that i am from the philippines? i took a seminar on handmade soap making and the lecturer's instruction was to add preservative. but its good to know i dont have to include it anymore. also, my ingredient supplies are limited with what my supplier has - e.g. beeswax and gms for emulsifiers, the other ingredients i mentioned earlier, etc. of course i can order online but i still have the items i mentioned in stock.

Due to the high pH if handmade soap, any preservative would get eaten by the lye. It really is not needed. Beeswax by itself is not an emulsifier. You need borax with it, but for long term, beeswax and borax as emulsifiers are not shelf stable. What oils do you have available?

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

Noted on the no need for a preservative in soap.
I got the idea of beeswax as emulsifier from about.com/basic lotion recipe, the very first lotion recipe I tried out.
For the soaps I've been making I use coconut, palm and olive pomace oils as my base oils. I add castor and mineral oils and liquid glycerin at very very light trace. My end soap result is moisturizing/non drying, and the people who have used my soap agree there is no need to apply lotion after.
For the lotion I've made I used virgin coconut oil and mix in castor oil, mineral oil and liquid glycerin in the hopes of getting the same smooth effect as I did from my soap. But after reading Susan's blog I now realize its the cetyl alcohol that provides the glide. Will have to get that and stearic acid soon.
For emulsifier what my supplier has is glyceryl monostearate (from australia, and this is what i have) and lipowax. These are emulsifiers right? So what's the beeswax for?

I don't use beeswax in my lotion at all. It makes the lotion feel draggy to me. Glyceryl monostearate is an emulsifier. What is the INCI for Lipowax?

Mineral oil does not saponify. This means it doesn't react with lye at all. It stays as is in soap and creates an occlusive layer on the skin, which is hard to wash off. I do not use it in soap as my customers prefer a more natural soap made with oils and butters.

For lotions I have used coconut and castor oil, but once again I don't use mineral oil in it at all. Most commercial lotions use it as a filler and it's not expensive. I don't use glycerin as it can make a lotion sticky. I live in a dry desert. Glycerin attracts moisture, and in my case, would attract moisture from the skin, making it dryer.

And just so you know, lye at trace is still very active. Adding anything at trace makes no difference. Lye will take whatever it wants. Soap makes its own glycerin during the saponification process, so I don't add more. Too much extra glycerin added to handmade soap could make it soft and sticky. I calculate all my oils and butters through a lye calculator which shows me how much lye and water to add for a 7% superfat. Superfat is also called a lye discount.

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

Lipowax is a blend of cetearyl alcohol and polysorbate60 or ceteth20 or ceteareth20.

I'm aware of the lye discount and i too use a lye calculator. I also read though about another form of superfatting which is to add the oil at trace. I've tried both ways and the latter so far works well for my soap. But thank you for your comments as I'll have to re-evaluate how i make my soap.