Teach Soap

Hi everyone,

Before I ask my question, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy reading this forum and I love that everyone is here to help each other. Thanks to those of you who have answered my previous questions. YOU ALL ROCK!

So here's my question. I've been reading about using polysorbate in bath bombs and I'm interested in picking some up to see how it helps out. According to most of the information I've read, it's supposed to help extend the fizzing (though how it does that, I'm unclear. Anyone have an explanation?)

What I really want to know though is which one I should use--the 20 or the 80? I notice that some websites (like Bramble Berry) only carry the 80. Others only carry the 20, and still others carry both. It sounds as though the 80 prolongs the fizzing better, but when I look on the ingredient list of people who sell their bath bombs, I'm seeing polysorbate 20 pretty exclusively, which makes me wonder. So which makes the better bath bomb? The 20 or the 80?

For my purposes, I'm primarily interested in producing a more powerful fizz/extending the duration of the fizz. I haven't really had problems with color rings around the tub or floating oil.

Any advice on which is the better product? Pros and cons? I also read that the polysorbate helps to make an emulsifying salt/sugar scrub which I'm also interested in trying out, though again I don't know which of the two products would be better.

Hi Seraphine. Glad that you enjoy the board so much. I love coming here and reading what everyone posts. In fact I read WAAAAY more than I post. It's a really good forum.

Now about the polysorbates, I have had a similar discussion about them and you can read that forum here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=720&hilit=polysorbate. But I have also read and realized a few things since that posting. The polys are to help with mixing the water and oil and will help with the ring around the tub. But here is what seems to be the big difference in them. The Poly 20 seems to be more for those items that don't fizz or foam like a linen spray. The Poly 20 is a thinner liquid than the 80 so it can go through a spray pump easier, too. The Poly 80 is more for fizzing items such as bath bombs and foaming salts. I think you can interchange them but I haven't tried myself. If you try let me know how it turns out for you.

Personallly I just make my bath bombs without either of them. I have tried the ones with it and really didn't care for them. Now this is only MY opinion. Mine have the baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, oil, fragrance and color. They get really hard and fizz a pretty long while. If I mess with the recipe at all, even just a little tweak, they either crack, won't dry out or become a blob. So I just make them the way I have been and they are fantastic. The bomb in my avatar pic is one of these that I made.

So there you have it. My .02 worth. I hope it helps...if even just a little.

Happy Bombing!

Hi Seraphine & Asil,

I have used poly 80 as recommended in this recipe that I've been using and have not been having great success. The first was mushy, the second cracked and split apart, the third attempt 1/2 of the bombs split. So maybe that's what my problem is Asil, thanks for posting. I'm going to try the recipe that doesn't have that in it and see how it goes. I just about gave up on them. Good Luck Seraphine on your bath fizzies.

I was just reading over my first post and realized I failed to put water in the list of ingredients. My bombs do have some water in them.

SpottedCat - I don't know what it is but the bombs I have tried to make with the polysorbates just don't work for me. I have tried a few times and always go back to my basic recipe that seems to never fail me. As for packing the molds I have played around with that as well. I don't "pack" the molds like everyone tells you to do. When I try to do this the bombs ALWAYS split on me. So what I found works best for me is to fill each side of the mold but no packing. Just mound it up as high as possible and then quickly smoosh the two sides together as firm as I can but being careful to not crack my molds. I brush away the excess that is around the seam and sit it aside while I fill the others. I only have three round molds so it isn't a long time at all. When I unmold them I hold them close to the sheet pan I let them dry in overnight. I usually put down some wax paper on the pan...no reason...just because.

So y'all let me know how your bomb experiments go. Pictures are good too.

Thanks for your answers!

I find that bath bombs are frustrating and inconsistent, as much as I love making them. Sometimes I'll get perfect bombs that don't crack or crumble, then at other times they don't seem to stay together or the fizzing isn't as great, even if I'm using the same recipe. I eventually tell myself that my mojo is just off that day.

I still don't have what I'd call a master recipe; I'm currently experimenting with different ingredients to see if I can make The Perfect Bath Bomb. There are just so many different things you can put in that I want to try some of them. I'm really curious about this Polysorbate stuff because in looking at places like Etsy, I notice that a lot of people use it in their bath bombs, plus the promise of "extra fizz" (something my 2 and 4-year old would love) is tempting. So I think I will experiment with it.

If anyone else has any input I'd love to hear it!

The water could be your culprit. Can you cut it out all together and use something like witch hazel spritz instead?

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