Teach Soap

There are a couple of things I've been noticing about clear M&P and I'm wondering if they can be fixed (or if I'm doing something wrong!)

1. I've noticed that sometimes the surface of the bar comes out looking "dry," for lack of a better word. It has kind of a murky, cloudy look to it and doesn't always have that pretty shinyness. I've taken a tissue and wiped away this film but then the wiping makes the bar look less than perfect. Am I doing something wrong here? Why does the bar come out cloudy and not perfectly clear? Is there a way to make it look nice and shiny?

2. While I love clear M&P for the color options, I notice that it feels really stripping on the skin, like there's very little moisture to it (and I have dry skin). Is there anything I can add to it to make it more moisturizing?

Thanks!

Some fragrances can add to the 'murky' look of clear soap. You can see if that is the problem. Or spritzing the soap with alcohol helps.

You can add oils to MP if you want, but no more than 1tbs per pound of soap. (Although, the less you add the better as it makes the soap softer and decreases the lather.)

I don't think it's the entire soap that's murky though. It's like a film on the outside of the soap. Like I mentioned, I can actually wipe the film off with a tissue. The first time it happened, I decided to re-melt and re-cast it. When I cut the bar up, the inside was nice and clear. It was just the outside that had the cloudy film.

I always start with a clean mold, so I don't think it's the mold. Maybe it is the fragrance oil, but that doesn't explain why the inside is clear and the outside isn't, right?

The only things I'm adding are fragrance and color. I'll try the alcohol suggestion and see if it helps.

Hi Seraphine!
I know you said it's probably not your mold, but I wanted to just check to see if you're using silicone. Many silicone molds have a matte surface that makes your soap surface matte, too. If you want shiny from a silicone mold then the surface should be shiny, too.

Just a thought!

Oh, and regarding the soap effects on your skin, I would make sure you're using a natural soap base. Just ask your suppliers for the ingredient listing of your base and you'll be able to tell.

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Debbie Chialtas

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The problem with SLS free bases are that they're not as clear - you to decide what you want in the balance between aestheics and practicality. I personally add a touch of jojoba or sweet almond oil to my soaps - they're not prefectly clear like glass like some I've seen though. I've just ordered more base that isn't SLS free because of it's higher clarity. I just want to see if I can achieve a moisturising soap that is exceptionally clear.

I like the way some soaps pictured on websites are extremely polished and shiny and I cannot get mine like that - how do they do that?? (Sounds like that Discovery channel programme )

Soapylove - your cube soaps were exceptionally shiny and I saw that you used alcohol to achieve this but I tried that and it didn't work.. any hints?

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Regarding shininess, I know that my soaps are usually super shiny when I unmold them and then get more matte as they dry. So I wrap them really quickly with saran wrap to seal in the moisture. The longer you leave the soap out, the more dull the surface will be.

Hopefully there will be a base available that is both really clear and natural. I'm sure it's possible, it just needs to be done!

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Debbie Chialtas

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I usually work it out by adding something like goats milk base as embeds (for instance) which have more oil added and then use a clear base which doesn't have oils added ... that way you can get the clear effect with the moisturising abilities.

However, saying all that, I really do find the glycerine soap so much better than anything you buy in the shops (and I also have dry skin). I just love it and really enjoy the artistic side of things. I just need to learn more techniques ... pity I can't attend any of those lovely classes Soapylove or Anne-Marie run!! (wrong country!)

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Thanks for the replies, guys.

Okay, to answer some questions... the mold that I've been using has been one of those 3-D molds, so ABS plastic. Not sure what that is.

Regarding the soap base, it does have SLS. It's a clear soap base that I picked up from Snowdrift Farms. It's the only clear base I've tried, so I can't compare it to any others.

What I really don't like about this "film" is that I'll unmold it and the film makes it look like an old bar of soap, like it's been sitting on a shelf for years, you know? It doesn't look nice and fresh.

I'd contact your supplier and ask them - it does sound odd to me. Are you using the same fragrance or different ones? I'm sure it's different ones - if it is, then it can't be the fragrance oil.

Really not sure about it.. do you have pics? Might help to see??

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Honey, this happened with two different bars of soap, both of which had different FO's added to them.

A third bar came out beautifully, but that may be due to the soap's color. The first two were colored a light pink and a light lavender. The third was colored a swirly orange and was a lot bolder, so it didn't look "glasslike" like the first two. For all I know the third one came out the same way.

If I have time tonight, I'll take a photo and post it.

Okay, I've never posted a photo here before. I hope I'm doing this right.

The first photo shows my soap out of the mold with the film on it. You notice that the top is all white in between the creases of the design, and the sides look really dull.



I tried the alcohol spritz suggestion and happily, it looks much better. I had to totally spritz the bar down with the alcohol to get it to look better; I hope that's okay. The second photo shows the post-alcohol results. Why does it get all filmy in the first place?

I cannot think what it could be... you've got me baffled. Hopefully the more experienced M&Pers will be able to help - sorry.

Love the colour of the soap though, it really suits the pattern of the mould.

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PJ,
http://www.pjsoaps.com

PJ,

Thanks for that detailed reply. I'm a little confused though. Did you say that Bramble Berry carries SFIC itself, or an SFIC-like base? Because I couldn't find SFIC specifically on the website (I'm new at this so I had to look up SFIC to even know what you were referring to).

Is that to say that the base at Snowdrift Farm isn't as high-quality? I bought a couple of bases from them because I wanted to try another brand out. Although I liked BB's base for the moisturizing quality, I don't really like how soft it is. It feels like it can melt in my hand if I hold it for too long. And in the shower, the soap bends really easily and doesn't feel solid.

All that said, I would prefer to have a bar that has optimal moisturizing qualities (I have dry skin) that stays as solid as possible. I do remember reading somewhere that there's something you can add to soap to help help harden it (is it stearic acid maybe? I don't remember). If I can do that, then I would definitely prefer to buy a higher quality base and use an additive.

I have that same mold. The inside is not glass smooth, that's why you end up with a matte surface.

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