Teach Soap

I tried to make small batch of Goat's milk soap. this is my first try on this goat's milk and when i finished processing and put it into my molder, after few minutes i saw a lot oils on top. My question guys is.. whats the reason of this guys..... My recipe is 1,000 grams broken down as follows:
coconut oil 25%
palm oil 30%
shortening (vege) 32%
Canola Oil (rapeseed) 10%
Castor oil 3%

lye = 142g (5%); goat's milk = 301g.

on top of the fats above, i added some ingredients like: honey (2 tsp), oatmeal (2 tsp finely ground and 1 tsp unground); sodium silicate 50ml; glycerin 20ml; CDEA (bubble enhancer) - 50ml. a little bit (2 tsp) fruit extract (we called it here - papaya)

After i did all the processes, when i put it in the molds, i saw a lot of fats on top of the soap...I wonder why....

Were the fats on top as soon as you poured the soap into the molds or after it went through the gel stage? If it was before, the soap may not have reached true trace. If it was after, the soap may have overheated. Goat's milk soap can heat up a lot more quickly than regular soap. Plus, you added honey, which can also cause soap to overheat.

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

Why the sodium silicate? Did you mean to add sodium lactate instead? Since soap makes its own glycerin, there is no need to add extra. I would say you either didn't reach true trace or your soap overheated. Both goat's milk and honey have natural sugars.

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

@ Maan Linda: i started to notice that there were oils on top before it becomes to gel stage. my additives like sodium silicate and CDEA (my bubble enhancer), i added them in a very light trace for the silicate and CDEA to really be mixed well with the oils... Yeah..i think it was not reach yet in the right trace it is because.. I know it was not overheated because even when i mix my milk and lye, the mixing container is surrounded with ice cubes.. and even the milk itself is also from fresher. With regard to honey.. I only added 1 tsp per pound of fats.

@ Maan Irena. According to the store where i bought that sodium silicate, they said that is also use to harden the soap. because this is the one being bought by their other costumers.. well, i will try to look for sodium lactate here for my next batch. Relative to glycerin, so you mean that it is still fine, moisturizing effect of the soap is still ok even i will not add extra glycerin.. i think castor oils is fine, am i right mam?

Sodium silicate, also known as waterglass, is a metal oxide of silica. Silica is made from sand. I don't see how they would harden your soap. It's used in glues and cement. I haven't seen sodium silicate used in handmade soap. I have seen and do use sodium lactate.

Handmade soap makes it's own glycerin during the saponification process. There really is no need to add more. Adding extra glycerin during the soapmaking process could make your soap soft. Castor is a nice oil to add as it adds bubbles to your soap, but it also depends what your formula is like.

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

I did a bunch of research on sodium silicate and found that it is indeed used in soap. Not body soap however! It is used as a replacement for phosphates in dish and laundry soaps. It is used to stop calcium and magnesium from precipitating out of hard water and collecting in waterways and septic systems. Here is a little description of it from a detergent chemistry website
>>Silicates soften water by the formation of precipitates that can be easily rinsed away. They tend not to deposit on the fibres of the cloth being washed, as they have great suspending and anti-re-deposition qualities. They are used in dish-washing powders, for their wetting and emulsifying properties. All silicates have excellent buffering action against acidic compounds. This is important, because most soils in laundering processes are acidic.<<

Not sure why folks are putting it in their soaps, it really isn't meant for bodily use. It is also used for welding and filling holes in cars! As well as dye adhesion to cellulose fabrics. Its actually a pretty interesting compound!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Its actually a pretty interesting compound!

Spoken like a true chemist!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

@Hestey: thanks hesty. actually i didnt have enough idea about it. But when i went to the store selling raw materials, according to them, sodium silicate is used to help harden the soap.. so i tried to used it but i noticed that the soap is not really as hard as i expect it.. anyway, i will remove it already and used salt instead.....

By the way, what would be the best ingredients that helps to enhance bubbles of the soap... is any? or what i shall i do in order to make soap lather much..

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Debbie

Castor oil makes a bubbly bar too, the general rule of thumb is 5% or less as it can soften the bar. I use some salt in my lye water to promote a harder bar, it works pretty well!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

The recipe you posted at the beginning of this thread should have a good bubbly lather with 25% coconut oil and 3% castor oil. You may not need any additives. Have you made this recipe before and tried a bar?

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

You would not know how well the soap performs after only 24 hours. You really need to give it some time.

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

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

Remember to use glove and eye safety. Here is a basic recipe to start with. Start small and don't waste your materials. Just for you to try if you like. Came from teach soap.

Beginner 4.5 pound Soap Recipe - makes just under 4.5 lbs of soap
16oz Canola Oil
16oz Coconut Oil
16oz Palm Oil
6.9oz Lye (5% superfatted)
15.8oz Water

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~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

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