Teach Soap

I know that to harden a bar of soap, I could add 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of soaping oils (and if I really wanted to be happy, I'd figure out what that was in REAL -- metric -- measurements ).

I've also learned on this forum that I can add sugar, honey, a substance such as any kind of milk because it contains sugar, et cetera, to make a soap bubblier; and some people say that this also makes the bar harder. I think the rate of use for this is, what, one tablespoon per pound of oils?

So. If I add, say, honey at a rate of 5% (by weight) to a batch of soap, this will not only harden the bar but also make it a little bit more bubbly. Right?

Okay. So, since milk, GM, coconut milk, and so on... they all contain some natural sugars, but not a whole lot of them, HOW MUCH hardening and bubbly-ing will they do for a final bar?

I'm asking because so very many people have leaped into my life suddenly, needing soap made of nothing but olive oil, yet they also want a bubbly bar. I'm thinking I might actually specialize, and very rarely do any OTHER kind of soap but olive oil only. But how can I get it to bubble? Because other than the lack of bubbles, frankly, I think olive oil is where it's at, too.

When I make 100% olive oil soap, I always make it with goat milk instead of water. It does help with lather, but not "bubbles". Olive oil soap will never be bubbly, even with the addition of 5% castor oil. You could do a bastile (75% olive, 20% coconut, 5% castor) and that will give you a nice bubbly bar.

5% honey sounds like a lot (about 1.3oz PPO) - I usually only add 1 tablespoon PPO. I don't think that amount would make much difference in how hard the bar is when cured. Beeswax will help harden a bar.

I add 1 tsp of salt PPO to my lye water to make my bars harder.

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

Really? Lauric acid is a great ingredient for hardening and adding bubbles? I hadn't heard about that before.
I was about to request a quote from a supplier I thought stocked it, but no luck! I only found oleic acid, not lauric.

In my formula, sugar doesn't harden the soap it adds some bubbles. Salt or sodium lactate will harden it.

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

Sodium lactate (1-22%) will certainly make a harder bar, as will a tablespoon or so of salt in the lye water (for a 4 lb batch). Honey or sugar may increase the lather a bit, as will milk. You can make a really nice goat milk and olive oil soap.

Since sodium lactate is (or can be) derived from whey, check the source to make sure it's kosher. Bramble Berry doesn't say whether theirs is certified, but they do say it's derived from vegetable sources, not dairy.

I just used some of my castile in the shower today, made with goat milk. While the bubbles weren't frothy, they were nice and creamy, and especially using a bath puff, I thought they were sufficiently abundant and felt good. My recipe was standard castile, with goat milk for water, an ounce of honey for 3 lbs of oils, and a 7% superfat. It's about 3 months old at this point, so I anticipate improvement. Some people have trouble overheating when they use both honey and milk in a recipe; I've had an issue once, but it was mild. You can always put it in the fridge or freezer.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
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Thanks, Mellifera!

Once I thought about it, I realized I was a bit silly to be hardening my castile soaps with salt. They get hard enough on their own, eventually! But I still did want to try to increase the bubbles in the lather. I think I'll be using either honey or agave nectar in my soaps from now on for this.

I HOPE that the refrigerator that we get in our new home will be large enough to hold my soap molds. The current fridge is not, and it's a source of frustration.

Thanks for that