# Creamed soap a thought



## Carty812 (May 27, 2014)

Ok I have never tried this so don't laugh if you think it is stupid. Try and help me figure why it would or wouldn't work. 
I tried the whole shred up bar melt in water add few extra oils method but I did not like two thinks about this; 1 it was way to greasy. 2 not enough lather and I even no used more shredded soap than recipie called for.
So I was wondering why you can't do this with hot processed soap using only sodium hydroxide. I was thinking if you make you recipie as usual, HP it till no zap. Then supper fat with just glycerin enough to keep it loose. Which will of course take some trial and error. But then let it rest over night. In morning if it works and stays loose or even fairly soft at that point you could A add more glycerin little at time till you can make it softer or B proceed with whipping it if no more is needed. The lye would be neutralized at this time so there is no risk of anything trying to saponify so it should not try and harden back up.  If oil started to separate or melt at this point you could place in freezer to harden things back up then repeat process till desired effect and consistency is achieved.
Now like I said I am no chemist but does anyone (say our local chemist) think this would work. And please either way why or why not. 
Perhaps I should also say I kinda got this idea because I just recently learned you can make liquid soap from sodium hydroxide HP paste. So just a thought.
Any input is appreciated in advance.


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## cmzaha (May 28, 2014)

It would be much better and successful if you just make cream soap with high stearic acid and KOH and NaOH. Although I hate cream soap I do make it for a scrub base I make. If you make cream soap remember to preserve it.


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## DeeAnna (May 28, 2014)

Still sipping on my first cuppa coffee this morning, so I'm not sure my brain is quite up to speed, but here are my thoughts....

I am doubtful that this will work well in the long run, but I've been wrong before and I could be wrong on this too. The reason why I think this:

A typical sodium soap (water + fat + NaOH) wants to be a solid material in general. The structure of a sodium soap is a type of crystal -- the soap molecules want to organize themselves into layers or tubes or spheres. The molecules of liquid in the soap structure will surround and be embedded in these crystalline formations. 

If you add increasing amounts of glycerin to a sodium soap, the glycerin molecules disrupt the ability of the soap molecules to organize into their usual closely-packed crystalline formations. This will tend to make the soap more translucent. The soap might be soft at first, but it will firm up some over time as the soap molecules gradually organize themselves as best they can and water evaporates away. What you will end up with after enough time passes is a type of translucent soap.

Any alcohol can be used to make translucent soap -- glycerin being an alcohol. Grain alcohol also works. Pears soap was originally made by shaving up sodium soap, dissolving the shavings in grain alcohol, and allowing the alcohol to evaporate. Glycerin is easier to find and safer to use.

Here's a tutorial by a Russian soapmaker about making translucent (aka melt & pour) soap from regular sodium soap and glycerin (glycerol): http://www.microsofttranslator.com/...omashnih-usloviyah-recept-i-master-klass.html

If you add more and more glycerin, you might end up with a soap that will stay soft just from the amount of glycerin being added, but it might not be a very good soap.  I would guess the glycerin will cut the lather a lot, but you might just have to try it out to see what happens.

The reason why potassium soap (made with KOH) stays a soft paste or gel is because the potassium part of the soap does not allow the soap molecules to pack as neatly and tightly together to form a firm solid. A potassium soap remains in a non-pourable gel or paste form when the liquid content is low, changes to a thick but pourable colloid when the liquid content is higher, and eventually turns into a liquid soap solution when the liquid content is higher yet. The types of fatty acids in the potassium soap will also affect this -- a paste-like soap has more stearic and palmitic.

"...I just recently learned you can make liquid soap from sodium hydroxide HP paste..."

Can you give a source? I'd like to verify how that's done.


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## Carty812 (May 28, 2014)

Yes I will have to find it again. It was on someone's blog I'll look for address and post back her when I find it.


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