# Molasses in soap?



## IanT (Mar 26, 2008)

Anyone ever tried using molasses in soap?? ive got a lot laying around for making gingerbread, and i loooove the smell


----------



## WilsonFamilyPicnic (Mar 26, 2008)

it would be similar to honey i would guess. you'll want to limit the amount, sugar makes soap gel hot. the smell may not come through, but i'd bet it'll color your soap gingerbread color.

speaking of gingerbread...i used to work here:
http://www.gingerbreadkids.com/


----------



## IanT (Mar 26, 2008)

haha...speaking of businesses in gingerbread, My father actually owns and operates this place out of riverhead NY called Gingerbread University...kind of the same concept! its so fun to see the kids playing with candy and making houses and having so much fun (one for the house....three for me.....2 for the house....one for me.... lol... )

ive been like an indentured servant to the family businesses for as long as I can remember lol....not that im complaining i love helping my fam 



ok so the molasses (being simply raw sugar) would def act the same way as sugar in adding more heat?...i wonder if there would be a heat diff between regular sugar and molasses...maybe ill do an experiment...I do agree that I think the color may hold through but i am curious to see if the smell might as well, i think id like to experiment with it and add it to my list of natural colorants...


----------



## WilsonFamilyPicnic (Mar 26, 2008)

OMG! is that in riverhead, ny????  :shock:  a friend, well was a friend, lived at the 4H camp next door to a Gingerbread University..... I was never actually in the store, but have been to riverhead a few times.

I think any sugar will gel hot regardless of whether its honey, molasses or sugar cane, it all depends on the amount of sugar.


----------



## IanT (Mar 26, 2008)

yup! you got it! My family actually lives within a stones throw of 4-H...one of the first farm fam's on long island, very tied to the land which is probably where i get my naturalistic tendencies from.

wow! what a smalllllll world! 


id bet my lucky penny that molasses would make the soap hotter than regular granulated sugar since its not crystalized, might break down easier than the crystalized form...i might have to really watch it closely...

ever tried making soap with an ice bag under the mold to mellow out the reaction??


----------



## WilsonFamilyPicnic (Mar 26, 2008)

small, small world! doesn't he own the lobster roll too?

well, i've never added sugar to soap, but from what i understand folks add it to the lye and it is supposed to increase bubbliness. so it would be dissolved already.


----------



## IanT (Mar 26, 2008)

yup!!! the one out in MTK as well as in riverhead, Its amazing to think of what that place was before we built in riverhead...it was a barn, all dirt and concrete floors...the restaurant was a house that 30 immigrants lived in...and was FILTHY... it was a whole-family effort to clean the place up...took a lot of time but many many great things came out of it, the one out east has been there for over 40yrs, my dad bought it with his father when he was 18, 43 years ago! definitely taught me a hard work ethic!!
 I cant believe what a small world it is though!! lol 
  
Ive used granulated sugar in soaps to increase lather, it definitely worked a little bit, although i didnt notice too drastic a difference, i was using a slightly different recipe the second time so i wasnt sure whether the increased lather was from the different ingredients or the sugar...im going to try with the same exact recipe next time and do 3 trials... gran. sugar, molasses, and plain... and see where i end up! ( i hope some of the molasses scent lasts through), sugar is comprised mainly of glucose which holds a lot of energy when it is broken down (denatured) so it will no doubt produce a higher temp...im wondering whether the concentration of sugars or glucose is higher in molasses than gran. sugar...


cant wait til i get some more $$ to start experimenting!


----------



## April (Feb 27, 2010)

Hello:

I just tried molasses tonight.  Uncertain, I used 1 Tbsp. per lbs of soap.  It turned the soap batter a light chocolate colour.  I bought the molasses intentionally for the soap. Unfortunately I didn't have any around the house. 

I will let you know how it turns out.  I used a silicone bundt cake mould. 

Warm regards,


----------



## Pepper (Feb 27, 2010)

Molasses is my favourite health food!!   I've loved it ever since we agisted a friend's horse which was given molasses in it's food.  A bit like the kids at Gingerbread U - one for the horse, one for me.   I eat 2 or 3 teaspoons a day, straight off the spoon - YUM    

I'd love to try molasses in soap, so I'll be watching with interest what your result is, April.  And IanT, when you do your comparison test.


----------



## orangetree71 (Feb 27, 2010)

WilsonFamilyPicnic: what does it mean that sugar makes the batch gel hot?  I want to add sugar to my next batch, and wonder if there's something I need to know about this.


----------



## April (Feb 28, 2010)

Hello:

I have just unmolded the Molasses (unsulphured) soap.  I used a bundt cake mold again.

Here are my comments:


The colour is just like gingerbread. Lovely.
The texture is fine, dense.
The surface is smooth

I found some lye in the bundt hole, I did a zap test (very awkward) and I got a zap, but not on the outside of the cake soap.  I think the molasses/sugar increased the heat in this soap.  I am hoping that the hole recovers.  What do you think?

This is an unscented soap, but I should have used a little e.o. because I do not like the scent. I don't think it smells like molasses. Perhaps I am not accustomed to this or perhaps the "just unmolded scent" is not what it will smell like after it cures. However, I will be able to mask this when I add the soap icing and embellishments.

I will see if I can get a picture of it over the next few days.  I believe you will like the colour.

Warm regards to you,


----------



## gekko62 (Feb 28, 2010)

When they make sugar mollasses is the least refined step isn't it?I should remember this,growing up in Queensland we learned the whole process at school,being sugar was such a large part of our economy. Anyway,if that's correct,then granulated would be more highly concentrated & perhaps cause greater heat? Just thinking out loud here,the experiment is a good idea.

*Pepper:* my aunt swore by a tabs mollasses&sulpher per day for clear skin.

*IanT:* sooooo Ian,any great gingerbread recipes?? I looove gingerbread


----------



## April (Feb 28, 2010)

Hello there:

Ruminating on the scent of this just unmolded molasses soap cake...

Thoughts from my rumination:

I don't know what happens to the molasses scent during saponification.  I know that saponification is hard on many scents, particularly citrus essential oils unless there is a fixative.  

At the moment I am growing accustomed to it, although I still cannot describe what it smells like.  The closest I can guess is "putty".  It smells something like putty.

I held the hope that it might yield some characteristics of the Lush Porridge soap that I have stashed in my closet.  Lush's Porridge soap is supposed to have molasses in it. There isn't a single similar note between the two.

Rumination finished.

Now back to work.

Cheers


----------



## April (Mar 1, 2010)

*Chronicles of the Molasses Soap*

Chronicles of the Molasses Soap

Dedicated to all who asked about Molasses soap.

Recipe:  OO, CO, superfatted with Castor Oil.  No E.O. or F.O.  >=70% OO. 

Phase 2:  I will frost this.  You can see my first soap cake in the Picture Forum.  Hilarious, because I do not bake cakes and I have never frosted one before that soap cake.

Below:

The soap is suspended on a screen to cure (sitting on a flower pot). 

Some mixing inconsistencies. Notice it is darker in the hole. Should I worry?


















The scent is dissipating; less putty-like.  I am nervous about this batch, so I think I will keep it.  I am a hobbyist, not a seller at this time, so all mistakes and experiments are lessons learned. It is a sweet little dream that one day I might sell.  Sorry I am off topic.


----------



## orangetree71 (Mar 1, 2010)

Absolutely gorgeous.


----------



## April (Mar 1, 2010)

Orangetree:

Thank you again.  I am hovering over this like a bee, hoping that the colour softens in those spots.  

I discovered something interesting.  I will share.  I joined the UK "Crafter's Forum" to find a UK soapmaker near my UK family so they may have access to good soap.  I quickly read a few CF posts and noticed a paragraph that read like the UK are regulating "food-alike" soaps and B&B (e.g. cakes, cupcakes) to protect people from accidentally eating them (e.g. children).  I wasn't sure if it was a joke or if it was real.  Jeepers. I will have to delve deeper into the topic to discover more.  Have you read or heard this?

Once again thank you for your comments and support.

Have a great day,

April


----------



## April (Mar 1, 2010)

Thank you so much Orangetree.


I am hovering over this molasses soap like a bee.  Experiments are always nerve-wracking.

I also joined the UK Crafter's Forum.  I read a few posts quickly.  I noticed one post that mentioned that the UK has (or is thinking about) created regulations about "food-alikes" for soap and B&B products to protect people (e.g. children) from accidentally consuming them (e.g. soap cakes, cupcakes etc.)  I wasn't sure if this was a joke or the real thing.  I was amazed.  I'll have to do more research on this.  If it is true, the same regulations might cross the pond.  Interesting.

Take care and thank you again.


----------



## IanT (Mar 1, 2010)

That is so awesome!!! I have wanted to try this for a while and to tell you the truth forgot all about this thread!!

Gotta let us know how it feels in the shower/tub!!!

Im interested to know! 

Im fighting a cold right now... its sucks... cant wait to feel better!


----------



## April (Mar 1, 2010)

Hi IAN:

You greeted me when I first joined and you gave me direction, so I thought I would push this experiment to the head of the line for you and the people in this thread. 

I am having fun with this experiment because it is the first unscented batch I have ever executed.  As you can read I didn't like the scent at first, then I described it as smelling like "putty".  Today I think it smells vaguely of a soft pipe tobacco like my Dad used to smoke years ago.  The scent is morphing...or my perception of it is....  I think it is funny.  

Anyway, I still have to ice this, so I'll be back to this thread to finish my ruminations and observations.  

Take care Ian.  Have you heard of COLDFX?  It's great for colds.


----------



## IanT (Mar 2, 2010)

I have not!! I will surely be looking into it... the azithromiacin is working okay  but i hate taking scripts... blaaagh...

thats so awesome !!  Im glad the soap worked out for you!! Its cool that the scent is morphing too... I love the smell of pipe tobacco... nice n sweet... it would be cool to see what it smells like after a good month cure or so!!!

 Im glad you had the time to try this!! been wanting to for the longest time!!! 

Going to be watching for updates!!


----------



## April (Mar 2, 2010)

Here you go Ian.

http://www.coldfx.com/

Get better soon,

April


----------



## April (Mar 2, 2010)

Hi everyone:

I said I would do research on the EU regulations regarding soap and B&B that looks like food.

Here they are:

http://www.satra.co.uk/spotlight/articl ... php?id=370

Thought you might be interest

Regards,

April


----------



## gekko62 (Mar 3, 2010)

April said:
			
		

> Hi everyone:
> 
> I said I would do research on the EU regulations regarding soap and B&B that looks like food.
> 
> ...



OMG.  :shock:  So _model _food,which COULD actually cause choking is ok, but soap,(which would taste extremely yukky to a child I imagine & quickly spat out) is under the gun? How about they outlaw actual real food that could potentially be a choking hazard?Like lollies,carrot sticks,quartered apples etc etc. World gone mad IMO.


----------



## April (Mar 3, 2010)

Hello Gekko and Good Morning All:

I was and wasn't surprised.  I wonder if this will come to North America?  

I found something else on the UK site, but  I am not sure I was interpretting it correctly, so I need more research again.  

It was about "rights" to designs or something like that.  It all started when a crafter/soaper wanted to make a cupcake, but was warned "not to do it" because someone else was already doing it.  When I was reading this I though, "Gee, there's a lot of people in North America making cupcakes (etc.) and no one is apologizing because they used someone elses design.  Cupcakes (and the like) have been around for a long time, so I wouldn't think that imitating one in soap or Sodium bicarbonate/Citric Acid etc. would be theft of intellectual property.  Ah, but before I drift better I find out specifically what was going on the Crafter's Forum UK site.

Best regards to you


----------



## IanT (Mar 3, 2010)

yeah thats some pretty crazy stuff!


----------



## April (Mar 5, 2010)

Progress Report on Molasses Soap Cake:

Scent

The scent of the "unscented" molasses cake is very mild now.  As you have read, it went from pungent to a soft tobacco scent.  Now it is a barely there, slightly sweet malt-like scent.  I have not iced it yet.  Some days I am just a lazy lump.

Regards,

April


----------



## IanT (Mar 5, 2010)

that is coool!! glad to hear it no longer smells of putty! lol


----------

