# Liquid Soap



## jsolack (May 8, 2012)

Hello all! I'm looking to make some liquid soap similar to Bronners.  I'm a little leary to trust the recipes/processes i'm finding on the internet so i'm wondering if someone could point me the right direction!

Thank you very much!

Jason


----------



## jsolack (May 9, 2012)

I'm planning on using:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Liquid-Castile-Soap

I put this recipe into SoapCalc and it seemed to match up.  Does the process seem correct?

Thank you

Jason


----------



## Fragola (May 9, 2012)

I'm not sure what your level of experience is, but I see few potential problems if that's your main source of information:

- oils and potassium hydroxide should be measured by weight, not by volume 
- usually there's a neutralization stage involved which is missing from the explanation. Even if you plan to skip it, you should know what it does.
- you should have some accurate means for testing the pH of the resulted soap
- if you aim for a clear, transparent soap, you'll need to research more into that topic
- 15 minutes of continuous blending will burn many blenders


There is also very little information on topics such as safely handling the lye, the "trace" concept, etc.


----------



## DragonQueenHHP (May 9, 2012)

Jason I am looking for a good one to I love my Bronners peppermint soap and really want to make my own so if you find a good recipe please share


----------



## Pamela (May 9, 2012)

DragonQueenHHP said:
			
		

> Jason I am looking for a good one to I love my Bronners peppermint soap and really want to make my own so if you find a good recipe please share



Me three....would like to have a liquid for the bathroom sink.  Just started peeking around at some different recipes but haven't gone any further then that.  :?


----------



## ana (May 9, 2012)

Hi..I am fairly new to soapmaking and have made just 2 batches of liquid soap so far.  My first attempt was a recipe from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Natural Soaps by Sally W. Trew and Zonella B. Gould.  My second attempt came from this excellent video and tutorial:

http://silverfirsfarm.wordpress.com/201 ... -tutorial/

I liked this tutorial a lot as I don't like the idea of using borax as a p.h. adjuster.  I understand you can use citric acid as well but I have not tried yet.


----------



## jsolack (May 9, 2012)

Thank you, I think I will try that recipe.


----------



## carolyntn (May 10, 2012)

I ditto what Fragola says.

When I started making liquid soap I used the recipe by David Fisher at About.com.  I can vouch for the recipe - it is good basic liquid soap. He gives more detailed information that the previous two links. 
http://www.candleandsoap.about.com/od/l ... idsoap.htm

I also recommend reading "Making Natural Liquid Soaps" by Catherine Failor.

Carolyn


----------



## jsolack (May 10, 2012)

Have you used Bronners?  Do you know how that soap compares?

Thank you for the link!


----------



## carolyntn (May 11, 2012)

I have used Dr. Bronner's once - a long time ago - and if I remember it is rather thin.  Handmade liquid soap can be thinner than conventional liquid soap because you control the amount of dilution.   What aspects are you looking to achieve in making a LS?
The David Fisher recipe is a nice beginner recipe because:
1. Ingredients (except KOH) can be found at the grocery store. 
2. Excellent tutorial which includes pictures and a detailed explanation of the process.
3. Uses the crockpot method.
I used his exact recipe for a full year before branching out into other areas of liquid soapmaking. 

Carolyn


----------



## jsolack (May 11, 2012)

I like bronners because it's natural and it makes my skin feel clean 

If i use "normal" soaps (like Dove/Irish Spring...) it feels like the soap never really rinses off and they are so over scented that i feel like i'm rubbing air fresheners on my body.  I don't know if that makes any sense or not!


----------



## Fragola (May 11, 2012)

Thinness doesn't necessarily relate to dilution, that's because you can thicken a diluted soap.

However, talking about concentrated soap, it does feel like it rinses off more difficult.


----------

