# How to get rid of squeaky clean feeling in soap



## NGSoaper (Mar 31, 2019)

I have noticed that a lot of handmade soap recipes have that “squeaky clean” feeling, which I do not like. Can anyone advise on how to get rid of that feeling? One site said that olive oil gives that feeling, but I have soaps with olive oil and other ingredients that did not cause the squeaky cleaning. Some people like that feeling, but then I’d be making soap that I wouldn’t even use. I use 20% coconut oil in my recipes and I still get the feeling, and it’s not drying my hands out either.


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## shunt2011 (Mar 31, 2019)

Dropping the amount of coconut will help. Coconut is cleansing in soap and some don’t or can’t use it above 10-15%.


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## Marilyn Norgart (Mar 31, 2019)

I am going to start this with sayin I am sorry but...I remember when I was younger "squeeky clean" was a very good thing. and I chuckle to myself everytime this comes up.  sorry couldn't resist


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## NGSoaper (Mar 31, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> Dropping the amount of coconut will help. Coconut is cleansing in soap and some don’t or can’t use it above 10-15%.


Thank you. I will drop the coconut oil further in my next recipes.


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## Meena (Mar 31, 2019)

I find cocoa butter and sometimes other butters give a "squeak" while rinsing off the lather.  My skin doesn't feel stripped of oils or over-cleansed, though;  so for me at least, it isn't the same as 'squeaky clean'.  So it depends -- hard to say without knowing exactly what's going on for you.  Do you feel over-dry or just hearing the sound?


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## lenarenee (Mar 31, 2019)

That squeak could also be because of your type of water.....is it hard by chance?  You said your skin wasn’t dry, so it may not not the coconut oil.


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## NGSoaper (Mar 31, 2019)

lenarenee said:


> That squeak could also be because of your type of water.....is it hard by chance?  You said your skin wasn’t dry, so it may not not the coconut oil.


Unfortunately, my water is hard. I have tried two other soaps made by others that did not give me that feeling even with the hard water. The business owners don’t give their recipes so I have no idea what amounts of ingredients they are using.



Meena said:


> I find cocoa butter and sometimes other butters give a "squeak" while rinsing off the lather.  My skin doesn't feel stripped of oils or over-cleansed, though;  so for me at least, it isn't the same as 'squeaky clean'.  So it depends -- hard to say without knowing exactly what's going on for you.  Do you feel over-dry or just hearing the sound?


I felt dry when the coconut oil was 20%,the palm oil was 40%, and rice bran oil at 30%, and either castor oil or Shea butter at 10%. It felt squeaky clean when olive oil was subbed for rice bran oil. I also felt the squeakiness in a recipe that probably used olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, goat’s milk, and Shea butter.


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## atiz (Mar 31, 2019)

Lye soaps do have a particular feel due to their high pH, and that’s not something you can get rid of. I mostly make/use syndets because of it, and soap only occasionally. But people react to soap differently so you should experiment with your recipe and see if something makes a change.

ETA: since not *every* handmade soap gives you the feel, it’s probably your recipe. Good luck!


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## steffamarie (Mar 31, 2019)

Try chelating with citric acid or tetrasodium edta. DeeAnna has some good info. https://classicbells.com/soap/chelator.html


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## NGSoaper (Mar 31, 2019)

atiz said:


> Lye soaps do have a particular feel due to their high pH, and that’s not something you can get rid of. I mostly make/use syndets because of it, and soap only occasionally. But people react to soap differently so you should experiment with your recipe and see if something makes a change.
> 
> ETA: since not *every* handmade soap gives you the feel, it’s probably your recipe. Good luck!


Even though making handmade soap is fun, with where I am at, I’d rather be using commercial soaps. My next shot is to use goat’s milk in lieu of water and cut down the coconut oil because that recipe was normal for me.


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## Cellador (Mar 31, 2019)

What is your superfat? Maybe increasing it would leave a bit more on the skin and prevent the "super clean rinse" feeling.


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## NGSoaper (Mar 31, 2019)

Cellador said:


> What is your superfat? Maybe increasing it would leave a bit more on the skin and prevent the "super clean rinse" feeling.


I superfat at 5%


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## Marilyn Norgart (Mar 31, 2019)

have you tried making a soap with lard instead of palm?


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## lenarenee (Mar 31, 2019)

NGSoaper said:


> Unfortunately, my water is hard. I have tried two other soaps made by others that did not give me that feeling even with the hard water. The business owners don’t give their recipes so I have no idea what amounts of ingredients they are using.



Try adding a chelator like citric acid, sodium citrate, or EDTA. The link provided above is an excellent source of info. Other people have commented on squeakiness and had hard water; the solution for them was chelators. If you find it's not the solution for you - them maybe try adjusting your recipe.


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## Amy78130 (Mar 31, 2019)

What percentage are you superfatting at?


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## NGSoaper (Mar 31, 2019)

Amy78130 said:


> What percentage are you superfatting at?


5%


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## Amy78130 (Mar 31, 2019)

NGSoaper said:


> 5%


Try bumping it up to 8, or 10 if you’re using a lot of coconut, and definitely let it cure a minimum of 2 months, go 3 if you have the patience! I have a 100% Castile soap that I didn’t touch for a year and it is superb. As mentioned, adding tetrasodium EDTA isn’t a bad idea either, I add disodium to acidic cosmetic  formulas and tetrasodium to alkaline. Here’s the link where I get mine, the info on how to use it is on the description.

https://lotioncrafter.com/products/tetrasodium-edta


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Apr 1, 2019)

Sorry, but before you try any other recipe changes or superfat amount, look in to chelating. That will make the biggest difference for you. I am pretty certain that the soaps which were better did use something to chelate.


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## NGSoaper (Apr 2, 2019)

Amy78130 said:


> Try bumping it up to 8, or 10 if you’re using a lot of coconut, and definitely let it cure a minimum of 2 months, go 3 if you have the patience! I have a 100% Castile soap that I didn’t touch for a year and it is superb. As mentioned, adding tetrasodium EDTA isn’t a bad idea either, I add disodium to acidic cosmetic  formulas and tetrasodium to alkaline. Here’s the link where I get mine, the info on how to use it is on the description.
> 
> https://lotioncrafter.com/products/tetrasodium-edt
> Thanks





The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Sorry, but before you try any other recipe changes or superfat amount, look in to chelating. That will make the biggest difference for you. I am pretty certain that the soaps which were better did use something to chelate.


The ingredient lists did not mention any cheating agents, unless they were not included on the list.


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## Amy78130 (Apr 2, 2019)

NGSoaper said:


> The ingredient lists did not mention any cheating agents, unless they were not included on the list.


Tetrasodium EDTA a chelator you can use in soapmaking.


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## hungryhawaiian (Apr 3, 2019)

My gf has been testing all my soaps and while she loves them all, her only comment was that there was a “squeaky feeling” just after rinsing. She said it went away like 5 mins later or less but she didn’t prefer it. Thanks to this thread I have a few things to try to remove that squeak! Thanks OP!


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## NGSoaper (Apr 3, 2019)

hungryhawaiian said:


> My gf has been testing all my soaps and while she loves them all, her only comment was that there was a “squeaky feeling” just after rinsing. She said it went away like 5 mins later or less but she didn’t prefer it. Thanks to this thread I have a few things to try to remove that squeak! Thanks OP!


You’re welcome!


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## Amy78130 (Apr 5, 2019)

This is bothering me now!! Lol! Please share your research after a few batches!!


hungryhawaiian said:


> My gf has been testing all my soaps and while she loves them all, her only comment was that there was a “squeaky feeling” just after rinsing. She said it went away like 5 mins later or less but she didn’t prefer it. Thanks to this thread I have a few things to try to remove that squeak! Thanks OP!


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## Rune (Apr 8, 2019)

Commercial liquid soap can have all sorts of additives to make you feel moisturized, while the opposite actually is happening. I have very dry hands. Not now, but that have been a problem my whole life. And I have used commercial liquid soaps. When I switched to homemade bar soaps, my hands healed. I can still be slightly dry sometimes, but not as much as I start to bleed. And bleeding hands were more or less the normal condition before. I don't have to use all sorts of remedies anymore for dry hands. Nothing. 

The point is that my handmade soaps feel much more cleansing compared to many liquid soaps. But, they are the opposite, they are way less stripping than any liquid soap I have used. Something I can see very clearly just by looking at my hands.  So squeeky clean is not necessary a bad thing, as long as your soaps are not drying to your skin. The oily moisturizing feel of commercial soaps are nothing more than an illusion. They will dry you out more than handmade bar soaps. But we have all different skin and react different to different things, so it might be the opposite for some.

If your soaps make you squeeky clean AND dries out your skin, well, then you have to look at your recipe. Adding a chelating agent, as several suggest, that is really something you should do. Soap scum will dry out your skin, and you have hard water, so you definately need a chelator. I use citric acid (to make the chelator sodium citrate) and I have soft water. I use it primarily to prevent DOS, but also to reduce soap scum (which is not a very big problem in soft water, but it is some, I think).


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