# Aloe Vera powder



## lisa101 (Jan 28, 2020)

Hi guys, I’m recently new to soaping and hope you can help with a question I’ve got. 
I have an order due in the next day or so with some Aloe Vera powder in it. From what I’ve read I need to add it at trace for cold process soaping. With it being water soluble do I dissolve it in a bit of distilled water before adding it or do I just add it as it is and then blend/mix?? T.I.A


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## atiz (Jan 28, 2020)

Hi, welcome to the forum.
Probably someone more knowledgeable will chime in, but as far as I know you can add it either after trace or when you dissolve the lye. If you first reconstitute the aloe powder with water, you basically get aloe juice, and you can just dissolve your lye in it. That's what I usually do, but am pretty sure that adding it at trace works too.


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## lisa101 (Jan 28, 2020)

Thanks for your reply atiz, that’s really helpful. That had crossed my mind, but I was worried about it scorching. 
If I did it that way would I need to freeze the aloe juice before using?


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## atiz (Jan 29, 2020)

lisa101 said:


> Thanks for your reply atiz, that’s really helpful. That had crossed my mind, but I was worried about it scorching.
> If I did it that way would I need to freeze the aloe juice before using?


In my experience aloe doesn't scorch. If you use aloe juice it is like dissolving the lye in water -- really easy. Let us know how it goes!


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## Todd Ziegler (Jan 29, 2020)

I really want to know how it works for you too. I am considering doing the same thing.


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## lisa101 (Jan 29, 2020)

atiz said:


> In my experience aloe doesn't scorch. If you use aloe juice it is like dissolving the lye in water -- really easy. Let us know how it goes!


I’m planning on having a go tomorrow, I’ll let you know how I get on. Thanks very much for your help


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## lisa101 (Jan 29, 2020)

Todd Ziegler said:


> I really want to know how it works for you too. I am considering doing the same thing.


I’ll let you know how it goes


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## Todd Ziegler (Jan 29, 2020)

lisa101 said:


> I’ll let you know how it goes


What strength of Aloe vera powder are you using? I have some 100X and 200X concentration powder.


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## lisa101 (Jan 30, 2020)

So far, so good. I added it to the lye water and blended it in but there was a few bits that didn’t seem to want to dissolve. I put it in when it was cool. Should I have added it when the water was still 



 hot?  The lye water went really dark brown but I think that might be because I had a tsp of salt and sugar in there too. 
It seemed to trace slightly faster than normal but not massively. 
It’s still too soft to cut atm but I’ll post a pic when I’ve done it. 
Todd Ziegler it was just the normal strength organic powder I used.


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## Todd Ziegler (Jan 30, 2020)

lisa101 said:


> So far, so good. I added it to the lye water and blended it in but there was a few bits that didn’t seem to want to dissolve. I put it in when it was cool. Should I have added it when the water was still View attachment 43650
> hot?  The lye water went really dark brown but I think that might be because I had a tsp of salt and sugar in there too.
> It seemed to trace slightly faster than normal but not massively.
> It’s still too soft to cut atm but I’ll post a pic when I’ve done it.
> Todd Ziegler it was just the normal strength organic powder I used.


I had similar questions about honey powder. The advice I got was to mix it in your water and then add your lye to it. But if your way works then that's just fine.


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## lisa101 (Jan 30, 2020)

Todd Ziegler said:


> I had similar questions about honey powder. The advice I got was to mix it in your water and then add your lye to it. But if your way works then that's just fine.


Thanks for that. I’ll do it that way next time and see if it makes any difference


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## Obsidian (Jan 30, 2020)

Yes, you always want to dissolve your powders in the water before adding the lye.

I use aloe juice as a total water replacement, it never scorches or smells. It just as easy as plain water.


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## lisa101 (Jan 31, 2020)

Obsidian said:


> Yes, you always want to dissolve your powders in the water before adding the lye.
> 
> I use aloe juice as a total water replacement, it never scorches or smells. It just as easy as plain water.


That’s very helpful. Thank you


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## gloopygloop (Jan 31, 2020)

Do people who use aloe in their soaps honestly find it soothing or making an actual difference on the skin or any other particular feel. Is it just a placebo effect and scientifically not really doing anything? I ask as I have never used it. I cannot honestly say that calendula for example soothes the skin in soaps despite its reputation, great for colouring but no difference in feel IMHO.


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## Obsidian (Jan 31, 2020)

I don't find it soothing at all. What it does do is boost the lather and help create bigger bubbles, at least with my recipe.

Sugar, milk, beer, all the other additives that are popular for increasing lather just don't work for me. Aloe does and it is a noticable difference.


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## gloopygloop (Jan 31, 2020)

Obsidian said:


> I don't find it soothing at all. What it does do is boost the lather and help create bigger bubbles, at least with my recipe.
> 
> Sugar, milk, beer, all the other additives that are popular for increasing lather just don't work for me. Aloe does and it is a noticable difference.



Well that is very interesting and didn't know that it increased lather, sugar and milks work well for me on that score, I wonder why they dont for you? I am intrigued!


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## math ace (Feb 1, 2020)

I'm testing the aloe right now.  I have a batch that I divided into 2 parts... 1/2 with Aloe and 1/2 without aloe.   I'll report back my findings once the cure time is over


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## gloopygloop (Feb 1, 2020)

math ace said:


> I'm testing the aloe right now.  I have a batch that I divided into 2 parts... 1/2 with Aloe and 1/2 without aloe.   I'll report back my findings once the cure time is over



Looking forward to hearing on that.


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## lisa101 (Feb 1, 2020)

This is the cut of the first aloe soap. The one where I added it to the cooled lye water. I added some kaolin to half of the batter which is the lighter colour you can see. I’m quite liking the colour atm but I have a feeling that it might end up on the brownish side when it’s cured. (Sorry the pics dark, I crept down during the night to cut it. Not addicted at all!!)
I’ve just poured another batch and I added it to the water before adding the lye this time and it seemed to bring out a lot more colour. It’s looking VERY brown right now. It’s in a bastille loaf for my daughters sensitive skin and I’ve tried to keep it as natural as possible so whatever colour it ends up, I’m sure it’ll be a great natural colourant


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## nature coast (Feb 1, 2020)

I like to use aloe juice in my soap and have also used aloe powder in my soaps and bath bombs before. While i'm not sure if it soothes or boosts lather ,  it certainly doesn't hurt and the has great label appeal. I find that additive positive benefits are hard to measure especially in rinse off products like soap. Lye creates a harsh environment in any case so a lot natural benefits from additives are neutralized during the cold process.


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## gloopygloop (Feb 1, 2020)

lisa101 that looks very nice. I think the heat of the lye water would indeed bring out more colour.

nature coast I agree regarding qualities in a rinse off product and label appeal is what I think a lot of addition give unless they really do affect the feel of the lather and the creaminess or hardness of a soap.


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## Jenna D (Feb 1, 2020)

Someone may have already mentioned this... You could try dissolving your aloe powder in the water and then freezing it to cube or thick slush before stirring the lye into it  Or you could try placing your mixing container in an ice water bath. This usually will reduce and sometimes eliminate the scorching.


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## Todd Ziegler (Feb 1, 2020)

lisa101 said:


> View attachment 43705
> This is the cut of the first aloe soap. The one where I added it to the cooled lye water. I added some kaolin to half of the batter which is the lighter colour you can see. I’m quite liking the colour atm but I have a feeling that it might end up on the brownish side when it’s cured. (Sorry the pics dark, I crept down during the night to cut it. Not addicted at all!!)
> I’ve just poured another batch and I added it to the water before adding the lye this time and it seemed to bring out a lot more colour. It’s looking VERY brown right now. It’s in a bastille loaf for my daughters sensitive skin and I’ve tried to keep it as natural as possible so whatever colour it ends up, I’m sure it’ll be a great natural colourant


Thanks for the results. It will help a lot. Getting ready to do a batch myself and I will report back with my results.


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## atiz (Feb 1, 2020)

Jenna D said:


> You could try dissolving your aloe powder in the water and then freezing it to cube or thick slush before stirring the lye into it  Or you could try placing your mixing container in an ice water bath. This usually will reduce and sometimes eliminate the scorching.



There is really no need -- aloe doesn't seem to scorch. @lisa101 's scorching was probably due to the sugar. (I like that soap!)

I also use aloe sometimes for boosting lather. Have not done a real blind experiment about it, but it does seem to do something.


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## gloopygloop (Feb 2, 2020)

atiz said:


> There is really no need -- aloe doesn't seem to scorch. @lisa101 's scorching was probably due to the sugar. (I like that soap!)
> 
> I also use aloe sometimes for boosting lather. Have not done a real blind experiment about it, but it does seem to do something.



Go on do that blind test as I would love to know if there is anything different other than lather boost.


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## atiz (Feb 2, 2020)

gloopygloop said:


> Go on do that blind test as I would love to know if there is anything different other than lather boost.


You can always do the test yourself  Aloe is at least pretty cheap and really easy to work with, so I use it a lot in my soap. I would be skeptical of other benefits apart from the lather boost (but lather boost is important for me).


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## gloopygloop (Feb 2, 2020)

atiz said:


> You can always do the test yourself  Aloe is at least pretty cheap and really easy to work with, so I use it a lot in my soap. I would be skeptical of other benefits apart from the lather boost (but lather boost is important for me).



Well indeed I could but i would have to buy in aloe specially and I dont feel challenged enough to both TBH plus I doubt as you say there is much else apart from lather boost which I get just fine with sugar and SL. But were it to really soothe the skin and be noticeable well that would be another matter.


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## Elizevt (Aug 4, 2020)

Hi there. 
I just bought some aloe vera powder today and I tried to reconstitute it in water. I tried hot and cold water, and in both cases, all It made was a sticky tar-like lump on my spoon.  It won't dissolve. and its almost impossible to scrape off.

I also tried to mix it with oil and it doesn't dissolve (obviously), the powder flecks just float around.  But at least it doesn't create a rock hard tarry booger on my spoon.  

Have any of you had a similar experience with aloe powder?  
Do you think I will dissolve in lye?  or must I just mix it with a bit of oil and add it at trace. 
What would you guys recommend?

I'm super bummed


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## ps1cute (Aug 6, 2020)

Obsidian said:


> Yes, you always want to dissolve your powders in the water before adding the lye.
> 
> I use aloe juice as a total water replacement, it never scorches or smells. It just as easy as plain water.


Hi. If adding powders like goat's milk or aloe to water before mixing lye, does the heat make them ineffective?


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## Obsidian (Aug 6, 2020)

ps1cute said:


> Hi. If adding powders like goat's milk or aloe to water before mixing lye, does the heat make them ineffective?



I guess that depends on what you mean by ineffective. If I use aloe or milk, its to increase lather so no, heat and lye does not effect that.

If you mean the skin soothing/softening properties, those don't survive the lye regardless of when they are added.


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## atiz (Aug 7, 2020)

Elizevt said:


> Hi there.
> I just bought some aloe vera powder today and I tried to reconstitute it in water. I tried hot and cold water, and in both cases, all It made was a sticky tar-like lump on my spoon.  It won't dissolve. and its almost impossible to scrape off.
> 
> I also tried to mix it with oil and it doesn't dissolve (obviously), the powder flecks just float around.  But at least it doesn't create a rock hard tarry booger on my spoon.
> ...


How much aloe did you try to dissolve in how much water? 
Keep in mind that the 100x or 200x strength aloe powder means you need a *very little* aloe in a whole lot of water (1g aloe in 200g water, for instance). It is a really teensy amount. So if you try to dissolve much more than that, it may lead to strange results.
I have never had problems with aloe powder. I usually dissolve it in my split water and then mix it to the 50% lye solution. It works well.


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## Elizevt (Aug 8, 2020)

H there @atiz.  I figured out the problem. 
I did some googling and found out that when harvesting aloe, some folks just drain out the latex, the Sticky yellow sap. 
They then cook the latex over a fire until it is reduced to crystals. Those crystals made from the latex sap is then used as a laxative and has no benefits for the skin.  It also turns to a black sticky tar when mixed with water.  
Apparently the "Powdered aloe" that I bought was a powdered version of the dried aloe latex/sap. 

Proper aloe powder, on the other hand, is made from an aloe leaf, AFTER the latex sap has been removed. They then finely slice the leaf and with the aloe gel core up and leave it to dry.  Once it had dried/dehydrated. then it is ground up into a fine powder.   If you mix that powder with water, It reconstitutes into a gel, and it has loads of health benefits for the skin. 

So I apparently bought 2 boxes of frikkn laxative


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