# Converting CP to Liquid Soap - Preservatives



## ZandarKoad (Mar 1, 2013)

I know there is little need for preservatives in CP soap do to the low water content.  But to convert it to liquid hand soap, I'll be adding hot water to shredded CP soap (after full cure).  There is a very very limited shelf life on that type of liquid soap from what I read.  I'm going to do some research, but I'd thought I'd open up the idea to others for their feedback and experiences.


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## AlchemyandAshes (Mar 1, 2013)

It's the pH level that keeps you from needing a preservative, not the water content. Also, melting CP and water doesn't work as well as one might hope. It turns to a gelatinous goo :evil: I know from personal experience...it will never go back to a liquid state.


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 1, 2013)

What PH levels are considered safe, and what are dangerous when talking about liquid soap?

I'm going to try atomizing the soap in a food processor.  Hopefully it will help get a good consistency.

I'm looking at Optiphen and Optiphen Plus...


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## Lindy (Mar 1, 2013)

First - as Shawnee told you - this does not work very well.  It truly is goo.  To find out just how bad it is put some shavings of your soap into a glass of water and let it sit a couple of days.  It is nasty.

Why not make liquid soap?  It really isn't that hard and then you get *real* liqiud soap which is a pleasure to use.  It is simply making soap using the hot process method and using Potassium Hydroxide instead of Sodium Hydroxide.

There is a lot of discussion surrounding preserving liquid soap.  I don't and I have yet to see my LS go _off_.  Soap by it's very nature does not grow nasties unless you are rebatching aka milling your soap and then adding biologicals.  Not even preservative is going to save that.

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2010/09/liquid-soap-lets-formulate-a-recipe/

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/liquidsoap/ss/basicliquidsoap.htm

These are a couple of good resources that I googled. Also do a search here on Liquid Soap....


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 1, 2013)

Wow, that sounds pretty nasty.  I just did a small test, I just made one gallon.  (...  Yeah, that's small for me.)

It seemed to dissolve perfectly well, but we'll see what the consistency is like after it cools overnight.  I'm not really going for a LIQUID, I would like the final product to have a lot of viscosity.  More like a gel.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Now I'm off to buy a pallet of EVOO from costo.  I just made a 17 pound batch of our naked soap.  Gotta make a 17 pound patch of purple and green next.  My wife wants to package four different color samples together as gifts.  The fourth color will be black.


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## tryanything (Mar 1, 2013)

Just FYI, it's called liquid soap, but you can actually make it as thick as you want.  There are lots of different methods to thicken up your soap base from just diluting with less water, using salt, or using other additives (can't remember them off the top of my head right now).


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 2, 2013)

Hrm, it looks like I'll need some of those methods for thickening.  My soap is like water, even after re-heating and adding more soap.  I WISH it were like snot...  At least then I'd know what to do.


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## melstan775 (Mar 2, 2013)

If it gets gooey, can just a tablespoon in a lot of water make it thin enough?


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 2, 2013)

I read elsewhere that salt will thicken it up.  I added 1/3rd cup to my 1 gallon of liquid soap.  It didn't dissolve AT ALL, for like 20 minutes.  It just clumped together at the bottom.  So I heated it up again, and it all dissolved perfectly...  now to let it cool overnight, and see what happens.


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## paillo (Mar 3, 2013)

Lindy said:


> First - as Shawnee told you - this does not work very well.  It truly is goo.  To find out just how bad it is put some shavings of your soap into a glass of water and let it sit a couple of days.  It is nasty.
> 
> Why not make liquid soap?  It really isn't that hard and then you get *real* liqiud soap which is a pleasure to use.  It is simply making soap using the hot process method and using Potassium Hydroxide instead of Sodium Hydroxide.
> 
> ...



Yup, it will turn into snotty goo, learned that the hard way and will not try it again!


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 3, 2013)

Nope.  No snotty goo here.  I ended up using 16 dry ounces of CP soap in one gallon of water.  I also added 1/3rd cup of salt, and waited overnight.  The soap was still very very liquidy.  I used a stick blender to mix it, and it all turned white / opaque.  Another few hours, and a very thick foam formed on the top (about 2-3 inches of dense foam).  The soap underneath it was still thin, but a little thicker...

Now I've got tons of foam, and still runny soap.  I don't know what else to try.  I may have to abandon the concept, and go with Potassium Hydroxide.


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 3, 2013)

Alrighty, so I tried heating up the soap to remove the bubbles.  FAIL!

Now I've got 2 to 3 times as many bubbles as before heating.  Next huge embarrassing failure:  Chill it in the refrigerator!


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## melstan775 (Mar 4, 2013)

What about adding salt or some kind of emolliant for a thickening agent?


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 4, 2013)

I did add salt.

My wife tells me that she thinks it's think enough...  I think it's still to runny.  But we took it off the stove, and all the bubbles went away (without having to put it in the refrigerator).  I believe I'll just purchase all foaming pump heads and be done with it.


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 4, 2013)

Well, I used my batch of CP turned liquid soap tonight on my four oldest boys.  Their skin didn't fall off, so I'm thinking it's OK!  It's not as runny as it seemed in the pot.  I'll purchase a regular pump and a foaming pump and see which I like better.  I just LOVE the smell of that all natural bar.

As for the preservatives, after further reading, I think it will be just fine with the added salt.


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## melstan775 (Mar 4, 2013)

Keep us updated and let us know how it works out!


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 23, 2013)

After a few days it turned to SNOT.  You were all right.  

It still works, but it's got that nasty consistency.


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## Lindy (Mar 23, 2013)

LOL - the best way to know is to actually see it.  For those of you wondering but not wanting to do it, leave one of your unwashed soap pots in the sink with water in it for a couple of days....


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