# Transparent soap



## Ivanstein (Nov 25, 2017)

So, I saw some youtube videos where they made transparent soap. Looked like normal hot process, but they mixed it with alcohol and glycerin.

Does this work with about any recipe or do you need the correct oils?

Any place I can find some more info on this process?


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## Kittish (Nov 25, 2017)

I've used the Made from Scratch MP recipe from here, though my soap didn't turn out transparent due to my oil choice. 

The basic recipe is here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=31220

I used cocoa butter in place of the palm oil for mine, which meant it never was going to turn out actually clear. 

Your oil choices are going to affect how clear your final soap is, but as long as you keep the proportions of glycerin, sugar and propylene glycol in that recipe in mind, you should be able to apply the method to pretty much any soap recipe.


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## Zany_in_CO (Nov 25, 2017)

Detailed instructions:

http://www.millersoap.com/glycerinsoap.html#Kristy

Also, there are a few SMF threads about making "Pears Soap" which is a transparent. To search the Forum, 
Google: (type your keywords here) site:soapmakingforum.com

Transparent soap was one of the first I made way back in 2004. Well worth the time if you're willing to put in the time and effort. However, it's expensive to make and the result looks like Melt & Pour soap, so I don't make them any more.  

BTW, Catherine Failor wrote a book on making transparent soap, and yes, it's like making hot process, then you add a "polyol" mix of alcohol, glycerin and simple sugar syrup to clear the soap. That's not the way I did it, but that's the most common method.

ETA:


Kittish said:


> ...as long as you keep the proportions of glycerin, sugar and propylene  glycol in that recipe in mind, you should be able to apply the method to  pretty much any soap recipe.


That may be true if using pg, but ("Old School" here) in my experience, not all recipes work. For example, all olive oil or OO Bastile ends up a sticky mess.  The best transparents are made with high amounts of coconut, castor, plus lard/tallow/palm, sometimes rosin, sometimes stearic acid and INS values of 160 and over.


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## Ivanstein (Nov 26, 2017)

Well, I tried some and it is transparent for sure. Also very liquid.

Didn't work the way I thought. We will see if the water evaporates and it congeals after a few weeks.

Is the sugar necessary? The recipe I tried didn't mention sugar. Maybe that's the downfall?


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## DeeAnna (Nov 26, 2017)

The original pears soap was made transparent through the use of alcohol alone, but that method can be dangerous and is certainly expensive and time consuming. Most transparent soap recipes use some combination of solvents -- sugar syrup and/or various glycols, and/or glycerin, and/or alcohol -- along with a large dollop of castor oil and sometimes rosin in the soap recipe itself. 

No one solvent is strictly necessary, so you don't absolutely have to use sugar syrup, but many recipes do call for it. Using a mixture of several solvents keeps the costs down and minimizes the disadvantages of the various solvents.

Resources at Project Gutenberg or Internet Archive:
Thomssen, EG. Soap-Making Manual, 1922
Lamborn, LL. Modern soaps, candles and glycerin. 1920.


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## Ivanstein (Nov 26, 2017)

Thanks for the references!

Also, thanks for the info. I didn't realize the sugar solution was a solvent. Interesting.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 26, 2017)

"...I didn't realize the sugar solution was a solvent...."

It's the hydroxyl (OH) groups on these molecules that is the key to their being solvents for soap. The suffix "OL" is a hint -- ethanOL, glycOL, glycerOL (aka glycerin). Sucrose (table sugar) doesn't have OL in its name, but it has hydroxyl groups as well.


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## Zany_in_CO (Nov 27, 2017)

Ivanstein said:


> Well, I tried some and it is transparent for sure. Also very liquid.


That sounds right. There should also be a thin film on top. I just push that aside to add fragrance before pouring into the molds.



Ivanstein said:


> Didn't work the way I thought. We will see if the water evaporates and it congeals after a few weeks


At that point (from my notes): Rest 5 minutes. Skim off scum. 
Pour soap into greased molds through strainer. (Save scum -- it lathers up pretty good.) Place in freezer for 1 hour. Unmold and cure for 2 weeks - 3 months to become even more transparent and longer-lasting. 
TIP: Put some alcohol in a spray bottle to reduce foam.


Ivanstein said:


> Is the sugar necessary? The recipe I tried didn't mention sugar. Maybe that's the downfall?


Perhaps if you shared a link to the recipe? so we could have a gander at it? we might venture a guess...  based on what you wrote, the recipe might be the downfall?    That being said, it is a tricky soap to pull off the first time you try making it.

Also, if you look at the bottom of this page you will find threads where this topic has been discussed before.


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## Ivanstein (Nov 27, 2017)

https://books.google.com/books?id=0KIIAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA519#v=onepage&q&f=false

Look for "Paris transparent shaving soap"
Page 519ish


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## Kittish (Nov 27, 2017)

Ivanstein said:


> https://books.google.com/books?id=0KIIAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA519#v=onepage&q&f=false
> 
> Look for "Paris transparent shaving soap"
> Page 519ish



30 *pounds* of oils?! Along with over 50 pounds of KOH???? :shock: I might need a bigger pot to try that one.


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## Ivanstein (Nov 27, 2017)

Kittish said:


> 30 *pounds* of oils?! Along with over 50 pounds of KOH???? :shock: I might need a bigger pot to try that one.


I scaled it down. Converted °B to specific gravity and did the calcs for %lye. Ran it through soap calc. It made soap, but its not fit to shave with.


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## MEHR (Nov 28, 2017)

Hi guys,
Does anyone make alcohol free  nontransparent soap with Sorbitol, Sorbitan Oleate?
i don't know the percentage for making 
pleassssse help meeeee


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## DeeAnna (Nov 28, 2017)

MEHR -- please ask your question in a new thread. You will not get as much help by asking an unrelated new question in an existing thread. It is also rather impolite, since you are not helping to answer the original poster's question.


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## Zany_in_CO (Nov 28, 2017)

MEHR said:


> Does anyone make alcohol free  nontransparent soap with Sorbitol, Sorbitan Oleate?  i don't know the percentage for making pleassssse help meeeee


Welcome, MEHR. Good question! I'm curious to hear the answer too. DeeAnna is correct... best to start a new thread to attract members familiar with those ingredients. Put "Sorbitol, Sorbitan Oleate" in the Title box.


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## Zany_in_CO (Nov 28, 2017)

Ivanstein said:


> I scaled it down. Converted °B to specific gravity and did the calcs for %lye. Ran it through soap calc. It made soap, but its not fit to shave with.


I love reading those old timey recipes! It looks easy enough to make once it's scaled down. Don't give up on it just yet! I'd give it a long cure time and see what happens. Put it away somewhere and forget about it for 3 months... so you aren't tempted to play with it... and see what happens.

In response to your earlier question, I would say the problem is not the lack of sugar but rather the recipe.


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## cmzaha (Nov 28, 2017)

I use a tweaked version of this recipe [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHS1V8HIwoE&t=167s[/ame]


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## Ivanstein (Nov 28, 2017)

So. After doing more reading, does just dissolving the soap in alcohol, sugar water or whatnot make it transparent, given the correct oils?

Is it acceptable to dissolve a HP soap with 99% isopropyl to make it pourable, and wait for the alcohol to cure out?

Solvents and soap are now making me obsess over soap again.


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## Zany_in_CO (Aug 19, 2018)

Ivanstein said:


> So. After doing more reading, does just dissolving the soap in alcohol, sugar water or whatnot make it transparent, given the correct oils?


Yes. Ethyl alcohol (aka grain alcohol, ethanol; etoh; Everclear) will melt soap at a rate of 1 part alcohol to 2 parts soap.


Ivanstein said:


> Is it acceptable to dissolve a HP soap with 99% isopropyl to make it pourable, and wait for the alcohol to cure out?


Isopropyl alcohol will make the soap rubbery and not clear. On the other hand, you can try a rebatch of HP or CP that has an INS value of 160 or higher. I've done this many times. Not recently tho.



> REBATCH:  Prepare lightly greased molds. Grate 8 ounces of soap. Place grated soap in 8-cup Pyrex. Prepare Liquid:
> 
> 3 oz. water
> 2 oz. sugar
> ...





Ivanstein said:


> Solvents and soap are now making me obsess over soap again.


So? Welcome to the Club!


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