# Borax in soap?



## freesia792 (Sep 9, 2014)

Good morning everyone. 

Recently I read a suggestion from other soap makers adding borax to soap but I'm not sure what it's supposed to do for it. Sounds crazy but I thought the same thing about adding sugar before I tried it. :???:

Has anyone here tried using borax in soap? 

They are saying it's a natural product, but even if that's true, natural isn't always better or safe, and it sounds scary, but I really love bubbles.

Thanks,
Mary


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Sep 9, 2014)

What was the use of adding it in?  To deal with hard water?


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## Lion Of Judah (Sep 9, 2014)

i have long thought about this additive in soap , like you i have seen it used in some recipes where the person is doing it for a couple of reason ; the 1st you stated is for increasing bubbles and 2nd it is said to help the soap when "hard water " is present . so far i have not bought myself to add it to my soap. it may be a experiment i may try later on down the line just to see what the end product is like . 
i too have read its a natural occurring ...... here is something that i learn about natural , "snake venom" is natural as well  ,say no more


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## Earthen_Step (Sep 9, 2014)

I'd like to try it with a laundry soap.  If you try it let us know how it turns out.


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## Lion Of Judah (Sep 9, 2014)

Earthen_Step said:


> I'd like to try it with a laundry soap.  If you try it let us know how it turns out.



when you say laundry soap do you mean "bar" type laundry soap? because when i make powder laundry soap i do add it as well as washing soda , and the same process is done for making liquid laundry soap.
and if you mean regular laundry soap then yes you can use it , that is what it was intended for .


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## Earthen_Step (Sep 9, 2014)

Lion Of Judah said:


> when you say laundry soap do you mean "bar" type laundry soap? because when i make powder laundry soap i do add it as well as washing soda , and the same process is done for making liquid laundry soap.
> and if you mean regular laundry soap then yes you can use it , that is what it was intended for .



Yes I mean bar laundry soap.  I will grate it up and I was planning on adding borax to it after grating it.  I wonder what stage and how borax much you can add to soap pre-pouring?  And, would it add too much bubble action for the washing machine saponified?  It might be worth just doing my original plan, but not as fun.


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## freesia792 (Sep 9, 2014)

Earthen_Step said:


> I'd like to try it with a laundry soap.  If you try it let us know how it turns out.


I have used it in homemade laundry soap. It worked just fine for that. I'm just wondering if it is bad for a person's skin for use in bath or hand soap.


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## Earthen_Step (Sep 9, 2014)

freesia792 said:


> I have used it in homemade laundry soap. It worked just fine for that. I'm just wondering if it is bad for a person's skin for use in bath or hand soap.



how much did you put in for laundry soap and at what stage?  I'd imagine in the water pre lye?

Borax is considered safe but, if you are using it for hair/skin use it in very low amounts.  



			
				ehow.com said:
			
		

> Concerns
> 
> Boric acid, a chemical cousin to borax, was once used in eyewash but is no longer recommended for any medicinal use. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel suggested restrictions on compounds containing boric acid. Sodium borate is an ingredient in Gardisil, a vaccine for human papillomavirus given to girls to prevent cervical cancer. Some parents fear side effects from this ingredient, which can be used as rat poison. The EPA warns that toxic reactions in humans tend to be greater in males, affecting the testicles and causing tubule atrophy and lower sperm counts.
> 
> ...



I doubt small amounts of borax in soap would be "chronic toxic exposure". But this alone would keep me from using it in my skin soaps.


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## lsg (Sep 9, 2014)

I have used it in a laundry bar.  This is an old soap recipe. I really don't know what it adds to the soap. It is a laundry bar, not a laundry gel. I just followed the recipe after I ran it through the lye calculator. My only changes to the original recipe were the Vit. E and the essential oil to make it smell good. Here it is for anyone who is interested. It does make a nice bar. 

Lard 19.2 oz
Coconut Oil 12.8 oz
Lye 4.8 oz
Distilled water 10 oz.
Borax 3 Tbsp.
Sugar 1/4 cup
Ammonia 1/4 cup
8 drops Vitamin E (to prevent DOS)

Add sugar and borax to lye water and stir until lye and other ingredients are dissolved. This may take a while.
Melt coconut oil and lard, stir in Vitamin E. Add lye water and
soap as usual. At thin trace add ammonia. Be careful to soap by an open window because the fumes from the ammonia are potent at first. If desired, you may add 1 oz orange or lemon essential oils.

Pour into mold and let set for 24 hours.


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## Lion Of Judah (Sep 9, 2014)

Earthen_Step said:


> Yes I mean bar laundry soap.  I will grate it up and I was planning on adding borax to it after grating it.  I wonder what stage and how much you can add to soap pre-pouring?  And, would it add too much bubble action for the washing machine saponified?  It might be worth just doing my original plan, but not as fun.



yes i make my own bar soap then grate it down let it dry out to reduce moister and add 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda , mix it then blend it all up . here is a few things to make note of . you do not need your soap to be heavily SF , that is just oil running around in your machine, also you would want something that has high coconut oil amount to promote bubbles and cleaning . some bring the SF down to 0%  or just 1%. some use two tablespoon or three . i use laundry-mat machines so i use about 1/4 cup or more


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## freesia792 (Sep 9, 2014)

Earthen_Step said:


> how much did you put in for laundry soap and at what stage?  I'd imagine in the water pre lye?
> 
> Borax is considered safe but, if you are using it for hair/skin use it in very low amounts.
> 
> ...



Yes, doesn't seem worth the risk. I couldn't imagine using more that about 1 tsp ppo. But I'd hate for a man to use it and get sick cause I got fancy with the soap making.


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## sassanellat (Sep 13, 2014)

There are a LOT of strange references in this 'caution list'. First, borax is just pH neutralized boric acid (pKa ~ 8, so if your soap goes slightly acidic, you have available boric acid. Boric acid is on the list as 'unsafe for reproduction' and all products that include boax must be specifically labeled if imported into the EU. Since the purpose of adding borax is to tie up the extra divalent cations (mostly the calcium and magnesium of hard water), you'd be much, much safer going with a fraction of a percent of EDTA.


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## vuladams (Dec 22, 2014)

I tried it once and hated it. It was super chemically feeling. I threw the whole batch out.


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