# A few questions about Liquid soap



## asherbenruby (Mar 1, 2014)

I've got a couple batches under my belt and I have some questions.

1.  I haven't neutralized any of my soap and I would like to not have to.  What would I need to do?  Make sure it is with a certain PH range?

2.  What superfat do you use?  I used -10.  The soap seems fine but I want my soap to be as conditioning/moisturing as possible.

TIA!


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## new12soap (Mar 1, 2014)

If you are using excess lye, it has to be neutralized for the soap to be safe. If you don't want to neutralize, then use a 0-3% superfat.

Remember, neutralizing liquid soap refers to excess lye, NOT the pH of the soap, it will still always be alkaline.

If you have not needed to neutralize your soaps made with excess lye, then I wonder what calculator you are using? Does it account for the high impurities in KOH? If it doesn't, then that may explain it. KOH is only 90-95% pure, you may have entered a -10 sf and ended up with a 0.


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## asherbenruby (Mar 1, 2014)

new12soap said:


> If you are using excess lye, it has to be neutralized for the soap to be safe. If you don't want to neutralize, then use a 0-3% superfat.
> 
> Remember, neutralizing liquid soap refers to excess lye, NOT the pH of the soap, it will still always be alkaline.
> 
> If you have not needed to neutralize your soaps made with excess lye, then I wonder what calculator you are using? Does it account for the high impurities in KOH? If it doesn't, then that may explain it. KOH is only 90-95% pure, you may have entered a -10 sf and ended up with a 0.


I used soapcalc and -10%  
What is a good PH for liquid soap?


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## FGOriold (Mar 1, 2014)

Liquid soap typically has a ph between 9 - 10.  If it is over 10, you may find it harsh.  Even higher and you have issues of excess lye that could be dangerous.  I have seen people say that their soap tests out below 9, but any liquid soap I have made in which the ph goes below 9, gets cloudy and starts to separate out.  Soap is meant to be alkaline and lowering the ph too much breaks it apart and it is no longer soap.


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## lady-of-4 (Mar 2, 2014)

new12soap said:


> If you are using excess lye, it has to be neutralized for the soap to be safe. If you don't want to neutralize, then use a 0-3% superfat.
> 
> Remember, neutralizing liquid soap refers to excess lye, NOT the pH of the soap, it will still always be alkaline.
> 
> If you have not needed to neutralize your soaps made with excess lye, then I wonder what calculator you are using? Does it account for the high impurities in KOH? If it doesn't, then that may explain it. KOH is only 90-95% pure, you may have entered a -10 sf and ended up with a 0.



The excess Lye has a direct correlation with pH of the soap.  More Lye,  higher pH.  Neutral in soap vocabulary is just lowering the pH as close to neutral as possible without going out of solution.  The point it goes out of solution,  as one other soaper mentioned, is below 9.  There is no way a person can get soap below 9 otherwise.


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