# What are your favorite additives to put in soap?



## Anika (Oct 28, 2018)

By additives, I mean things like sodium lactate, silk, glycerin, etc. Things that change the physical properties such as texture and hardness.

I have made mostly plain soap (with clays and organic things like that) oils+lye solution + colorant+ fragrance, but I would like to try other, more "serious", ingredients. Do you add any unique "chemicals" like glycerin that most people don't talk about? What properties does this change? Do you add any specific ingredient to *every* batch you make?

It was only today that I saw someone mention glycerin in soap and now I'm wondering what else is out there. I had no idea that was an option for cold process despite decent experience and research.


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## msunnerstood (Oct 29, 2018)

Kaolin Clay,silk powder and yogurt. Kaolin adds slip plus if I need white it works well in place of TD.


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## cmzaha (Oct 29, 2018)

Sorbitol, Oatmeal, avocado puree, vinegar, activated charcoal, sometimes silk cocoons, very seldom clays.

ETA: Fresh Aloe, Pumpkin, Carrot Puree and EDTA


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## Relle (Oct 29, 2018)

Welcome Anika ,I see you are new and this is your first post. would you like to go to the Introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself and how you  got into soaping.


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## shunt2011 (Oct 29, 2018)

Silk, SL, Oatmeal, Charcoal, Aloe Vera, Milks, Pumpkin.  Glycerine is a natural byproduct of handmade soap.  No need to add extra.   Silk to me give a slippery, silkiness to the bar, Oatmeal & Charcoal can add a bit of scrubbiness.  SL just makes the soap harder to un mold sooner.  I don't add clays.  Didn't really notice a difference personally.


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## lsg (Oct 29, 2018)

I tried sorbitol in my latest batch and love it.  I also like clay, aloe and silk.


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## steffamarie (Oct 29, 2018)

I use aloe juice in most recipes along with coconut milk powder or buttermilk powder and kaolin clay. I’m pleased with the results so far. I also like colloidal oatmeal (I’ve used oat flour too but it’s a lot less fine)


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## bristles (Oct 29, 2018)

lsg said:


> I tried sorbitol in my latest batch and love it.  I also like clay, aloe and silk.


what qualities does sorbitol add?


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## shunt2011 (Oct 29, 2018)

bristles said:


> what qualities does sorbitol add?



Adds to the bubbles.  Especially in low coconut /higher butter recipes


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## Dahila (Oct 29, 2018)

milks, oats,  avocado puree, silk, must be SL, Sugar or honey


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## amd (Oct 29, 2018)

Kaolin, silk, salt.


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## IrishLass (Oct 29, 2018)

I don't add any glycerin to my bar-type soap since the saponification reaction creates glycerin as a natural by-product (somewhere around 10% to 15% worth, or thereabouts), but I do make my liquid soap with it (i.e., GLS or glycerin liquid soap).

Additives I use in my CP/bar soap:

-sodium lactate (makes for a harder bar, easier unmolding, lends a bit of 'body' to the lather....I also use it in my liquid soap to help the paste dilute easier/faster.)
-Tussa silk fibers (lends a silky/slippery feel to the soap)
-tetrasodium EDTA (I have very hard water and this helps cut down on the formation of soap scum in my shower, as well as helping my soap to lather better in the shower.....it's also good at preventing DOS, i.e., dreaded orange spots, aka rancidity)
-honey (a lovely lather enhancer)
-sugar (bubbly lather enhancer)
-beeswax (I use it in my honey/beeswax soap. Lends a bit of hardness to my bar)
-stearic acid (I use this in my shaving soap. It provides cushion, stability and longevity to the shaving lather).
-pumice (for a scrubby soap)
- avocado puree (lends a creamy dimension and color)
-Baby oatmeal (a nice non-scratchy alternative to regular oats for my oatmeal soap)
-salt for my salt bars
-goat milk or coconut milk (lends creaminess)


IrishLass


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## Anika (Oct 30, 2018)

These are all  interesting ideas I'll have to try. EDTA sounds awesome. Anything to cut down on that annoying soap scum. 

Thanks for all the details, IrishLass.


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## Nnenna (Nov 4, 2018)

cmzaha said:


> Sorbitol, Oatmeal, avocado puree, vinegar, activated charcoal, sometimes silk cocoons, very seldom clays.
> 
> ETA: Fresh Aloe, Pumpkin, Carrot Puree and EDTA


Please how do you know the quantity of additives to add? I once added carrot puree but it didn't come out well. I think I added a lot. Please is there a guide line to how much additives one can add? Thank you


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## shunt2011 (Nov 4, 2018)

Nnenna said:


> Please how do you know the quantity of additives to add? I once added carrot puree but it didn't come out well. I think I added a lot. Please is there a guide line to how much additives one can add? Thank you



When adding purées you subtract the amount of purée you plan to use from the liquid required to make it.


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## Pepsi Girl (Nov 4, 2018)

I nearly always use clay.  My husband loves French green clay in the soap that's in the shower.  That's where he shaves and he loves to shave with my clay soap.  But I also use other clays.  Aloe, Oatmeal, goat milk, tea, coffee, and other things from time to time.


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## Nnenna (Nov 5, 2018)

shunt2011 said:


> When adding purées you subtract the amount of purée you plan to use from the liquid required to make it.


Noted. Thank you very much


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## McLasz (Nov 7, 2018)

steffamarie said:


> I use aloe juice in most recipes along with coconut milk powder or buttermilk powder and kaolin clay. I’m pleased with the results so far. I also like colloidal oatmeal (I’ve used oat flour too but it’s a lot less fine)



Hi there! I’m wondering about your additives in regards to when and where you add them? And does milk powder help to prevent the heating of the batter like liquid coconut milk or goat milk? One more question- do you have to use white Tussaud’s silk or can it be a color? I’m guessing white is best as it is not dyed but the white is bleached so I’m back to scratching my head!
Thanks in advance!



IrishLass said:


> Additives I use in my CP/bar soap:
> 
> -sodium lactate (makes for a harder bar, easier unmolding, lends a bit of 'body' to the lather....I also use it in my liquid soap to help the paste dilute easier/faster.)
> -Tussa silk fibers (lends a silky/slippery feel to the soap)
> ...



Hi!!! I will ask you the same- how and when do you add these extras? Is it a tsp pp of finished soap? Does Tussah have to be white? I love all the additives and feel ready to try one... just want as much info as I can get. I read a lot and there is a bunch of conflicting info out there. I’m learning that this forum might be the only reading I should do!!!
Thank you!!!!


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## Dahila (Nov 7, 2018)

everyone does it differently,  I found everything on google when I started, all info is on internet


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## shunt2011 (Nov 7, 2018)

McLasz said:


> Hi there! I’m wondering about your additives in regards to when and where you add them? And does milk powder help to prevent the heating of the batter like liquid coconut milk or goat milk? One more question- do you have to use white Tussaud’s silk or can it be a color? I’m guessing white is best as it is not dyed but the white is bleached so I’m back to scratching my head!
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> 
> ...



I add SL, sugar, salt and silk to my water before the lye.  I make sure the salt/sugar is well dissolved first.   I use tussah silk, it's kind of yellowish when it dissolves in the hot lye.  I add powdered milk to my liquid milk to dissolve.  I mix my lye with water and add the remainder as milk/powdered milk to make it full milk in the end.  I add the milk mixture to my oils and blend well then add the lye.  Honey, I dissolve in a bit of warm water and add to my oils as well.


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## McLasz (Nov 8, 2018)

Thank you so very much!!!



Dahila said:


> everyone does it differently,  I found everything on google when I started, all info is on internet


I was asking because I’ve been reading a ton on the internet and, as I said, I find conflicting information. Therefore I came to the forum to gather some advice from people that I respect as seasoned & experienced soapers as I thought that’s what the newbie threads are for. My mistake and I apologize if I stepped on toes.


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## Candybee (Nov 8, 2018)

I love milks in my soap and use a lot of coconut and goat milk. Other additives I use are honey, oatmeal, SL, charcoal, clays, pumice, purees, beer, aloe juice, silk. I have one recipe I use lanolin and glycerin.


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## Primrose (Nov 8, 2018)

All of my soap is 100% goat milk, but that's just because I have my own goats and that's my reason for making soap. I've never made a soap with water so no idea how or if it feels differently. 

I'm a sucker for an unscented uncoloured oatmeal milk and honey bar ... Probably my favourite. I actually use oat bran as the oatmeal bit. 

For scrubby soaps I love ground pumice. 

I do rather like activated charcoal too.


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## Dahila (Nov 9, 2018)

McLasz said:


> I was asking because I’ve been reading a ton on the internet and, as I said, I find conflicting information. Therefore I came to the forum to gather some advice from people that I respect as seasoned & experienced soapers as I thought that’s what the newbie threads are for. My mistake and I apologize if I stepped on toes.


http://millersoap.com/ this is really good site , another is on youtube 'soaping 101"


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## DigitalEnigma (Nov 9, 2018)

Silk, salt, kaolin clay and occasionally goat milk.


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## earlene (Nov 10, 2018)

I recently tried corn silk, although I haven't tested the soap yet. 

I started using silk (dissolved in the lye water) a few months ago, but again, haven't been using it long enough yet to be definitive about the results.

I have been using ROE & EDTA  for a couple of years at least and can say without a doubt that soap scum is reduced and I don't see DOS in my soaps hardly ever.

Sometimes I have used SL, but don't really see any long-term benefit, only use it now and then when I think of it so I can use up the bottle. 

I have used salt and sugar more often than most other types of additives.  Salt to harden the bar.  Sugar to enhance bubbles.  But with a longer cure, most of my soaps don't seem to need either, so have cut back on that habit, too.

When newer to soapmaking, I used Aloe Juice for my lye solution in many batches of soap, but stopped using it mostly because it was just a hassle having to refrigerate or put into cubes in the freezer.

I have used honey, beeswax (I like beeswax), lanolin (I also like lanolin), maple syrup (too much can make soap spongy), agave syrup, colloidal oatmeal (with a long cure this gets scratchy to my skin), dried tea leaves (only for foot soap though, due to scratchiness), and various other things.

I liked trying out different purees like papaya, carrots, tomatoes, etc.  And I've experimented with other botanicals as well, spinach, parsley, other herbs and spices, too.  Some for color, some just to see what would happen.  But none have become a favorite that I use a lot in soap.  Most were more of a novelty than anything else.

Now and then I still use different milks in soap, but don't really see such a great benefit, so it's not really a favorite for me.  I like to drink buttermilk, but sometimes when I have it, I'll toss some into a soap for the heck of it.  Sometimes I'll think, 'why not open a can of goat's milk?' (I still have maybe 3 cans in the cupboard) and use that until it's gone.  But I don't really feel a huge benefit from milks, so not a favorite.  But it makes nice gifts as many people do like the idea of goat milk soap.

The one additive that I really felt made a difference in the soap (and I do admit, this might be my own personal prejudice) was roses-infused oils.  I gather the rose petals from my rose bushes every season and dry them for potpourri.  But I also infuse some of them in oil and use the infused oil in a small batches of soap.  Besides nice label appeal, for me I do think the soap feels different to my skin, even if maybe it's all in my head.  Although I do have to say that I did once use one of the soaps without forethought and while using said to myself, 'This feels like my rose-infused oils soap', so maybe it is more than in my head and maybe it is more than a nice label appeal.


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## Terri E (Nov 10, 2018)

I use a standard dry mix of oat flour, rice flour, coconut milk, kaolin clay and goat milk. I incorporate one scoop (2 tablespoons) per pound of oil into all of my soap but a couple. I also use fresh aloe gel and local organic goat milk for my liquid in most of my soap. I do add sodium lactate and sometimes silk to my lye mixture.
No sugar, no salt instead xylitol and citric acid. I find it makes a nice bubbly soap with reduced soap scum.
I add a lot of lanolin, my favorite, cocoa butter and raw shea butter as well 
My favorite soap to make is Aleppo but I also love a plain oat & rice bar w/o any fragrance.


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## MKLonestar (Nov 10, 2018)

I use Aloe Vera juice in place of water,  I also add in coconut milk, goat milk powder, Kaolin clay (used for "slip" and also to anchor the fragrance), Colloidal oatmeal, sea salt, sugar, and Tussah silk to every batch of soap that I make. Occasionally, I will add in Jojoba beads or poppy seeds to give some exfoliation. I just found tapioca pearls at an Asian market, so I am going to also try them in a batch for exfoliation, as I was told that they do not expand much at all when placed in liquid. I also will occasionally put a coarser sea salt on top for a nice appearance.


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## Nnenna (Nov 22, 2018)

Please has anyone used allantoin powder in soaps before? Someone has asked me to make a soap with it and I'm not sure what quantity to use. Someone please help. Thanks


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## TeresaGG (Nov 22, 2018)

Nnenna said:


> Please has anyone used allantoin powder in soaps before? Someone has asked me to make a soap with it and I'm not sure what quantity to use. Someone please help. Thanks


I suggest you start a new thread with a descriptive title like "allantoin quantity?"


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## Nnenna (Nov 23, 2018)

TeresaGG said:


> I suggest you start a new thread with a descriptive title like "allantoin quantity?"


Ok. Please How do I start a new thread?


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## Terri E (Nov 23, 2018)

Nnenna said:


> Please has anyone used allantoin powder in soaps before? Someone has asked me to make a soap with it and I'm not sure what quantity to use. Someone please help. Thanks



I use allantoin in all of my lotion at 1%. It is found in the comfrey plant and is a great healer for skin. I would use it at 1-2% of oils for soap. I blend it into the water phase of my lotion but for soap I would dissolve it into a small amount of very warm water and add it after emulsification.


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