# Table Sugar to Increase Lather and Bubbles?



## Ray Ray's Soap Shop (May 7, 2020)

Have any of you ever used regular granulated sugar to increase the lather and bubbles in a soap recipe? If so, did it work well?

I like old-fashioned, 100% lard soap, but want to add a little extra to the lather and bubbles without adding other oils or expensive additives.


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## artemis (May 7, 2020)

Yes. I think most people do.


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## Ray Ray's Soap Shop (May 7, 2020)

artemis said:


> Yes. I think most people do.


Okay. Thank you. That's just one trick that I've never tried.


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## IrishLass (May 7, 2020)

I've found table sugar and also honey to increase lather in my soaps, but my mileage varies depending on how much I add. For example, I don't notice too much difference if I add anything less than one tbsp sugar ppo (per pound of oil), but I notice a definite difference when I add 2 tbsp ppo, which happens to be the sweet spot amount I settled on and always use. I went as high as 4 tablespoons sugar ppo once for experiment sake and the bubblage was crazy awesome...... as crazy awesome as the bubbly lather is in a 100% coconut oil soap, but the soap turned out quite soft because of the high amount of sugar. 


IrishLass


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## Jersey Girl (May 7, 2020)

IrishLass said:


> I've found table sugar and also honey to increase lather in my soaps, but my mileage varies depending on how much I add. For example, I don't notice too much difference if I add anything less than one tbsp sugar ppo (per pound of oil), but I notice a definite difference when I add 2 tbsp ppo, which happens to be the sweet spot amount I settled on and always use. I went as high as 4 tablespoons sugar ppo once for experiment sake and the bubblage was crazy awesome...... as crazy awesome as the bubbly lather is in a 100% coconut oil soap, but the soap turned out quite soft because of the high amount of sugar.
> 
> 
> IrishLass



When using simple syrup is the amount the same? Would 1 or 2 Tbsp ppo be ok?


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## Arimara (May 8, 2020)

Jersey Girl said:


> When using simple syrup is the amount the same? Would 1 or 2 Tbsp ppo be ok?


Take a tbps of water from your liquid, heat it up to dissolve the 1-2 tbsp(s) of sugar (or honey) from your liquid (before adding lye) and you should be fine.


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## artemis (May 8, 2020)

I just put it in my water and make sure it's fully dissolved before adding the NaOH to the water. I have never had to heat it to get the sugar to dissolve.


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## Mobjack Bay (May 8, 2020)

@Jersey Girl if your simple syrup is 50:50 (sugar:water) by weight use 2x whatever measure you use.  I add 10 g of simple syrup to my split water, so 5 g sugar and 5 g water. I adjust the total liquid in the split to account for the 5 g of water from the simple syrup. I'm adding slightly more than a tsp of sugar, which weighs approx. 4 g.  I may try using a bit more sugar, but will need to think first about how it might affect the gelling.


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## gloopygloop (May 8, 2020)

I am like IrishLass and add about 5% of sugar to oil weight which I think is around the one TBS per pound of oils more or less...ish. I also have tried more but it was detrimental to the soap quality and again as IrishLass said less didn't seem to do very much.


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## cmzaha (May 8, 2020)

As IrishLass notes more than 2tbs ppo will start to soften your soap. Think solvent. Sugars are used as solvents in m&p soaps. 

I used to use sugar around the 2tbs ppo but now use sorbitol at 1% total batch weight.


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## Jersey Girl (May 8, 2020)

cmzaha said:


> As IrishLass notes more than 2tbs ppo will start to soften your soap. Think solvent. Sugars are used as solvents in m&p soaps.
> 
> I used to use sugar around the 2tbs ppo but now use sorbitol at 1% total batch weight.



Are you using the liquid?  I apologize if this has been answered before but what is the benefit of using sorbitol over sugar In your opinion.


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## DeeAnna (May 8, 2020)

Jersey Girl said:


> ...what is the benefit of using sorbitol over sugar In your opinion.




Not Carolyn, and I haven't used sorbitol myself, but it's on my list of interesting additives. See sample 3 versus sample 21 -- Updated: Lather Lovers Additive Tests, One Year Later! - Modern Soapmaking


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## cmzaha (May 8, 2020)

It was the above test that lead me to test Sorbitol and I have been hooked ever since. It does create a thicker/denser smaller bubble type lather. But my customers noticed the difference and really like it. The downside is I do sell and it is not necessarily inexpensive, but I doubt my customers would be pleased if I change now.


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## Jersey Girl (May 8, 2020)

Thank you for the link. What a great experiment! I love the whole idea of the cooperative swap idea.  I feel even better that I recently bought 4 gallons of aloe juice and have been adding that and CA to all my recent batches!  I also just bought a case of evaporated milk at Costco to try.  Now I need sorbitol. Lol


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## Kamahido (May 8, 2020)

Yes, it does. Just be aware that the sugar will make you soap batter heat up more during saponification.


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## Jersey Girl (May 8, 2020)

sorry for the double post I’m having issues posting on the site.


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## Highfive (May 9, 2020)

We use to use 1-2 tbs per pounds of soap to increase the bubbles. We modified our recipe so we no longer use sugar.


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## linne1gi (May 9, 2020)

I use sugar and salt - 1 teaspoon of each, per pound of oils.  I add both to my distilled water and stir to dissolve.  I have never had to heat it up to dissolve it - I just wait a bit and it seems to dissolve each time.  After I am sure it has dissolved, I add an inch of  mulberry silk fiber, cut up very finely - I measure out my lye and pour the lye on top of the silk fibers.  And stir, in about 10 minutes everything is completely dissolved, the lye solution is clear (but you can see a faint yellowish color on top from the silk) - after the lye solution has cooled to about 80F - I strain the lye solution into my oils, which also are about 80-85F.  Maybe I don't have to strain, but I do just in case and once or twice I have found a small piece of undissolved lye, so I am glad I strain.


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## GGMA0317 (May 10, 2020)

I tried it but I didn't notice a difference.


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## cmzaha (May 10, 2020)

GGMA0317 said:


> I tried it but I didn't notice a difference.


What is your CO percentage. If you use low CO you should notice a difference. Although I no longer use sugar and now use Sorbitol, all the years I used sugar I noticed a difference.


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## KDP (May 10, 2020)

cmzaha said:


> What is your CO percentage. If you use low CO you should notice a difference. Although I no longer use sugar and now use Sorbitol, all the years I used sugar I noticed a difference.


cmzaha, where do you get your Sorbitol? What form is it in?


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## cmzaha (May 10, 2020)

It is in powder and I just get it on Amazon.


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## KDP (May 10, 2020)

cmzaha said:


> It is in powder and I just get it on Amazon.


Thank you


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## GGMA0317 (May 10, 2020)

I tested various percentages all the way down to 0.  I didn't notice anything.


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## Nona'sFarm (May 11, 2020)

I am a beekeeper and add honey to most of my soaps, 1 tsp - 1 tbsp per pound of oil, depending  on the amount  of coconut oil. Most of my soaps have 20% - 25% coconut oil and I only add 1 tsp to those. It seems to boost the lather. I usually don't add any honey to my beer / hard cider soaps, since these have their own sugars.


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## Nona'sFarm (May 11, 2020)

Mobjack Bay said:


> @Jersey Girl if your simple syrup is 50:50 (sugar:water) by weight use 2x whatever measure you use.  I add 10 g of simple syrup to my split water, so 5 g sugar and 5 g water. I adjust the total liquid in the split to account for the 5 g of water from the simple syrup. I'm adding slightly more than a tsp of sugar, which weighs approx. 4 g.  I may try using a bit more sugar, but will need to think first about how it might affect the gelling.


@Mobjack Bay, I've been meaning to ask, do you use distilled water to make your simple syrup or just not worry about that little amount ? Typically I make mine using tap/well water, so I have been hesitant to try it in a soap. I usually use honey, but if I want to achieve a whiter soap I can't use honey.


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## Arimara (May 11, 2020)

Nona'sFarm said:


> @Mobjack Bay, I've been meaning to ask, do you use distilled water to make your simple syrup or just not worry about that little amount ? Typically I make mine using tap/well water, so I have been hesitant to try it in a soap. I usually use honey, but if I want to achieve a whiter soap I can't use honey.


Not Mobjack but you might be better off using filtered water, if you can't get distilled water. Distilled water is about as blank a canvas as you can get.


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## Mobjack Bay (May 11, 2020)

@Nona'sFarm I use distilled water.


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## B&E Homestead (May 13, 2020)

cmzaha said:


> What is your CO percentage. If you use low CO you should notice a difference.


CO. -  Coconut oil???


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## shunt2011 (May 13, 2020)

B&E Homestead said:


> CO. -  Coconut oil???



Yes, CO= Coconut Oil


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