# Potato soap update



## Obsidian (Aug 14, 2014)

6 months ago I made a batch of soap using around 5oz of pureed potato. I never really did try it after cure since I have so many other soaps to try. 

Well, I just pulled a bar out and washed my hand and its great! I had handfuls of huge lush bubbles just running down my arms. Skin feels really nice too, will try it in the shower tomorrow.

I can't find my notes on this batch tonight but I'll locate them tomorrow. If I remember right, it was just a basic recipe made HP.
I think I need to try potato in my reformulated basic recipe so I can really compare lather but so far, I really like what I see.


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## Dorymae (Aug 14, 2014)

This is very interesting.  I've never thought to put potato in soap.  I'll be interested to know what your notes say.  What made you think of putting in potato?  Was it the starch/sugar content?


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## CaraBou (Aug 14, 2014)

This is such a novel soap, and I love updates. So glad to hear it!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Aug 14, 2014)

I remember the original thread on this - glad that it has turned out okay


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## Obsidian (Aug 14, 2014)

I found my notes, it was just a real basic recipe and I do still have a couple soap made from the same one but without the potato so I'll compare them later today.
I was trying to come up with a local soap that might appeal to tourist or be a interesting novelty item, I live in Idaho so using potato seemed the way to go.


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## cmzaha (Aug 14, 2014)

I made potato soap a few yrs ago and found it gives a great lathering soap. I just did not like the look of the tiny specks it would leave in the soap, same goes for using plantains. Once in awhile if I have leftover mashed potatoes and I am making a dark soap I will dump them in. Not much I have not tried in soap...


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## Obsidian (Aug 14, 2014)

I don't notice any dark specks but I also added a tiny bit of cinnamon so maybe I just can't tell the difference. I did blend mine in a bullet blender and strain it though so I only used a fine puree in the soap.

I did use it this morning in the shower and so far, my skin feels really nice. I used 8% SF in my base recipe but I did add a little extra avocado for SF since it was HP. My skin also has a nice lingering cinnamon scent but I know it won't last too much more.


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## Lindy (Aug 14, 2014)

Hazel was kind enough to send me a sample of her potato soap and I must say I really loved it.  The potato adds so much to the final recipe.

 Thanks for the update from your own batches.  One question for you though, did you use cooked potatoes or raw?


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## Obsidian (Aug 14, 2014)

I used cooked. I boiled it to death then blended, making sure to use the water it was cooked in. I must say, I'm surprised by this additive. Hours later, my skin still feels silky and not a speck of scaly dry skin any where.


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## Dorymae (Aug 14, 2014)

Oh all you forum people are terrible!! :crazy: Now I have another experiment in my book!!!  I have 4 waiting to be tried - all from this forum!! :wink:  It is one of my favorite things to do - try new things with a twist.


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## Lindy (Aug 14, 2014)

Dorymae said:


> Oh all you forum people are terrible!! :crazy: Now I have another experiment in my book!!! I have 4 waiting to be tried - all from this forum!! :wink: It is one of my favorite things to do - try new things with a twist.


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## Obsidian (Aug 14, 2014)

Dorymae said:


> Oh all you forum people are terrible!! :crazy: Now I have another experiment in my book!!!  I have 4 waiting to be tried - all from this forum!! :wink:  It is one of my favorite things to do - try new things with a twist.



Thats what we are here for

Keep in mind, when I made this soap it separated something terrible. It took a good 10 minutes of hand whipping to get it back together. I did add the potato to the lye, turned into a thick gooey mess, maybe that had something to do with it.
My next potato soap will be made CP and I will add the puree at thick trace and I'll prevent gel by freezing. Hopefully that way it won't separate but if it does, I'll HP it back into shape.


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## Dahila (Aug 14, 2014)

Yes people here are terrible, they do not put any attention on poor newbies without the knowledge.  I want potato soap.  :!::smile:


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## PuddinAndPeanuts (Aug 14, 2014)

Thats so fascinating!  Wow...  Potatoes....  Too cool!


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## vuladams (Aug 15, 2014)

Oh, I want to try this now too! This sounds like a good one to add to a holiday scented soap. I love the Idaho relationship though!


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## LunaSkye (Aug 15, 2014)

I hope your potato soap sells (Idaho Potato Soap). I'd like to try some myself to see how nice it would be.  I also think it would be cool to sell a soap that smells like french fries (there really is an oil, btw). That would really make it a novelty!  Just sayin.


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## honeysuds (Aug 16, 2014)

I made soap with purple potatoes last year thinking that beautiful deep color would come through. The answer is a big fat nope, looks like a regular bar of soap. The lather is wonderful though, and it feels very nice on my skin.


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## MzMolly65 (Nov 25, 2014)

Potato soap on the menu for today.  I saved the water from last night's potato and was thinking I would throw in some of the leftovers but realized at the last minute that I put some Cheeze Whiz in the mash so can't add them to the soap.  I guess I'll just make mine with potato water.


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## Obsidian (Nov 25, 2014)

Awesome, you'll love this soap. Be prepared for the lye mix to get thick, it shouldn't be as bad as it was for me since you don't have the whole potato in it. Make sure you post pics when done.


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## Consuela (Nov 25, 2014)

Obsidian said:


> I was trying to come up with a local soap that might appeal to tourist or be a interesting novelty item, I live in Idaho so using potato seemed the way to go.




I never thought of potato!! That's a great experiment. 

When I lived in south bc I would get my coconut oil from Bonners while getting my groceries there too. We were allowed one bag of Idaho potatoes to bring back.  and Idaho does have awesome potatoes. 

Small world.


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## Obsidian (Nov 25, 2014)

Bonners ferry? I'm about two hours from there.


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## Consuela (Nov 25, 2014)

Obsidian said:


> Bonners ferry? I'm about two hours from there.




Yes!!!  

I was a Kootenay Girl for a while.  grandpa used to gamble in Bonners ha ha like most Canadians.


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## shunt2011 (Nov 25, 2014)

Okay, going to have to try potato soap this weekend with leftover potatoes.  I need to make some restocks badly but want to play.  Haven't made soap in weeks and weeks.


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## lovinglife (Nov 25, 2014)

I'm in Southern Idaho, I may have to make a potato soap.  Thanks, as was already stated, I needed something else to try, now that I finally made a salt soap....which I think is awesome...


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## DWinMadison (Nov 26, 2014)

Hmmm. Now I'm wondering about adding dehydrated instant potatoes at trace like you would colloidal oatmeal.


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## Obsidian (Nov 26, 2014)

I'm sure instant potatoes would work just but I would hydrate them really well first.


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## MzMolly65 (Nov 26, 2014)

I might have cheated on mine.  I dissolved my lye in 1:1 plain water and just added another 1.5 of potato water to my oils.  Seems to work with oatmilk so figured it would work with potato water.

12 large rounds swirled with yellow oxide .. and a few little potato men (Mr. Potato heads?) left over.  There's also 3 little cocoa men left over from the Minion irises but they were not made with potato water.

Everything sat over night and looked good this morning so I popped them in the freezer for a few hours to get a nice release.  More pics later.


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## RhondaJ (Nov 26, 2014)

DWinMadison said:


> Hmmm. Now I'm wondering about adding dehydrated instant potatoes at trace like you would colloidal oatmeal.



I was thinking that myself...wonder if it'd work


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## DWinMadison (Nov 26, 2014)

Obsidian said:


> I'm sure instant potatoes would work just but I would hydrate them really well first.



good point...talk about accelerating your trace!


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## Obsidian (Nov 26, 2014)

Those look great and I don't blame you for not mixing the potato with the lye, its not something I'll do again.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 26, 2014)

I was curious what the old fellas had to say (or not say) about the use of potato in soap and found this tidbit. I get the strong impression from this excerpt that the potato flour actually consumes some lye. The comments in brackets [] and the bolding are mine. Here goes:

Potato-flour is to a considerable extent used for filling soft soaps [soap made with mostly or all KOH]. It does not swell much either in cold water or in an alkaline solution, but *when caustic lye is added it is at once converted into a smooth, stiff paste*. It possesses also the property of fixing much moisture and making soap filled with it more compact and durable. As, however, the resulting product is more turbid [cloudy], only inferior qualities of soap are filled with potato-flour.

Filling with this material is effected as follows: A large vat of soft wood is placed near the kettle for the reception of the filling material. Pour into the vat 1 part of water or potash solution of 5° to 8° B., stir in 1 part of potato-flour and finally crutch in 1 part of silicate of soda. The latter may be omitted using in place of it 1 part of potato-flour stirred into 2 parts of potash solution of 10° to 12° B., or into potassium chloride solution. 

[B. stands for Baume. It is a measure of the density (heaviness) of a solution. In this context, a higher degree Baume means the lye solution is stronger or more concentrated.]

Add to the filling material thus prepared, whilst stirring vigorously, a sufficient quantity of the finished soap from the kettle to form a dissolved creamy mass and then thoroughly crutch it into the soap in the kettle. The soap, after the filling has been added becomes soft, viscid [thick] and long [superfatted], and has again to be fitted or shortened, this being effected with caustic lye of 27° to 30° B.  

[To "fit" the soap or to make it "sharp" to the tongue or "short" means to make the soap slightly lye heavy. This was a way to ensure the soap was fully saponified using the soapmaking methods of the day. If the soap was to be a toilet soap, it would be finished at the end to make a more neutral soap. Otherwise most soap was finished and sold slightly lye heavy. This helped prevent rancidity.]

Add of this lye, whilst crutching [mixing] vigorously, a sufficient quantity to impart the shortness [slight lye excess] required and a sample upon the glass appears full and round as well as firm and shows the required sharpness [zap]; for 1 part potato-flour about 1 part of caustic potash [KOH] lye is generally allowed for fitting. 

The operation of filling is frequently, also carried on as follows: About the quantity of lye required for fitting is crutched into the finished soap previous to adding the filling material, the soap acquiring thereby an almost torn appearance. The filling, however is more readily and better absorbed, and the soap presents a more uniformly smooth appearance.

The soapmaker's handbook, Carl Diete, 1912.


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## Obsidian (Nov 26, 2014)

I think I actually read that before but forgot about it. Sounds like they were using a lot of potato though. I wonder what is in potato that consumes lye, there is nothing to saponify so I wonder if neutralizes like citric acid does. I just know it makes a nice lather and leaves your skin feeling nice.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 26, 2014)

My guess is the lye is breaking down the starches. NaOH or KOH is pretty good at reacting chemically with many things, so that wouldn't surprise me. 

I made some soap the weekend before last and wanted to put sugar in the water before I added the lye. Of course I remembered that only after I'd put a small amount of lye in the water. I took a chance, stopped adding the NaOH, and quickly poured the sugar into the weak lye solution. Before I started to stir the mixture, I watched the granules of sugar drop to the bottom -- the whole process seemed unusually slow for some reason. As they fell, I could see small bubbles form on the sugar granules and rise to the surface of the liquid. That probably buoyed the granules a bit, so they fell more slowly.

I know sugars can react with NaOH to form carbon monoxide (CO) gas and other breakdown products, so I suspect the bubbles were probably carbon monoxide. There was only small amount of gas so the situation was not remotely dangerous. It was interesting to see this reaction happen right in front of me, rather than just read about it.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 26, 2014)

The bolded part about mixing potato + lye => smooth stiff paste was the comment that caught my eye in the book quote. Y'all have been talking about adding the potato to the lye water and getting into trouble. Sounds exactly like what Diete was talking about too. Adding the potato at trace or mixing it into the oils might be the best approach to control the rate of thickening, compared with adding it to the lye solution.


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## alongsoak (Nov 28, 2014)

I never would have thought about adding potato to soap. I really need to try that sometime, although I haven't dived into soaping with food much yet. :shifty:


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## benefieldclaus (Dec 12, 2014)

Potato is a great idea! My next thought would be sweet potato but I think many people are allergic to them so I'm not even going to touch that.


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## nframe (Dec 12, 2014)

This is my version of the potato soap.  The yellow part comes from some annatto-infused oil.  For 900g of oils I used 90g potatoes which I mashed in their cooking water.


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## Pepsi Girl (Dec 12, 2014)

So this is new, fresh soap, right?  You have not tried it yet?  I'm very  curious how your skin will feel after using it.  Please continue to keep us posted!


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## IrishLass (Dec 12, 2014)

Enablers you are, one and all! Yet another experiment to put on my ever-growing list. lol


 IrishLass


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## Obsidian (Dec 12, 2014)

Really pretty soap, the black makes the swirls stand out nicely. Every one must make potato soap, it's wonderful.


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## nframe (Dec 14, 2014)

Pepsi Girl said:


> So this is new, fresh soap, right?  You have not tried it yet?  I'm very  curious how your skin will feel after using it.  Please continue to keep us posted!



Well, after reading your post, I tried it even though it's only been two weeks.  It feels great!  Lots of bubbles too.  I have to be patient now so I'll report back next month.


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## Susie (Dec 14, 2014)

IrishLass said:


> Enablers you are, one and all! Yet another experiment to put on my ever-growing list. lol
> 
> 
> IrishLass



Yes, they are! (As she boils potatoes, and thinks that she might be able to do without one or two.)


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## girlishcharm2004 (Dec 14, 2014)

DeeAnna said:


> [To "fit" the soap or to make it "sharp" to the tongue or "short" means to make the soap slightly lye heavy. This was a way to ensure the soap was fully saponified using the soapmaking methods of the day. If the soap was to be a toilet soap, it would be finished at the end to make a more neutral soap. Otherwise most soap was finished and sold slightly lye heavy. This helped prevent rancidity.]
> 
> 
> The soapmaker's handbook, Carl Diete, 1912.



No wonder some people think lye soap to be harsh! I didn't realize it was done on purpose. Yikes.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 14, 2014)

I was surprised to learn recently that most commercial soaps made in the present day aren't superfatted, although soap was often superfatted (meaning 5% or more of free fatty acids) in the 70s and 80s. Today's soap is pretty much lye neutral -- no excess lye, no superfat. 

Superfat makes the soap softer and reduces lather, makes the soap more more prone to cracking and getting mushy, and makes the soap harder to form into bars. These issues have led manufacturers to eliminate the superfat. And maybe that is one reason why people have more skin irritation with commercial soaps?


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## Trinidad Kelly (Feb 13, 2021)

Obsidian said:


> I used cooked. I boiled it to death then blended, making sure to use the water it was cooked in. I must say, I'm surprised by this additive. Hours later, my skin still feels silky and not a speck of scaly dry skin any where.




I am so gonna try this in CP! Potatoes are VERY GOOD for the skin! It aids in skin brightening, blood circulation, reducing wrinkles and so much more! it just clicked to me that I want to make a potato soap so naturally I had to come here and search to see if anyone tried it! Thank you for sharing your experience!


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## The_Phoenix (Feb 13, 2021)

This has been on my “to do” list.

Edited to add: just realized that this is an old reprised thread.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 13, 2021)

MzMolly65 said:


> I might have cheated on mine.  I dissolved my lye in 1:1 plain water and just added another 1.5 of potato water to my oils.  Seems to work with oatmilk so figured it would work with potato water.
> 
> 12 large rounds swirled with yellow oxide .. and a few little potato men (Mr. Potato heads?) left over.  There's also 3 little cocoa men left over from the Minion irises but they were not made with potato water.
> 
> ...


I'd love to know if you get nice big bubbles from the potato water.?


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## Corsara (Feb 13, 2021)

I know it can be troublesome for old forum threads to get dredged up, but I for one love it! I am so new to this, I never would have looked far enough back, or have ever thought to search for such an interesting topic!


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## The_Phoenix (Feb 14, 2021)

Corsara said:


> I know it can be troublesome for old forum threads to get dredged up, but I for one love it! I am so new to this, I never would have looked far enough back, or have ever thought to search for such an interesting topic!


I agree. The information is still relevant.


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## Susie (Feb 18, 2021)

Although I am no moderator, I don't find a problem with it as long as it is on topic and does not ask questions of people who no longer participate on the thread.


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## Relle (Feb 19, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> I'd love to know if you get nice big bubbles from the potato water.?


This person hasn't been here for two years. Not likely to get an answer from them.



Susie said:


> Although I am no moderator, I don't find a problem with it as long as it is on topic and does not ask questions of people who no longer participate on the thread.


I agree.


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## Kosmerta (Feb 19, 2021)

Potato soap, I would have never thought of this. I'm glad this old thread was bumped I want to try this now!


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 20, 2021)

Relle said:


> This person hasn't been here for two years. Not likely to get an answer from them.
> 
> 
> I agree.


Oops sorry my bad' didn't notice it was an old thread. I'll try to be mindful as to the date of a post & how current members are.


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## RDak (Feb 20, 2021)

Here's a married couple who make it for part of their business:
Island Potato Soap Company® - Home


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 20, 2021)

RDak said:


> Here's a married couple who make it for part of their business:
> Island Potato Soap Company® - Home


Wow so interesting, an entire line of products dedicated w/the use of potatoes. I noticed they mention using
 "Potato Juice" I wonder if that's raw ground potato & the juice extracted or cooked? maybe both depending on the product. Interesting post.


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## RDak (Feb 21, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Wow so interesting, an entire line of products dedicated w/the use of potatoes. I noticed they mention using
> "Potato Juice" I wonder if that's raw ground potato & the juice extracted or cooked? maybe both depending on the product. Interesting post.


Good question.  They say it is raw juice so I *guess* they press the potatoes and use the extracted raw juice.  (But do they use it at 100 percent like you ask........good question.)

All I ever do is strain the potato water after boiling and cooling and use that.  Some small particles still remain in the diluted juice but not much.


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## SPowers (Feb 21, 2021)

I wonder if the starch in the potatoes is the reason it's such a nice bar?  Makes me think of the Rice bars.  I like the idea of this.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 21, 2021)

RDak said:


> Good question.  They say it is raw juice so I *guess* they press the potatoes and use the extracted raw juice.  (But do they use it at 100 percent like you ask........good question.)
> 
> All I ever do is strain the potato water after boiling and cooling and use that.  Some small particles still remain in the diluted juice but not much.


This would be a fun project using Raw Potato Juice, I wouldn't use it @ 100% though. If I do try it I'll post my outcome.


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## RDak (Feb 21, 2021)

SPowers said:


> I wonder if the starch in the potatoes is the reason it's such a nice bar?  Makes me think of the Rice bars.  I like the idea of this.


Maybe but what I like about it is it adds to the lather a bit.



Peachy Clean Soap said:


> This would be a fun project using Raw Potato Juice, I wouldn't use it @ 100% though. If I do try it I'll post my outcome.


I do use it now and then as the lye water and the balance of the liquid is a can of coconut milk.  It does help increase the lather.  Not massively but still noticeable IMHO.

Maybe _*raw*_ juice might increase the lather more?


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 21, 2021)

SPowers said:


> I wonder if the starch in the potatoes is the reason it's such a nice bar?  Makes me think of the Rice bars.  I like the idea of this.


I think your right bcause both have starch & starch has sugar which equals "bubbles".


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## RDak (Feb 21, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> I think your right bcause both have starch & starch has sugar which equals "bubbles".


Hmmm.........maybe I shouldn't be straining the potato water so much!!! LOL

Good point though.....I never thought of that.  It probably does help.


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## AliOop (Feb 21, 2021)

Like @Dawni  uses sweet rice flour (which is pretty much the starch), using potato starch might be an easier way to accomplish the same thing. I usually have that around for some of our gluten-free flour mixes. Potato flour is much heavier than potato starch, so I probably would not use that.


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## The_Phoenix (Feb 21, 2021)

When I make hash browns and latkes (which are basically hash browns), I "wash" and drain the grated potato, reserving the liquid in a bowl. The starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl, which I use (only) in latkes to bind the ingredients together. It is this starch (which, like sugar, if basically carbohydrate) that would be useful in soap-making.

So, you could reasonably grate the potato (to increase the surface area that is exposed to the water, thereby releasing more starch), give it a thorough soak in water, drain the liquid into a bowl, and use that collected starch that has sunk to the bottom of the bowl. You can also just buy potato starch from the supermarket (as @AliOop suggested above) and save your potatoes for yummy goodness!


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## Kiti Williams (Feb 21, 2021)

SPowers said:


> I wonder if the starch in the potatoes is the reason it's such a nice bar?  Makes me think of the Rice bars.  I like the idea of this.



  Hummm, I use a lot of potato starch, I think I will add in some to my oils and see what happens.  Thank you all so much for this thread!


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## soapmaker (Feb 21, 2021)

Well, then, if you use potato starch instead of potatoes how much would you use, say, percent of pounds of oil?


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## Kiti Williams (Feb 21, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> When I make hash browns and latkes (which are basically hash browns), I "wash" and drain the grated potato, reserving the liquid in a bowl. The starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl, which I use (only) in latkes to bind the ingredients together. It is this starch (which, like sugar, if basically carbohydrate) that would be useful in soap-making.
> 
> So, you could reasonably grate the potato (to increase the surface area that is exposed to the water, thereby releasing more starch), give it a thorough soak in water, drain the liquid into a bowl, and use that collected starch that has sank to the bottom of the bowl. You can also just buy potato starch from the supermarket (as @AliOop suggested above) and save your potatoes for yummy goodness!




Another Latke Lover!  My family loves when I fry up a batch!  I go through 20 to 40 pounds of potatoes during the holidays, but make them year round as a comfort food.


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## The_Phoenix (Feb 21, 2021)

Kiti Williams said:


> Another Latke Lover!  My family loves when I fry up a batch!  I go through 20 to 40 pounds of potatoes during the holidays, but make them year round as a comfort food.


Oh gosh, I daydream about latkes. I daydream about potatoes in general, but latkes....... I like to add grated  shallots to my latkes to give it more flavor. This is probably sacrilegious but I top my latkes with shallot yogurt (maast o moosir) that’s made at a local Persian market.

I also make them year-round. In fact, I just decided on what we’ll be having for dinner.  We aren’t Jewish but I enjoy teaching our daughter about different food traditions and the meaning behind it. 

Basically, when I’m not thinking about soap stuff, I’m thinking about food stuff.


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 21, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> Basically, when I’m not thinking about soap stuff, I’m thinking about food stuff.



Right there with ya girlfriend!

Now where did I read about adding mashed potatoes to the batter too?  @cmzaha was it you?

So I could boil or soak my potatoes and use that water for the lye water, then I could mash or puree some potatoes and add that too? To the oils?  And then discount the water by the same amount?

It sounds like what I do for my rice soaps @Misschief and @Dawni.  Maybe I should just follow a similar process.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 21, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> When I make hash browns and latkes (which are basically hash browns), I "wash" and drain the grated potato, reserving the liquid in a bowl. The starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl, which I use (only) in latkes to bind the ingredients together. It is this starch (which, like sugar, if basically carbohydrate) that would be useful in soap-making.
> 
> So, you could reasonably grate the potato (to increase the surface area that is exposed to the water, thereby releasing more starch), give it a thorough soak in water, drain the liquid into a bowl, and use that collected starch that has sank to the bottom of the bowl. You can also just buy potato starch from the supermarket (as @AliOop suggested above) and save your potatoes for yummy goodness!


Wonderful idea' great way to get "potato juice".  It's been years since I ate hash browns, never had latkes. 



KiwiMoose said:


> Right there with ya girlfriend!
> 
> Now where did I read about adding mashed potatoes to the batter too?  @cmzaha was it you?
> 
> ...


Today I replaced 4oz of water for frozen rice water' my lye was really gelatinous & I remember straining the rice really well before freezing it.


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## The_Phoenix (Feb 21, 2021)

Yup. Starch granules bind to water and expand when heated. As the lye solution heats up those granules burst and the solution becomes gelatinous. Perfectly normal.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 21, 2021)

I did some research on potatoes this morning & interesting to discover " potatoes have "Butyric Acid" the same chemical acid that is in Dairy' Cheese & Butter which is a resistant fatty acid good for gut health, but its description is its colorless liquid w/ an unpleasant order.  Which can cause soap to stink like barf  or very unpleasant & stinks as some describe it to be on another thread when using butter or dairy in soap..



The_Phoenix said:


> Yup. Starch granules bind to water and expand when heated. As the lye solution heats up those granules burst and the solution becomes gelatinous. Perfectly normal.


Ok good' I was thinking it didn't look normal concerned the lye was ruined.


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## Sudds (Feb 21, 2021)

New thought, a soap that represents each state or wherever you live!  Cheese soap from WI! yuk!


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 21, 2021)

AliOop said:


> Like @Dawni  uses sweet rice flour (which is pretty much the starch), using potato starch might be an easier way to accomplish the same thing. I usually have that around for some of our gluten-free flour mixes. Potato flour is much heavier than potato starch, so I probably would not use that.
> [/QUOTE Good Idea


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## AliOop (Feb 21, 2021)

soapmaker said:


> Well, then, if you use potato starch instead of potatoes how much would you use, say, percent of pounds of oil?


I'd probably start with 1 Tbsp PPO like I would with other starches. Might have to give that a go one of these days!


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## Jstheidi (Feb 21, 2021)

Obsidian said:


> 6 months ago I made a batch of soap using around 5oz of pureed potato. I never really did try it after cure since I have so many other soaps to try.
> 
> Well, I just pulled a bar out and washed my hand and its great! I had handfuls of huge lush bubbles just running down my arms. Skin feels really nice too, will try it in the shower tomorrow.
> 
> ...


Did you use regular potatoes  or sweet potatoes? I’d like more information on this. It sounds like something I want to try.


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## The_Phoenix (Feb 21, 2021)

Jstheidi said:


> Did you use regular potatoes  or sweet potatoes? I’d like more information on this. It sounds like something I want to try.


You could use any potato, sweet or otherwise.


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## Aromasuzie (Feb 21, 2021)

AliOop said:


> Like @Dawni  uses sweet rice flour (which is pretty much the starch), using potato starch might be an easier way to accomplish the same thing. I usually have that around for some of our gluten-free flour mixes. Potato flour is much heavier than potato starch, so I probably would not use that.


I just suddenly clicked, tried rice flour in soap as an exfoliant, great lathering, thought it was the recipe rather than the rice starch (face palm).  Potato water easy enough to try though


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## Kiti Williams (Feb 22, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> Oh gosh, I daydream about latkes. I daydream about potatoes in general, but latkes....... I like to add grated  shallots to my latkes to give it more flavor. This is probably sacrilegious but I top my latkes with shallot yogurt (maast o moosir) that’s made at a local Persian market.
> 
> I also make them year-round. In fact, I just decided on what we’ll be having for dinner.  We aren’t Jewish but I enjoy teaching our daughter about different food traditions and the meaning behind it.
> 
> Basically, when I’m not thinking about soap stuff, I’m thinking about food stuff.




I here by make you Jewish!  I put other things in mine as well.  I will get the left over roast chicken or beef and zap it in my food processor to make it about the same size as the Matzo meal.  Add it in and you have your protein and starch!  A salad will add the veggies and you have a meal even the pickiest kid will eat!



Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Wonderful idea' great way to get "potato juice".  It's been years since I ate hash browns, never had latkes.




  You are missing one of the best things around!  My family is ruled by their stomachs, food is ever a good thing to use as leverage.  Clean your room and we can have Latkes for dinner!


----------



## RDak (Feb 22, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> Right there with ya girlfriend!
> 
> Now where did I read about adding mashed potatoes to the batter too?  @cmzaha was it you?
> 
> ...


That is exactly what you could do.  I have only done the boil water part though. 

It has probably been mentioned over the years here that the residual particles of potato that remain in the water/juice will thicken up the lye water into a semi gel.  The more the particles the more the gel.  (In fact, that might have even been mentioned earlier in this thread years ago.)

Either way I have never noticed a bad effect on saponification though.  (However, you gotta remember I strain my boiled potato water.  Some particles still end up in the strained potato water but not too much and the gel is still pourable.)

Also if people extract the juice it will be full concentrate and I have no idea how that will react with the lye (i.e., gel wise).  I have never done that.


----------



## Mobjack Bay (Feb 22, 2021)

According to this website:  Understanding starch functionality
All plant starches are made up of varying proportions of amylose and amylopectin.  I did not know this!  I read on another website that starches break down to simple sugars in acidic conditions.  That could mean that using powdered starches with vinegar as a water replacement would produce different results compared with using starch water from cooking or starch mixed with water.


----------



## RDak (Feb 22, 2021)

Mobjack Bay said:


> According to this website:  Understanding starch functionality
> All plant starches are made up of varying proportions of amylose and amylopectin.  I did not know this!  *I read on another website that starches break down to simple sugars in acidic conditions. * That could mean that using powdered starches with vinegar as a water replacement would produce different results compared with using starch water from cooking or starch mixed with water.


Wouldn't the fatty acids in the oils take care of that either way?

Plus, we would add more lye to counteract the acid in the vinegar so it all comes back to the same effect wouldn't it?

What I am trying to say is I would think the fatty acids, regardless of the vinegar, would make the starches act basically the same?  

(More of a question than a statement though.)


----------



## Obsidian (Feb 22, 2021)

Jstheidi said:


> Did you use regular potatoes  or sweet potatoes? I’d like more information on this. It sounds like something I want to try.


 I used white potatoes.


----------



## AliOop (Feb 22, 2021)

@Mobjack Bay thank you for that interesting info!

Since many of the common lye liquids - distilled water, milks, and commercial AVJ (preserved with CA) - are at least somewhat acidic, that should help starches break down into sugars, which helps boost the bubbles.

Perhaps the result is different depending on whether one mixes or dissolves the starch in the liquid before adding lye, or adds it to oils so it never gets to react with the water. Most of the time, I do dissolve CA or citrate in my water along with the sugar or starch.

I would guess that heat increases the reaction rate of breaking down the starch to sugar; I do heat my additional liquid so that the sugar/starch and CA/citrate dissolve more easily. I also stir it since that increases the dissolution rate, but I’m not sure if dissolution rate corresponds in any way to the breakdown rate.

Also, It would be interesting to know if the breakdown of starch to sugar will happen completely at a certain level of acidity, or if the breakdown rate increases with a higher level of acidity, or perhaps, over more time before a base (lye) is added to the solution.


----------



## DeeAnna (Feb 22, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> Yup. Starch granules bind to water and expand when heated. As the lye solution heats up those granules burst and the solution becomes gelatinous. Perfectly normal.



The alkali also chemically reacts with starch. A starch-alkali-water mixture will become gelatinous even at room temperature.


----------



## The_Phoenix (Feb 22, 2021)

DeeAnna said:


> The alkali also chemically reacts with starch. A starch-alkali-water mixture will become gelatinous even at room temperature.


See, I keep using my cooking brain!  Learning the science of soap making a little bit by little bit. You are an excellent teacher, @DeeAnna.


----------



## Arimara (Feb 22, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> Oh gosh, I daydream about latkes. I daydream about potatoes in general, but latkes....... I like to add grated  shallots to my latkes to give it more flavor. This is probably sacrilegious but I top my latkes with _*shallot yogurt (maast o moosir*_) that’s made at a local Persian market.
> 
> I also make them year-round. In fact, I just decided on what we’ll be having for dinner.  We aren’t Jewish but I enjoy teaching our daughter about different food traditions and the meaning behind it.
> 
> Basically, when I’m not thinking about soap stuff, I’m thinking about food stuff.


I'd totally try that. I love latkes myself.


----------



## KiwiMoose (Feb 22, 2021)

RDak said:


> That is exactly what you could do.  I have only done the boil water part though.
> 
> It has probably been mentioned over the years here that the residual particles of potato that remain in the water/juice will thicken up the lye water into a semi gel.  The more the particles the more the gel.  (In fact, that might have even been mentioned earlier in this thread years ago.)
> 
> ...


Not dissimilar to when I use oat milk in my lye water - it goes gluggy too.


----------



## Mobjack Bay (Feb 22, 2021)

Definitely all food for thought, although my brain feels a bit gel-like right now trying to absorb it all  

ETA: @RDak  I was thinking in terms of what might happen if I mixed starch with vinegar before adding it to the oils. For example, this *article* mentions that cornstarch may not thicken a sauce if you’re also using vinegar or lemon juice because the starch breaks down into sugars. If adding starches makes nice soap because the starches are breaking down into sugars, then mixing them with an acid might be a good thing, but I always assumed it had something to do with the gel.  

This next part is a definitely a sidebar:
Years ago I studied a marine polychaete worm that makes serious polysaccharide (carbohydrate) slime. Super gluggy, especially if you have a bucket full!  Many marine organisms make slime, but this one is exceptional at making copious amounts.  It seems possible in my current “soap anything“ brain that it might make great soap (The slime, not the polychaete). Preservation of the animals in pH buffered formaldehyde did not alter the slime, but we could dissolve it away by adding a little bleach (I assume that was due to oxidation), but we had to be careful so as not to dissolve the worm.  Now I’m wondering if we could have broken the slime down with a weak acid bath.  That would have been sweet!

If you are not grossed out by pictures of slime, here’s a story about similar slime from hagfish, with photos - biomaterial of the future. Hagfish Slime: Biomaterial Of The Future?


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 22, 2021)

Wonderful Info @AliOop @DeeAnna.  The soap I made yesterday doesn't have a smooth appearance' it looks just like how the lye & rice water looked, thick gelatinous non smooth texture, I'm not happy w/ the turn out. I'll use less rice water next time, also I was practicing the Taiwan Swirl now I realize wrong recipe for that.  I does smell wonderful.  I do want to try using Potatoes Juice' I'll start off real slow like only use 1 ounce & strain it real well, I don't want any potato bits in it.



RDak said:


> That is exactly what you could do.  I have only done the boil water part though.
> 
> It has probably been mentioned over the years here that the residual particles of potato that remain in the water/juice will thicken up the lye water into a semi gel.  The more the particles the more the gel.  (In fact, that might have even been mentioned earlier in this thread years ago.)
> 
> ...



I't will be interesting to use Raw Potato Juice' the acidic range is similar to a lemon' another factor to take into account.


----------



## The_Phoenix (Feb 23, 2021)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Definitely all food for thought, although my brain feels a bit gel-like right now trying to absorb it all
> 
> ETA: @RDak  I was thinking in terms of what might happen if I mixed starch with vinegar before adding it to the oils. For example, this *article* mentions that cornstarch may not thicken a sauce if you’re also using vinegar or lemon juice because the starch breaks down into sugars. If adding starches makes nice soap because the starches are breaking down into sugars, then mixing them with an acid might be a good thing, but I always assumed it had something to do with the gel.
> 
> ...


That’s really cool!


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Feb 23, 2021)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Definitely all food for thought, although my brain feels a bit gel-like right now trying to absorb it all
> 
> ETA: @RDak  I was thinking in terms of what might happen if I mixed starch with vinegar before adding it to the oils. For example, this *article* mentions that cornstarch may not thicken a sauce if you’re also using vinegar or lemon juice because the starch breaks down into sugars. If adding starches makes nice soap because the starches are breaking down into sugars, then mixing them with an acid might be a good thing, but I always assumed it had something to do with the gel.
> 
> ...


Thats interesting' maybe using raw potatoes has enough alkaline to keep it from getting gelatinous their by a having a smoother bar in texture & appearance? w/ the added benefits as mentioned before.


----------



## RDak (Feb 23, 2021)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Definitely all food for thought, although my brain feels a bit gel-like right now trying to absorb it all
> 
> ETA: @RDak  I was thinking in terms of what might happen if I mixed starch with vinegar before adding it to the oils. For example, this *article* mentions that cornstarch may not thicken a sauce if you’re also using vinegar or lemon juice because the starch breaks down into sugars. If adding starches makes nice soap because the starches are breaking down into sugars, then mixing them with an acid might be a good thing, but I always assumed it had something to do with the gel.
> 
> ...


Ah gotcha......thank you!


----------



## RDak (Mar 2, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> Not dissimilar to when I use oat milk in my lye water - it goes gluggy too.


There's a couple of other things I do regularly for the lye water concoction:

We boil up potatoes, celery, carrots and onion all together quite a bit and I use that water also for the lye concoction.  It works fine. Similar to the potato only water.

Also I make big batches of bean/veggie soup and boil the beans for an hour first.  I use some of that "bean" water for the lye concoction also. Turns out fine but the water is darker.  (Chick peas, not so dark.)  Same basic effect as potato water.

In the end, what I am saying is you can pretty much use boiled water from all your veggie and bean boiling.  All of these "waters" add to the lather.  (Oh, and the onion smell does not survive the lye.)


----------



## Guspuppy (Mar 2, 2021)

I don't boil my potatoes but steam them. The water in the steaming pot still turns brownish from the potatoes. I wonder if it has any potato starch in it or not? Hrmm. Probably not I think.


----------



## The_Phoenix (Mar 2, 2021)

Mobjack Bay said:


> According to this website:  Understanding starch functionality
> All plant starches are made up of varying proportions of amylose and amylopectin.  I did not know this!  I read on another website that starches break down to simple sugars in acidic conditions.  That could mean that using powdered starches with vinegar as a water replacement would produce different results compared with using starch water from cooking or starch mixed with water.


Food science makes me weak in the knees.


Guspuppy said:


> I don't boil my potatoes but steam them. The water in the steaming pot still turns brownish from the potatoes. I wonder if it has any potato starch in it or not? Hrmm. Probably not I think.


You could add some of the steamed potatoes to your oils and blend before adding your lye solution.

200g of a Russet potato contains about 25g of carbohydrate. That is roughly the same carbohydrate equivalency of three tablespoons of powdered sugar.


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 2, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> Food science makes me weak in the knees.
> 
> You could add some of the steamed potatoes to your oils and blend before adding your lye solution.
> 
> 200g of a Russet potato contains about 25g of carbohydrate. That is roughly the same carbohydrate equivalency of three tablespoons of powdered sugar.


Awesome Info. 



RDak said:


> There's a couple of other things I do regularly for the lye water concoction:
> 
> We boil up potatoes, celery, carrots and onion all together quite a bit and I use that water also for the lye concoction.  It works fine. Similar to the potato only water.
> 
> ...


Good to know. do you find you get a more bubbly bar Compared to sugar ?


----------



## RDak (Mar 3, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Good to know. do you find you get a more bubbly bar Compared to sugar ?


Yes I do.  (Not massively more but more; I'd say "light to medium more".)


----------



## nframe (Mar 7, 2021)

I realise that I never posted an update on my potato soap.  Of course, I had forgotten!  And after all these years, I don't know anymore.  So, I made another one.  I used mashed potatoes as part of the water amount and added them to the melted oils before adding the lye mixture.  It thickened a bit but not massively.  
The soap feels very bubbly but whether it is the recipe or the mashed potatoes, I am not sure...  It feels very nice anyway.


----------



## RDak (Mar 7, 2021)

Hey everyone.......what do you think about using boiled pasta water???


----------



## earlene (Mar 10, 2021)

Others here use boiled pasta water for their lye solution.  I think Zany does.  I have not tried it myself because I never boil pasta without added oil to prevent pasta from sticking together & I always use my boiled pasta water in soup (I make a lot of soup).


RDak said:


> Hey everyone.......what do you think about using boiled pasta water???


----------



## Arimara (Mar 12, 2021)

earlene said:


> Others here use boiled pasta water for their lye solution.  I think Zany does.  I have not tried it myself because I never boil pasta without added oil to prevent pasta from sticking together & *I always use my boiled pasta water in soup *(I make a lot of soup).


Naturally, I have to ask why? I've never heard of doing that with pasta water, let alone making soap.


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 12, 2021)

RDak said:


> Hey everyone.......what do you think about using boiled pasta water???


Now thats a thought' hmm.  Sorry for my late reply just saw your post.



earlene said:


> Others here use boiled pasta water for their lye solution.  I think Zany does.  I have not tried it myself because I never boil pasta without added oil to prevent pasta from sticking together & I always use my boiled pasta water in soup (I make a lot of soup).


I add oil to my pasta water too.


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 12, 2021)

The water left over after you've boiled the pasta will have starch in it.  So it will help thicken a soup.


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## Arimara (Mar 12, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> The water left over after you've boiled the pasta will have starch in it.  So it will help thicken a soup.


And I normally use potatoes for that purpose.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 13, 2021)

nframe said:


> I realise that I never posted an update on my potato soap.  Of course, I had forgotten!  And after all these years, I don't know anymore.  So, I made another one.  I used mashed potatoes as part of the water amount and added them to the melted oils before adding the lye mixture.  It thickened a bit but not massively.
> The soap feels very bubbly but whether it is the recipe or the mashed potatoes, I am not sure...  It feels very nice anyway.


Thank you for posting.  Thats sounds like a nice moisturizing bar soap, I like your soap stamp too. 



penelopejane said:


> The water left over after you've boiled the pasta will have starch in it.  So it will help thicken a soup.


Good to know.


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 13, 2021)

I have a fabulous recipe for a GF orange cake with mashed Potato instead of flour.  Sounds awful but it is great.
I've never used potato in soap.  But you can use rice so I guess it's just like another starch.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 13, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> I have a fabulous recipe for a GF orange cake with mashed Potato instead of flour.  Sounds awful but it is great.
> I've never used it in soap.  But you can use rice so I guess it's just like another starch.


Wow' now thats interesting, Im thinking your cake would be super moist, i'd never think of replacing flour w/ potatoes but would be healthier in many ways. @nframe posted her picture above using mashed potatoes.

Ive tried aquafaba in my soap & it makes wonderful lather. but i can detect a underlining pungent scent' just as I did w/ raw potato juice in my recent soap' maybe its me but I wont use it cause of it.


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 13, 2021)

For anyone who is interested here is th orange potato cake.  It does have some almond flour but not as much as other recipes.  I don't put grated orange in the cake itself.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 13, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> For anyone who is interested here it is.  It does have some almond flour but not as much as other recipes.  I don't put grated orange in the cake itself.


Thank you' Ive gotta try this cake! what is Caster Sugar?


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 13, 2021)

Yes I usually use caster sugar.
Sorry it is in metric!  You will have to convert.
Some orange almond cakes can be a bit sickly.  This one isn't.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 13, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> Yes I usually use caster sugar.
> Sorry it is in metric!  You will have to convert.
> Some orange almond cakes can be a bit sickly.  This one isn't.


Thats fine I can convert' now that I' have a good scale'  I copied & past your recipe.  Thx again


----------



## Something witty (Mar 13, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> The water left over after you've boiled the pasta will have starch in it.  So it will help thicken a soup.


On that thought, what of the water from rinseing your rice before you cook it? (Sticky sushi rice most commonly but probably other types of rice as well)
It's a rice water of sorts and probably has some starch.


----------



## earlene (Mar 13, 2021)

Arimara said:


> Naturally, I have to ask why? I've never heard of doing that with pasta water, let alone making soap.


Why what?

Why I add oil to pasta water to prevent the pasta from sticking together & to prevent the water from boiling over?  Because my mother taught me to do it this way and it is also recommended by just about every Italian cook I've ever seen on Cooking shows as well as in cookbooks I have read.

For finer questions of oil preventing pasta from sticking together (some say noodles don't stick even without added oil) - I find that lasagana noodles do stick together, and that even spaghetti noodles can stick together without added oil, in spite of some articles online that claim otherwise.  Even home-made pasta (I do make my own pasta sometimes) still benefit from added oil in the boiling water.  But that's me; others may do it differently, and I am not saying they have to cook the way I cook.

Why I use the pasta water in making soup? Because it adds to the flavor and since soup requires added water, less waste of water. I usually save the pasta water from pasta one day and make soup with it the next. Sometimes I use the pasta water for steaming vegetables or tamales, etc. (just another way of not wasting water.) Then that goes into soup when soup is on my agenda within a day or so.



Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Ive tried aquafaba in my soap & it makes wonderful lather. but i can detect a underlining pungent scent' just as I did w/ raw potato juice in my recent soap' maybe its me but I wont use it cause of it.


I had to look that up.  Water from cooking chickpeas (garbanzo beans) is what I found.  Another thing I love!  I actually sometimes drink that water because I love how it tastes.  Or I add it to soup.   I suspect it would really add a wonderful lather to soap as well. Brilliant.




Something witty said:


> On that thought, what of the water from rinseing your rice before you cook it? (Sticky sushi rice most commonly but probably other types of rice as well)
> It's a rice water of sorts and probably has some starch.


Yes, rice water added to soap.  We have a few threads here at SMF about that.  Search for Dawni's Triple Rice soap.


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 13, 2021)

earlene said:


> I had to look that up.  Water from cooking chickpeas (garbanzo beans) is what I found.  Another thing I love!  I actually sometimes drink that water because I love how it tastes.  Or I add it to soup.   I suspect it would really add a wonderful lather to soap as well. Brilliant.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, rice water added to soap.  We have a few threads here at SMF about that.  Search for Dawni's Triple Rice soap.


@earlene I buy the "caned garbanzo beans" drain the liquid off & use that. save the beans for humus' yummy' I love the lather it gives in soap' it doesn't take that much either.  I never tasted it' hmm next time I'll take a swig.


----------



## AliOop (Mar 13, 2021)

earlene said:


> I had to look that up.  Water from cooking chickpeas (garbanzo beans) is what I found.


The term “Aquafaba” usually refers to the liquid that is drained out of a can of beans, but can also refer to the bean cooking water. I’ve used both to make some fun recipes like vegan macaroons. My experience is that the liquid from the cans is more consistent in texture and easier to use.

I’m not on Facebook anymore, but used to belong to a group called “What Fat Vegans Eat.”   They had some great aquafaba recipes. I also got an aquafaba recipe ebook on Amazon. I’m personally not vegan or even vegetarian, but I do like having tasty things available for family and friends who are.


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 13, 2021)

AliOop said:


> The term “Aquafaba” usually refers to the liquid that is drained out of a can of beans, but can also refer to the bean cooking water. I’ve used both to make some fun recipes like vegan macaroons. My experience is that the liquid from the cans is more consistent in texture and easier to use.
> 
> I’m not on Facebook anymore, but used to belong to a group called “What Fat Vegans Eat.”   They had some great aquafaba recipes. I also got an aquafaba recipe ebook on Amazon. I’m personally not vegan or even vegetarian, but I do like having tasty things available for family and friends who are.


Ive read the liquid from Garbanzo Beans can be whipped up like " Whipping Cream" who knew? however I've never tried it, but its mainly used this way for Vegans or vegetarians.


----------



## Misschief (Mar 13, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Thank you' Ive gotta try this cake! what is Caster Sugar?


Caster sugar is known in N. America as Berry Sugar. It's a finer crystal than standard sugar but not as fine as Icing/Powdered sugar.


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 13, 2021)

Misschief said:


> Caster sugar is known in N. America as Berry Sugar. It's a finer crystal than standard sugar but not as fine as Icing/Powdered sugar.


Thank you for your info'


----------



## KimW (Mar 13, 2021)

Misschief said:


> Caster sugar is known in N. America as Berry Sugar. It's a finer crystal than standard sugar but not as fine as Icing/Powdered sugar.


hmmmm - Maybe Berry Sugar is a Canadian thing? I looked up "Berry Sugar" and it looks like what I would call "Super Fine" sugar.  hmmmmmm


----------



## Misschief (Mar 13, 2021)

KimW said:


> hmmmm - Maybe Berry Sugar is a Canadian thing? I looked up "Berry Sugar" and it looks like what I would call "Super Fine" sugar.  hmmmmmm


Yup, that would be it.


----------



## AliOop (Mar 13, 2021)

@Peachy Clean Soap yup, made that with aquafaba and it was pretty darn good. Have also made meringue for topping a banana-cot pie, which was my FIL's favorite.

@KimW yup, I've always heard it called "super fine" or "baker's sugar," too.

Back to the original theme of this thread: Potato Soap.  I cooked some potatoes in the InstantPot and was so proud that I remembered to save the cooking water! Hoping to soap with it later this afternoon. In my #SoapingIsCoping t-shirt, of course!


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 14, 2021)

Misschief said:


> Caster sugar is known in N. America as Berry Sugar. It's a finer crystal than standard sugar but not as fine as Icing/Powdered sugar.


Exactly. But don’t panic regular sugar will do just as well. I’ve even used raw sugar and brown sugar - all work fine.


----------



## RDak (Mar 14, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> Exactly. But don’t panic regular sugar will do just as well. I’ve even used raw sugar and brown sugar - all work fine.


Yup, also in the end potato water in the lye concoction increases lye lather a bit more than sugar I have found anecdotally but certainly not massively by any means.  Same for bean water.

Regular sugar works fine also IMHO.  Same for molasses, honey and maple syrup but the color is much more brownish or tannish.


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 14, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> Exactly. But don’t panic regular sugar will do just as well. I’ve even used raw sugar and brown sugar - all work fine.


Thank U.


----------



## AliOop (Mar 14, 2021)

RDak said:


> Yup, also in the end potato water in the lye concoction increases lye a bit more than sugar I have found anecdotally but certainly not massively by any means.  Same for bean water.


Sorry to be dense, but when you say, “increases lye” do you mean that the solution heats up more? Or that the potato water eats up some of the lye? Thanks for helping out with this as I still haven’t soaped with my potato water yet, and I am hoping to do so this afternoon or evening.


----------



## Carly B (Mar 14, 2021)

Whoops!  Sorry....


----------



## RDak (Mar 15, 2021)

Oops.



AliOop said:


> Sorry to be dense, but when you say, “increases lye” do you mean that the solution heats up more? Or that the potato water eats up some of the lye? Thanks for helping out with this as I still haven’t soaped with my potato water yet, and I am hoping to do so this afternoon or evening.


Oh crap, that WAS a typo........I meant lather!!!!!!!!!!!!   

I edited it, thanks for the head's up and sorry for my dumb mistake.


----------



## AliOop (Mar 15, 2021)

Gosh no worries @RDak ! I just assumed that I was ignorant of an important potato soap factoid.


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 15, 2021)

Im not sure if I posted my Raw Potato Juice Soap pict here' but I did on another thread. I wanted to show how much its darkened. 1st picture is the day I un-molded' 2nd pict is today, 16 days latter. FO & Vanilla FO. I don't mind it got so dark kinda gos along w/ the scent, Soap Name "Ginger Bread".  This may not be the prettiest soap' but it sure is luxurious' check out them bubbles.  I believe the "Raw Potato Juice" gives the soap more bubbles then just sugar.  Defiantly Kicks It Up A  Notch.


----------



## Arimara (Mar 16, 2021)

earlene said:


> Why what?
> 
> Why I add oil to pasta water to prevent the pasta from sticking together & to prevent the water from boiling over?  Because my mother taught me to do it this way and it is also recommended by just about every Italian cook I've ever seen on Cooking shows as well as in cookbooks I have read.


I never add oil to water these days. I used to but then got lazy. I do tend not to have an issue with pasta sticking.



earlene said:


> Why I use the pasta water in making soup? Because it adds to the flavor and since soup requires added water, less waste of water. I usually save the pasta water from pasta one day and make soup with it the next. Sometimes I use the pasta water for steaming vegetables or tamales, etc. (just another way of not wasting water.) Then that goes into soup when soup is on my agenda within a day or so.


This was what I was referring to. It makes sense. I just don't know if I will remember to look into that.


----------



## RDak (Mar 16, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Im not sure if I posted my Raw Potato Juice Soap pict here' but I did on another thread. I wanted to show how much its darkened. 1st picture is the day I un-molded' 2nd pict is today, 16 days latter. FO & Vanilla FO. I don't mind it got so dark kinda gos along w/ the scent, Soap Name "Ginger Bread".  This may not be the prettiest soap' but it sure is luxurious' check out them bubbles.  I believe the "Raw Potato Juice" gives the soap more bubbles then just sugar.  Defiantly Kicks It Up A  Notch.


That looks GOOD!!!

Excellent lather also!!!


----------



## Tara_H (Mar 16, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> I wanted to show how much its darkened...


That's amazing! Very cool colour. Something is ticking at the back of my brain from chemistry classes long ago; something about starch and iodine, would that be right?


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 16, 2021)

RDak said:


> That looks GOOD!!!
> 
> Excellent lather also!!!


I was surprised to have such nice lather. Thx.


Tara_H said:


> That's amazing! Very cool colour. Something is ticking at the back of my brain from chemistry classes long ago; something about starch and iodine, would that be right?


I'm not sure If Iodine contributes to more bubbles in soap' I know it effects the bar if its soft or firm.  Starch is a bubble buster' however the two combined Starch & Iodine creates more bubbles in soap I don't know.   The soap color change is mainly from the FO Vanilla,  it's notorious for turning your soap a darker color.


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## AliOop (Mar 16, 2021)

@Peachy Clean Soap I've always been told that starch is the opposite of a bubble buster; it actually increases bubbles. Were you thinking of salt, perhaps? That is definitely a bubble-buster!


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 16, 2021)

AliOop said:


> @Peachy Clean Soap I've always been told that starch the opposite of a bubble buster; it actually increases bubbles. Were you thinking of salt, perhaps? That is definitely a bubble-buster!


I'm thinking Starch increases bubbles cause it has sugar in it depending on the starch source.    Salt / Iodine  I thought harden bar soap' if not to much unsaturated fats ( liquid).  does it decrease bubbles too?


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## AliOop (Mar 16, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> I'm thinking Starch increases bubbles cause it has sugar in it depending on the starch source.   Now salt I thought harden bar soap' does it decrease bubbles too?


Yes, salt is a lather-killer! That's why salt soaps are usually very high in CO, so that they will lather.  

Anyway, I guess I misunderstood what you wrote above in Post 143: "_Starch is a bubble buster." _Sounds like we both agree that starch actually increases bubbles, yes?


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 16, 2021)

The One thing I'm certain when it comes to soaping there's so much to learn, tho this is the beginning of my journey Im loving it . .


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## penelopejane (Mar 17, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Im not sure if I posted my Raw Potato Juice Soap pict here' but I did on another thread. I wanted to show how much its darkened. 1st picture is the day I un-molded' 2nd pict is today, 16 days latter. FO & Vanilla FO. I don't mind it so dark kinda gos along w/ the scent, Soap Name "Ginger Bread".  This may not be the prettiest soap' but it sure is luxurious' check out them bubbles.  I believe the "Raw Potato Juice" gives the soap more bubbles then just sugar.  Defiantly Kicks It Up A  Notch.



Is that a soap stamp or a painted on soap stencil?  If it's a stamp you might be able to get it a bit deeper if you put plastic wrap down on the soap before you stamp it.

Salt makes all soap harder, it doesn't matter if it has all liquid oils.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 18, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> Is that a soap stamp or a painted on soap stencil?  If it's a stamp you might be able to get it a bit deeper if you put plastic wrap down on the soap before you stamp it.
> 
> Salt makes all soap harder, it doesn't matter if it has all liquid oils.


Good Morning' 
I'ts a stamp, thx for the tip "plastic under stamp method" I'll try that next time. I cant recall why I didnt press down harder on the stamp? either the soap was to hard or soft.


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## earlene (Mar 19, 2021)

Tara_H said:


> That's amazing! Very cool colour. Something is ticking at the back of my brain from chemistry classes long ago; something about starch and iodine, would that be right?


You mean like *this*?  I tried it with Povidine Iodine, (1% Iodine in solution) but it does not contain KI (potassium iodide), so it didn't work - the turning blue part, it did turn black, however, but no tint of blue in any light source. Who knows what else it did do as I was only observing for color.

But if you are referring to the color change, it's due to her FO, which contains vanillin.


Peachy Clean Soap said:


> I wanted to show how much its darkened. 1st picture is the day I un-molded' 2nd pict is today, 16 days latter. FO & Vanilla FO.




I did find an interesting article in *Scientific American* that addresses how starch contributes to bubbles in the presence of cold water, in an article about Boba Tea, of all things.  But it also contains information about how starch decomposes in the presence of hot water, which I would never have considered, since in my experience starch thickens water even in the presence of heat, as that is exactly how I make Congee (heating water in gelatinous creating starch).

Another interesting tidbit when it comes to creating a gelatinous liquid from potatoes, rice or other starch, is that salt interferes with the way starch creates gelatin. (*Link*) So another thing to think of when adding starch to soap to create more bubbles.

Perhaps it is the combination of starch and high salt, however, those two together might be what *Peachy* was talking about. Put them together and the salt interferes with the starch, then that would likely decrease the expected bubbles, hence the bubble buster statement. Makes sense to me. I know if I add salt to my Congee concoction it does loose some of the gelatinous nature, depending on how much salt is added. So I tend to make it salt-free.

I'm not sure if or how Iodine itself contributes to hardening soap, though.  I think that might be a misconception of what the soap calculators list as Iodine, when in fact it does not indicate a presence of Iodine in oils or soap. The *iodine value* in soap calculators is NOT the amount of iodine in oil, but the propensity for oxidation based on what is called iodine-uptake.

If anyone can show me studies where Iodine itself is added to soap, as it pertains to hardness, I'd like to read them.


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## DeeAnna (Mar 19, 2021)

I can't say I've heard of anyone saying they have added iodine containing chemicals to soap, and I think I'd prick up my ears if a discussion like this got started.

I estimate there's something around .0003 gram (0.3 milligram) of iodine in 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of Morton iodized table salt. That's obviously enough to have an effect on human health, but I find it hard to believe it would have much if any effect on soap.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 19, 2021)

earlene said:


> You mean like *this*?  I tried it with Povidine Iodine, (1% Iodine in solution) but it does not contain KI (potassium iodide), so it didn't work - the turning blue part, it did turn black, however, but no tint of blue in any light source. Who knows what else it did do as I was only observing for color.
> 
> But if you are referring to the color change, it's due to her FO, which contains vanillin.
> 
> ...


Love all your information' Wow. Thx for taking the time much appreciated very interesting. .  I think I was confusing Salt along w/ Iodine cause often they add it to salt. I meant to say "starch" is a bubble enhancer. 

Glad you mentioned Iodine' when it comes to color change' I noticed when I grated the " raw potato & ground it up w/ distilled water it was milky in color" as the raw potato juice oxidized it turned a dark purple in color so interesting!  thats the oxidized iodine in the potato, though not enough to color soap or w/ stand the Lye.  
I do recall reading somewhere the Higher the iodine the softer the soap & vise ah versa, the Lower the Iodine the harder the soap. Thats interesting oxidation & Iodine Up-Take. Thx again for your information.   Soaping is so scientific.  Thank you for all your clarification.


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## RDak (Mar 21, 2021)

I don't know if this has ever been mentioned before but...........

I finally remembered where I saw the article written by a soaper discussing *ginger tea + a bit of sugar* boosting the lathering better than both ingredients do alone.  (I have used it and she is right from what I have seen anecdotally; about on par with potato water.)

It's an article written last summer and here are the mixing instructions, (the link posted after the quote takes you to the full article).

*"To a large pot on your stovetop, add your distilled water. Be mindful to count how many 8oz cups of water you’ve added to your pot. For every 8oz cup of distilled water, we’ll incorporate ½ tablespoon of sugar and two tea bags. For example, in the picture below, I’ve added five 8oz cups of distilled water to my pot. To this, I’ve added 2 ½ tablespoons of sugar and 10 bags of tea. As your distilled water warms, add the sugar first so that it begins to dissolve. Once the water is hot, you can add the ginger tea. Be sure to remove any paper tabs attached to the tea bag’s string first, so that you don’t end up with bits of paper floating around in your tea. Remove the pot from the heat source and allow the tea to steep for at least 10 minutes."*

Link


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 21, 2021)

RDak said:


> I don't know if this has ever been mentioned before but...........
> 
> I finally remembered where I saw the article written by a soaper discussing *ginger tea + a bit of sugar* boosting the lathering better than both ingredients do alone.  (I have used it and she is right from what I have seen anecdotally; about on par with potato water.)
> 
> ...


Thats very interesting. I'm sure it has a pleasant scent too.


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## penelopejane (Mar 25, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Thats very interesting. I'm sure it has a pleasant scent too.


Not likely.  The NaOH will eat the scent.


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## soapmaker (Mar 26, 2021)

After reading all this and wanting to try it, I thought, wait a minute...I use sugar and colloidal oatmeal in every batch, so that's should be pretty much the same. I do have lovely lather.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 26, 2021)

Up Date on my " Potato Juice Soap" My Hubby Loves It' & Its not fully cured but my curiosity got the best of me and I had to test it out lol .  Though its wonderful in that its moisturizing' nice big bubbles' Hubby says its the best soap thus far!!! " It has an underlining pungent scent, I don't like.  When I use aqua faba it does the same thing, I know its from that same stinky molecule thats in "Dairy" that can & does lend to a pungent scent in soap, I cant think of the name right now' I Mentioned it in a thread above.

I wanted to mention Hubby cant smell the " Pungent scent" I can.  Maybe my Nose Knows & i'm more acute to scents. dunno??


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 26, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> Not likely.  The NaOH will eat the scent.


Agree Lye Eats Up Scent's More Often Then Not, But yah know Once I was making soap "CP" had my Spice Tea which had a cinnamon stick in it' & thought I'd add some tea as a water replacement' wondering if it would scent the soap' surprisingly enough I was able to smell a very slight scent of spice tea in my soap after I cut it the next day.


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## soapmaker (Mar 26, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> Not likely.  The NaOH will eat the scent.


I make a soap with Rooibos tea as the water portion for the colour. It definitely smells in the cured soap.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 26, 2021)

soapmaker said:


> I make a soap with Rooibos tea as the water portion for the colour. It definitely smells in the cured soap.


I'm going to look up your tea. I love using stuff that scents soap. If its natural all the better.  Wow that tea sounds amazing on a holistic point of view' What does it smell like??


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## The_Phoenix (Mar 26, 2021)

soapmaker said:


> After reading all this and wanting to try it, I thought, wait a minute...I use sugar and colloidal oatmeal in every batch, so that's should be pretty much the same. I do have lovely lather.


At the end of the day, sugars and starches are saccharides.


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## Babyshoes (Mar 26, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> I'm going to look up your tea. I love using stuff that scents soap. If its natural all the better.  Wow that tea sounds amazing on a holistic point of view' What does it smell like??



I can't stand rooibos tea, the smell to me is very reminiscent of the school trip to the tobacco sales floor that we went on in primary school... (Can you imagine kids these days being taken to such a place?) Raw tobacco smells quite different to cigarettes! Less offensive but definitely distinctive. 

Rooibos is fairly strong smelling and a lot of people love it. It's hard to describe, to me it seems quite earthy with a slight honey note. It's also pretty healthy as tea goes.


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## The_Phoenix (Mar 26, 2021)

Babyshoes said:


> I can't stand rooibos tea, the smell to me is very reminiscent of the school trip to the tobacco sales floor that we went on in primary school... (Can you imagine kids these days being taken to such a place?) Raw tobacco smells quite different to cigarettes! Less offensive but definitely distinctive.
> 
> Rooibos is fairly strong smelling and a lot of people love it. It's hard to describe, to me it seems quite earthy with a slight honey note. It's also pretty healthy as tea goes.


[off topic] My husband LOVES Rooibos tea. I've grown to tolerate it, but, to me, it smells like gym shoes at the bottom of a locker after a full year of use. He never developed confidence on the pronunciation, so he just calls it "red tea." He is adorable. [/off topic]

That said, I cannot imagine the fragrance of steeped teas lasts in CP soap. I used hibiscus tea in soap some time ago and can't say it added anything to the finished product. I do love me a mug of hibiscus tea after dinner, though.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 26, 2021)

Babyshoes said:


> I can't stand rooibos tea, the smell to me is very reminiscent of the school trip to the tobacco sales floor that we went on in primary school... (Can you imagine kids these days being taken to such a place?) Raw tobacco smells quite different to cigarettes! Less offensive but definitely distinctive.
> 
> Rooibos is fairly strong smelling and a lot of people love it. It's hard to describe, to me it seems quite earthy with a slight honey note. It's also pretty healthy as tea goes.


The scent sounds interesting &  I like the scent of pipe tobacco's.


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## RDak (Mar 27, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Thats very interesting. I'm sure it has a pleasant scent too.


I don't notice the scent in the finished soap.  But my sense of smell isn't that great.


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## RDak (Mar 27, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Up Date on my " Potato Juice Soap" My Hubby Loves It' & Its not fully cured but my curiosity got the best of me and I had to test it out lol . Though its wonderful in that its moisturizing' nice big bubbles' Hubby says its the best soap thus far!!! " *It has an underlining pungent scent, I don't like.  When I use aqua faba it does the same thing, I know its from that same stinky molecule thats in "Dairy" that can & does lend to a pungent scent in soap, *I cant think of the name right now' I Mentioned it in a thread above.
> 
> I wanted to mention Hubby cant smell the " Pungent scent" I can.  Maybe my Nose Knows & i'm more acute to scents. dunno??


^^^^Here's a classic example of my sense of smell not being that great.  I can't smell the potato or bean water in the finished soap.  But NO DOUBT I can smell those two ingredients when mixing with the lye initially.

Off topic:  You really should try the ginger tea + sugar recipe the soaper described in her article I linked to above.  Together they *do* add good lather.


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## RDak (Mar 27, 2021)

soapmaker said:


> After reading all this and wanting to try it, I thought, wait a minute...I use sugar and colloidal oatmeal in every batch, so that's should be pretty much the same. I do have lovely lather.


Yeah that would probably be pretty close but with soaping and how things don't always turn out "logically" (LOL) who knows???


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## soapmaker (Mar 27, 2021)

RDak said:


> I don't know if this has ever been mentioned before but...........
> 
> I finally remembered where I saw the article written by a soaper discussing *ginger tea + a bit of sugar* boosting the lathering better than both ingredients do alone.  (I have used it and she is right from what I have seen anecdotally; about on par with potato water.)
> 
> ...


This is so off topic...not sure where to post this but ginger also increases carbonation in kombucha so it's kind of the same.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 27, 2021)

RDak said:


> ^^^^Here's a classic example of my sense of smell not being that great.  I can't smell the potato or bean water in the finished soap.  But NO DOUBT I can smell those two ingredients when mixing with the lye initially.
> 
> Off topic:  You really should try the ginger tea + sugar recipe the soaper described in her article I linked to above.  Together they *do* add good lather.


I can smell it in the soap batter & in the soap' Ugh .  I'll defiantly try Ginger Tea & Sugar' for bubble boosting, I'll look up who it is above.  Thx again.


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## Professor Bernardo (Mar 28, 2021)

WOW!  In the 6-1/2 years since the OP, this thread has really drifted off the topic.  

Of course, never in my wildest imagination would I have ever conceived of adding potato to a soap recipe.
Then again, some people like to push the envelope.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Mar 28, 2021)

Professor Bernardo said:


> WOW!  In the 6-1/2 years since the OP, this thread has really drifted off the topic.
> 
> Of course, never in my wildest imagination would I have ever conceived of adding potato to a soap recipe.
> Then again, some people like to push the envelope.


Yes we should call our post the "Off Topic Drifters", I hope its not to frustrating for you' as we go off topic then jump back in, my apologies..   
I used "Raw Potato Juice" and its truly amazing in soap.


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## RDak (Apr 1, 2021)

Professor Bernardo said:


> WOW!  In the 6-1/2 years since the OP, this thread has really drifted off the topic.
> 
> Of course, never in my wildest imagination would I have ever conceived of adding potato to a soap recipe.
> *Then again, some people like to push the envelope.*


Guilty!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Misschief (Apr 1, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> [off topic] My husband LOVES Rooibos tea. I've grown to tolerate it, but, to me, it smells like gym shoes at the bottom of a locker after a full year of use. He never developed confidence on the pronunciation, so he just calls it "red tea." He is adorable. [/off topic]



If he has difficulty with the pronunciation (phonetically, it would be "roy boss", with the accent on the boss), he can use the literal translation. In English, it would be red bush tea. It's an Africaans/Dutch word.


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