10% honey fixes cracking soap

[Blufuz]

Hi everyone! Happy New Year!

I finally have the time to share the results of my attempt to fix cracked soap:

The problem was that it was made with too many hard oils.

As discussed in this other thread (10% Honey - Help finding a thread) using a lot of sugars has the opposite effect, of making soap soft.

So I did an experiment with the original recipe (40% cocoa butter, 30% coconut oil, 30% shea; 5% SF; 1:2.2 lye:water) and added:
- 2.5% of the batter weight in honey
- 5% honey
- and 10% honey

(This photo is from when they were first unmolded)
Now, I have tested all of them for a week or so, and even the 10% honey is a perfectly hard bar of soap, and so far none of them have cracked!

The biggest difference between the amounts is obviously color, with the 10% being a nice caramel. But also the fragrance of the honey comes through with that much honey!

So moral of the story, you can fix a really hard bar of soap with high amounts of sugar, or vice versa you can use stupid amounts of sugar if you make an excessively hard soap recipe.

I just highly recommend moving fast once you add the honey, and using cavity molds to avoid overheating.

This is the soapcalc info:

 

[AliOop]

So cool - thanks for sharing this! I believe @Jorah was doing some high-honey-soap experiments, as well, so it will be interesting if he chimes in to compare notes.

 

[BodyWasher]

Ooh nice! Was there any difference on the bubbles?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Pretty soap! I’m also super curious about the lather.

 

[dragonmaker]

I’m curious how good of lather you had with that much honey.

 

[Blufuz]

I’m curious how good of lather you had with that much honey.

It was sufficient but not exceptional.

The one with 2.5% honey had better lather; I’d say it’s not a “more is more” relationship between lather and sugars. I’d mostly put that much honey just for the color and to contrast excessive hardness.

 

[Jorah]

So cool - thanks for sharing this! I believe @Jorah was doing some high-honey-soap experiments, as well, so it will be interesting if he chimes in to compare notes.

Yup, I have a bunch of honey bars I have been curing for 6+ months now; time to see how they lather. I'll try to do some tests this weekend; maybe that will break me out of my soap anhedonia mood.

 

[AliOop]

Yup, I have a bunch of honey bars I have been curing for 6+ months now; time to see how they lather. I'll try to do some tests this weekend; maybe that will break me out of my soap anhedonia mood.

Looking forward to seeing some lather pics!

 

[teofana]

Yup, I have a bunch of honey bars I have been curing for 6+ months now; time to see how they lather. I'll try to do some tests this weekend; maybe that will break me out of my soap anhedonia mood.

Very curious as well!
Thanks for the experiments!

 

[huypham]

Thanks so much for your sharing! I will try to make a batch of soap with 10% honey soon. Just wondering the way you added honey to your soap, did you add to the lye or add after trace? . Cheer!

 

[Ekuzo]

Not the OP, but I think the best way to add honey to soap is by diluting it in the water before adding the caustic. That way you'll make sure it's evenly distributed, especially if it's this much.

I know it's an old thread, but I'm wondering how the color behaves as time passes. My guess would be that the color would go eventually pale and the honey fragrance will wear off, but I would like if someone confirms it