When adding glycerine to your handmade soaps does it make the soap more moisturizing? My soaps seem to be a bit drying. I don't know why. I use olive, palm, coconut, sweet almond, sunflower but still they are a bit drying. Does anyone have any hints that would aide me in making soaps that are moisturizing to the skin?
2nd question about glycerine.
- Thread starter Sauboon
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I've never added glycerine to any of my soaps so I'm of no help there.
To cut down on how drying a soap is to the skin, you can alter the recipe and use less of the oils like coconut that are known to be drying while increasing the conditioning oils like olive. The downside is that those drying oils like coconut are typically your bubble producers, so you have to really work at balancing things out. A lot of people, myself included, substitute palm kernel oil for some or all of the coconut, which helps with the drying issue.
Another easy way to cut down on the drying is to increase your lye discount/superfat percentage. Bumping it from the standard 5% to 7-8% may help without you having to reformulate your recipe.
To cut down on how drying a soap is to the skin, you can alter the recipe and use less of the oils like coconut that are known to be drying while increasing the conditioning oils like olive. The downside is that those drying oils like coconut are typically your bubble producers, so you have to really work at balancing things out. A lot of people, myself included, substitute palm kernel oil for some or all of the coconut, which helps with the drying issue.
Another easy way to cut down on the drying is to increase your lye discount/superfat percentage. Bumping it from the standard 5% to 7-8% may help without you having to reformulate your recipe.
I don't know about the glycerin - from what I understand (limited) there's already quite a bit naturally occuring in soaps.
Try increasing the superfat/lye discount so that you have a milder product.
You have to remember, though, that what soaps DO is to remove oils and dirt from your skin. So by increasing the superfat/lye discount what you are doing is essentially making the soap less effective at cleaning by giving it other oils to work on.
Try increasing the superfat/lye discount so that you have a milder product.
You have to remember, though, that what soaps DO is to remove oils and dirt from your skin. So by increasing the superfat/lye discount what you are doing is essentially making the soap less effective at cleaning by giving it other oils to work on.
dagmar88
Well-Known Member
Maybe you could post your recipe? Additives can only do so much; the most important thing is to have a decent basic recipe...
donniej
Well-Known Member
Oils contain 15 - 20% glycerin. Adding more can make it more moisturizing but it may also make it softer. It can also make it more prone to sweating since glycerin is very hydroscopic.
I'd try using more soft oils, palm or shortening.
I'd try using more soft oils, palm or shortening.
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