boyago
Well-Known Member
According to Soapcalc soy wax is around 87% stearic and I think it's more available and cheaper than fully hydrogenated castor which btw is also sometimes labeled as non-petroleum jelly.
A Cream Soap Tutorial
- Thread starter Lindy
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According to Soapcalc soy wax is around 87% stearic and I think it's more available and cheaper than fully hydrogenated castor which btw is also sometimes labeled as non-petroleum jelly.
Cream Soap & Liquid Soap are very different animals. You would use Boric Acid to neutralize LS because you're doing it at 0% SF or lower.
Lindy -- Failor really did write about about cream soap being neutralized/thickened with boric acid. I don't have her cream soap making book, but here's a quote from someone who does: "...my initial attempt at making cream soap (below) follows the method outlined in c. failor's book and uses a stove-top double boiler, and is later supercreamed with boric acid...." Source: http://www.saveonscents.com/skinesscentuals/Cream1.html
"...I wonder if it was a cost issue at one point..."
This use of boric acid appears to be a method created by Failor and/or the handcraft soapmakers from the era when she developed her skills and wrote her book.
Stearic acid or stearin (a high stearic-palmitic fat) has been available for well over 100 years. From reading old soapmaking manuals, it's pretty clear that medium to large scale soapmakers did not use boric acid to neutralize excess lye. They used fat to neutralize.
"...I wonder if it was a cost issue at one point..."
This use of boric acid appears to be a method created by Failor and/or the handcraft soapmakers from the era when she developed her skills and wrote her book.
Stearic acid or stearin (a high stearic-palmitic fat) has been available for well over 100 years. From reading old soapmaking manuals, it's pretty clear that medium to large scale soapmakers did not use boric acid to neutralize excess lye. They used fat to neutralize.
boyago
Well-Known Member
Me too... perhaps when I found it for sale the product was actually just partially hydrogenated. I imagine that would make it more like vegetable shortening and more jelly-like than what I imagined as it looking like (soy wax or stearic acid).
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rogue
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Someone else just made the soy wax recommendation to me. I'm going to have to try it.
Failor's book is really very thin. I need a bit more time with it then I'll offer it up to whoever wants it with the promise the pass on the love
Failor's book is really very thin. I need a bit more time with it then I'll offer it up to whoever wants it with the promise the pass on the love
I'm off the the soap supply store to pick up some KOH today. I'll be making my cream soap tomorrow, so excited
kchaystack
Supporting Member
I'm off the the soap supply store to pick up some KOH today. I'll be making my cream soap tomorrow, so excited
You have a brick and mortar supply store? I am SO envious!
roblem:
Yep, it doesn't have a lot of stuff but I can get my lyes and overpriced EO's/FO's. They had a bunch of brilliantly bright super fine glitters but I had to walk away lol.
Dorymae
Well-Known Member
For those near enough to Phoenix there are two places I've found so far that sell lye in bulk and Eo's, molds, etc. It is so nice not to have to worry about shipping costs!
My cream soap is finished, can't say I'm a fan of making it but I'm glad I did. Went off without a hitch but when I was scooping the whipped soap into a bucket, I found some chunks that hadn't gotten whipped up. Can I whip it again in a month or two?
Castor Oil & Beeswax makes a non-petroleum jelly.
You can whip it the next day again.
Deanna - Thank you, I didn't know that. Boric acid certainly does not make sense to me. You superfat as well as supercream your cream soap so why would you need to neutralize it? Unless she was working from the same basics as LS where you do need to unless you have a slight superfat.
Interesting.
LBrown I'm happy to help....
Thank you. I went ahead and whipped it again, it had softened quite a bit in a few hours so this time it whipped really nice. Its already starting to look pearlescent, can't wait until I can start making stuff with it.
Lindy ... you hit the nail square on its head. roblem:
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LOL Yeah depending on what I'm making and what the end use is I will do a 20% superfat for the conditioning and it creates a nice creamy lather. I've got some I need to check on that is 4 years old. That is going to be some amazing soap.
I have a stupid question! When you make this or shaving soap for that matter do you cover the crock pot and let it condense on the lid and drip back into the pot? Or leave the lid off and let it evaporate while cooking?
LBussy
Well-Known Member
I leave the lid on (making shaving soap), because a crock pot is really not intended to be an "open lid cooker." It still evaporates a bit of water.I have a stupid question! When you make this or shaving soap for that matter do you cover the crock pot and let it condense on the lid and drip back into the pot? Or leave the lid off and let it evaporate while cooking?
I want to make a face scrub to help with my breakouts and I was directed to this tutorial. I'm not sure if this has already been answered, but is there a good calculator for this? I have allergies to certain oils (nuts) so I'll have to use a few different oils from what you use in your recipe and I want to make sure I get it right. The calculators I've found (Summerbeemeadow) call for way less glycerin (none except at the supercream stage) than this recipe and also a lot more water. So I'm a little lost.
