Additives and Lather (Bubbles)

[SirSoapsAlot]

Not sure anyone would like to go through this much trouble, but here is info on making hard water so you can test yourself (it's just a few ingredients). As much as I hate the hard water and how it deposits where I am living now, I guess I am lucky as I work my formulas to produce a better lather, they must be amazing in soft water. How to Make Hard Water SoapDaddy70, you made me laugh with your wife who "can't be bothered." lol My husband is happy to test, but I find myself saying, "You aren't doing it right." Who knew such a thing was possible. I now just avert my eyes and wait for the reviews. haha

 

[KiwiMoose]

@KiwiMoose, thank you so much. Can I please impose yet again on your kindness and ask how you dilute it?
Thank you so much

Sometimes I dilute it as I go - just add half a teaspoon (about 2g) to my water and stir it through before adding the lye. But because it weighs so little it's actually easier I find to make up a litre or two and freeze it. What I find works really well is to make it up as double strength and freeze it that way. Let me explain:
5g powder (200x) makes 1 litre, so 10g powder makes 2 litres. I make 10g powder with only 1 litre of water and weigh it out into 160g baggies (it fits into a snack size ziplock), then freeze them. My usual batch of soap uses 320g water, so when I want to make a batch, I pull out one bag of 160g aloe concentrate from the freezer and bang it on the side of the sink to break it up a bit, then drop it into my mixing jug. Then I pour over 160g of distilled water. Then i mix in my lye. Having half ice and half water suits me well so that the lye solution doesn't get too hot.

 

[Vicki C]

This is so cool! Thank you for providing this info. (Starts shopping online for powdered aloe…)

I find myself saying, "You aren't doing it right." Who knew such a thing was possible. I now just avert my eyes and wait for the reviews. haha

I love this

 

[bookworm]

Sometimes I dilute it as I go - just add half a teaspoon (about 2g) to my water and stir it through before adding the lye. But because it weighs so little it's actually easier I find to make up a litre or two and freeze it. What I find works really well is to make it up as double strength and freeze it that way. Let me explain:
5g powder (200x) makes 1 litre, so 10g powder makes 2 litres. I make 10g powder with only 1 litre of water and weigh it out into 160g baggies (it fits into a snack size ziplock), then freeze them. My usual batch of soap uses 320g water, so when I want to make a batch, I pull out one bag of 160g aloe concentrate from the freezer and bang it on the side of the sink to break it up a bit, then drop it into my mixing jug. Then I pour over 160g of distilled water. Then i mix in my lye. Having half ice and half water suits me well so that the lye solution doesn't get too hot.

Thank you so much, what a clever idea. Much appreciated

 

[AliOop]

Sure, but you might not get them back!

That, um, might be the point of sending them? We all have our ways of making more room for new soap, don't we. Although I will admit, "sending them to you for storage" is a new one for me, and I shall shamelessly use it as needed going forward.

@Mobjack Bay - I can think of nothing more exciting than receiving some of @dibbles soap by mistake.

Right up there with accidentally receiving soap from @KiwiMoose, @Mobjack Bay, and too many others to name.

 

[cmzaha]

I soap all my recipes with dual lye, sorbitol, edta/sodium gluconate at .5% each,15-17% Coconut/pko split, 2% superfat, and either high tallow/lard or high palm. My soaps kick up lather well and also form a creamy lather that is not too thick. I really do to like real thick creamy lather. For years I used sugar but found Sorbitol better with helping lather, and I have never found it drying.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I used aloe vera *juice* from CVS, which I can buy by the gallon, in many of my early soap recipes 18+ years ago. CVS carries it because many people drink it for health reasons. I bought some not that long ago. Is it worth trying out again with my masterbatched lye?

 

[LynetteO]

I used aloe vera *juice* from CVS, which I can buy by the gallon, in many of my early soap recipes 18+ years ago. CVS carries it because many people drink it for health reasons. I bought some not that long ago. Is it worth trying out again with my masterbatched lye?

The soap I made using aloe juice from Walmart is bubbling better than those with just distilled, using same oils & %.

 

[AliOop]

I used aloe vera *juice* from CVS, which I can buy by the gallon, in many of my early soap recipes 18+ years ago. CVS carries it because many people drink it for health reasons. I bought some not that long ago. Is it worth trying out again with my masterbatched lye?

I don't know that you would want to masterbatch with it, due to the sugars it contains. It would be interesting to hear from others with more scientific knowledge on that issue. My MB solution is 50% and made with distilled water, and I use either AVJ or ACV for the remaining water, which I used to dissolve my additives (sodium citrate, sorbitol, sodium lactate or salt, etc.).

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I don't know that you would want to masterbatch with it, due to the sugars it contains. It would be interesting to hear from others with more scientific knowledge on that issue. My MB solution is 50% and made with distilled water, and I use either AVJ or ACV for the remaining water, which I used to dissolve my additives (sodium citrate, sorbitol, sodium lactate or salt, etc.).

Yes, that was what I was planning to do. My lye is already masterbatched at 50% lye to 50% distilled water. I had planned to add goat milk powder and Colloidal oatmeal powder to the aloe vera with sodium lactate and sodium citrate. Sounds like a good plan to you?

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

Thanks so much for this. Very interesting. I have tried to get my wife to analyze some of my different soaps based on some of these same additive differences but she cant't be bothered. I agree with the Aloe Vera juice as a total water replacement. I started doing that a few months ago and never looked back. I just started using sorbitol instead of table sugar and not sure how much of a difference it has made. Also not sure how much of sorbitol's humectant properties survive in the final soap but I think I will continue to use it with the Aloe Vera Juice. Thanks again for this.

My husband is a terrible tester too. I was quizzing him about my latest favorite recipe and he confessed that he likes them all, and can't tell much difference except for scent. He added that he's partial to the ones that smell like "Irish Spring."

 

[ShelleyB852]

My husband is a terrible tester too. I was quizzing him about my latest favorite recipe and he confessed that he likes them all, and can't tell much difference except for scent. He added that he's partial to the ones that smell like "Irish Spring."

My husband is the same. So excited for him to try one. He gets out of the shower ask him how it was and his reply was it’s soap I feel clean what more do you want

 

[LynetteO]

My husband is the same. So excited for him to try one. He gets out of the shower ask him how it was and his reply was it’s soap I feel clean what more do you want

Ditto My whole fam resorts to eye rolling when I ask for comparison testing. Lately I’ve been giving the kindergarten teacher one or more of all my cured soaps. 1. She lovessoap & 2. She gives honest feedback, willingly.

 

[ShelleyB852]

Ditto My whole fam resorts to eye rolling when I ask for comparison testing. Lately I’ve been giving the kindergarten teacher one or more of all my cured soaps. 1. She lovessoap & 2. She gives honest feedback, willingly.

I luckily have my 6year old who is as excited as me about all the new stuff. Every night she excitedly runs into the soap room to get a bath bomb and won’t walk away until she has seen all the explosions that may happen. My friends are probably sick of all the soap they are getting.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

This is an interesting article one of those two testers found.

The link didn't open for me.

Thank you for doing this test and sharing the results.

 

[Tambri]

Thanks for sharing. I've been wondering about why people were using aloe vera, now I know. Any difference in the lathering and bubbles of a milk (goat's milk, coconut milk) vs aloe vera? Also, I freeze my milk before adding lye; do you do the same with aloe vera?

 

[dibbles]

@Tambri I freeze my aloe juice after I open the container because I don't have room to store the jug in the refrigerator, but I haven't had any problem using room temp aloe from a newly opened container.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

The link didn't open for me.

Ditto. From a look into the page source code, she apparently tried to point to the 1971-vintage US patent 3592774 granted to Henkel AG, Düsseldorf, to use sugar solutions to improve dishwasher performance (suppress scum and increase bubbling).
Patents are tedious, but often very insightful to read.

 

[AliOop]

Yes, that was what I was planning to do. My lye is already masterbatched at 50% lye to 50% distilled water. I had planned to add goat milk powder and Colloidal oatmeal powder to the aloe vera with sodium lactate and sodium citrate. Sounds like a good plan to you?

@ScentimentallyYours that sounds great. Let us know how it works out.

FWIW, I typically stickblend my GMP into the oils since I'm too lazy to mix it in the water long enough get all the clumps out. I suppose it is six of one, half-dozen of another.

 

[Dawni]

In a few of my soaps there is a very small noticeable difference between plain NaOH and dual lye... Almost tiny.

I really need to get myself some aloe juice the plants never made enough before they got flooded and now they never will lol

Thank you for this @dibbles!

Edit:
I'll gladly store all your soaps to whoever is willing to pay for shipping to, and shipping back to you as well LOL