Additives test: Tussah Silk & Aloe Vera Gel

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ngian

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Additives test: Tussah Silk & Aloe Vera Gel

My next to do experiments were the use of tussah silk fibers and Aloe vera Gel as additives in a specific oil recipe that I had available:

Palm: 40%
Coconut: 25%
Olive Oil: 20%
Canola Oil: 15%

a total of 3 x 500gr soaps with 2% superfat and 33% lye concentration which is 73,5gr NaOH and 148gr distilled water, 1% FO Orange Skin , while I used for the first time EDTA at 0,5% of all the ingredients (oils, water).

I'm wondering why the EDTA is one of the additives that is computed based in the entire recipe and not only based in the quantity of oils.

The first soap doesn't have any additives and was colored with a few drops of red pigment and titanium dioxide, the second one has 0.04% of oils (0,2gr) tussah silk fibers and was colored with yellow pigment and the third one has 100gr aloe vera gel (and the rest 48gr of liquid with water) while it was colored only with TD.

The three lye solutions can be seen in the photo below:
Silk_Aloe_01.jpg

In the lye solution with tussah silk, the fibers were cut into little pieces and were dropped in water a few minutes prior NaOH. When I added NaOH the fibers started to dissolve but few of them remained intact.

In the lye solution with the 100gr aloe vera gel & 48gr water when NaOH was added the whole solution turned into a white opaque solution with few bubbles on top similar to a milky solution.

All three soaps where CPOPed at 65-70°C for 30 min when they reached gel phase:

Silk_Aloe_02.jpg


At this point just right after the gel phase, I also tried for the first time to spray the top of the soap pastes with alcohol in order to see if this can reduce the soda ash phenomenon.


All three soaps after the gel phase, rested in room temperature for 4 hours, and then they were cut:

Silk_Aloe_03.jpg

and are curing in the air cooled curing rack.

I have observed that the soaps with tussah silk fibers have some weird spots with different color and texture and this is maybe for the fact that I didn't strain the lye solution from the fibers that weren't dissolved.


Silk_Aloe_05silk.jpg


After a week's curing all soaps don't have any soda ash on their tops at all and it seems that the alcohol spray did help on this.

So after two months I will try to feel if there are any difference between the control and the Silk and Aloe Vera gel soaps.
 
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The stick blender should have chopped up any remaining strands of the silk, it does for me and I use silk,in every recipe.

Robert
 
I'll be really interested to hear your comments on how they all feel following cure:)
 
I'm wondering why the EDTA is one of the additives that is computed based in the entire recipe and not only based in the quantity of oils.

It is sometimes computed relative to oils. You'll notice all stabilizers are relative to oils in Dunn's book. You can do it as you prefer.

Anything I compute relative to product weight is based on FINAL product weight. I assume that the residual moisture is 15% after cure.

Since EDTA works in the water phase, I suppose you could even compute it based on final water weight. I've never done it that way but it's a thought.

Everyone has their way of doing things. :)
 
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Hello again, after a good cure and some testings by me and an another soaper, there is a common conclusion upon the use of the specific additives.

Both silk fibers and aloe Vera gel used the way and amounts described on my first message of this thread, act like sugar. They both make bigger bubbles a little faster. As far as it concerns the silky feeling or any other properties people state that these additives offer, I couldn't understand any, neither me nor the other soaper.

So it is somehow a little of a marketing appealing for me when these are used.

Bigger and faster creation of bubbles logically as a result of a more soluble soap is what we felt.

The main characteristics the soap will have, will be mainly given from its profile of salty fatty acids that are present in the recipe. I believe that most additives changes a little the behavior of the soap, like how much easy will it produce suds (sugar like properties) or how much gentle it will be on our skin (increased superfat by reducing sugars or lye discount).

Finally with the 40% palm in the recipe, made the other soaper initially to feel that these soaps would dry her skin but after the handwash she didn't need any hand cream to hydrate her skin. I've also read that too much palm oil (>40-50%) can dry one's skin but I think that this is a myth.

ps. I think that this is one of my favorite recipes, mainly because I didn't add any salt and the soap is more... like a "plastic" piece of soap (it has a very nice feeling when touching it or when it make noise if it touches a surface sounding like a soft thumbing sound as this video states: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=56090 ).

Nikos
 
Nikos thanks for the update on your recent experiment and congrats for finding a soap recipe you love!
 
Love seeing other people's experiments. I am on the fence about silk and have never been able to tell if I truly can tell a difference or if I'm talking myself into it. Since it's not readily apparent, I don't bother to use it anymore.
 

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