Aloe Powder seemed to make my soap super sticky....?

[AlexanderMakesSoap]

I made a triple batch a few days ago using the same base formula (lye in aloe juice, almond oil, CO, castor) with each soap having a slightly different set of additives (clay, poppy seeds, EO). The first two unmolded fine after 24 hours, but the third, which had 1.5 tsp of aloe powder added (37oz totoal weight) was still super soft and sticky after 48 hours. This clay also had grapefruit EO and French green clay, but they all had EO, and another had clay.

I made a bit of a mess of it forcing it out of the silicone mold. Got to work on that whole patience thing!

So what do you think - how did this bit of powdery aloe effect my soap this way?

 

[Jersey Girl]

I made a triple batch a few days ago using the same base formula (lye in aloe juice, almond oil, CO, castor) with each soap having a slightly different set of additives (clay, poppy seeds, EO). The first two unmolded fine after 24 hours, but the third, which had 1.5 tsp of aloe powder added (37oz totoal weight) was still super soft and sticky after 48 hours. This clay also had grapefruit EO and French green clay, but they all had EO, and another had clay.

I made a bit of a mess of it forcing it out of the silicone mold. Got to work on that whole patience thing!

So what do you think - how did this bit of powdery aloe effect my soap this way?

@Todd Ziegler uses aloe powder as well as beer powder and honey powder. Maybe he will chime in.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I made a triple batch a few days ago using the same base formula (lye in aloe juice, almond oil, CO, castor) with each soap having a slightly different set of additives (clay, poppy seeds, EO). The first two unmolded fine after 24 hours, but the third, which had 1.5 tsp of aloe powder added (37oz totoal weight) was still super soft and sticky after 48 hours. This clay also had grapefruit EO and French green clay, but they all had EO, and another had clay.

I made a bit of a mess of it forcing it out of the silicone mold. Got to work on that whole patience thing!

So what do you think - how did this bit of powdery aloe effect my soap this way?

It depends on. What type of Aloe powder did you use? Aloe powder generally comes in two forms. One is the dehydrated flesh or the clear inside of the Aloe plant. It is sometimes sold as 100x or 200x or not concentrated at all. This is what I use and I use around a 1/4 tsp per pound of oil in the 100X concentrate. For the 200X I use a rounded 1/8 tsp ppo. I have never used the regular strength.

The other form of Aloe powder is the whole leaf and it will have a brown/dark brown color to it. When added to lye water it will look like tar and act like it too. If you have used this version, then that is your problem.

If you used the 100X or 200X then your problem is to much powder. Because it only takes a little bit.

What is the weight of your oils only?

 

[AlexanderMakesSoap]

It depends on. What type of Aloe powder did you use? Aloe powder generally comes in two forms. One is the dehydrated flesh or the clear inside of the Aloe plant. It is sometimes sold as 100x or 200x or not concentrated at all. This is what I use and I use around a 1/4 tsp per pound of oil in the 100X concentrate. For the 200X I use a rounded 1/8 tsp ppo. I have never used the regular strength.

The other form of Aloe powder is the whole leaf and it will have a brown/dark brown color to it. When added to lye water it will look like tar and act like it too. If you have used this version, then that is your problem.

If you used the 100X or 200X then your problem is to much powder. Because it only takes a little bit.

What is the weight of your oils only?

Interesting Todd and thanks for the input. I just used whole leaf powder. A super-fine brownish/green powder not the 100x type stuff. I added it to the mix (about 27oz of oils) at light trace.

The soap seems to be hardening up ok now and I imagine it would have been ok if I just let it sit another couple of days. Oh well, lesson learned - aloe powder = super sticky soap.

 

[GemstonePony]

It depends on. What type of Aloe powder did you use? Aloe powder generally comes in two forms. One is the dehydrated flesh or the clear inside of the Aloe plant. It is sometimes sold as 100x or 200x or not concentrated at all. This is what I use and I use around a 1/4 tsp per pound of oil in the 100X concentrate. For the 200X I use a rounded 1/8 tsp ppo. I have never used the regular strength.

The other form of Aloe powder is the whole leaf and it will have a brown/dark brown color to it. When added to lye water it will look like tar and act like it too. If you have used this version, then that is your problem.

If you used the 100X or 200X then your problem is to much powder. Because it only takes a little bit.

What is the weight of your oils only?

Thank you for the heads-up about the whole leaf powder acting like tar! I've been considering swapping out my juice for powder eventually, and that would be an unpleasant surprise.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Thank you for the heads-up about the whole leaf powder acting like tar! I've been considering swapping out my juice for powder eventually, and that would be an unpleasant surprise.

You can get non concentrated aloe powder but there is only a few places that sell it. I got mine from Amazon and it was a really good product. The 100X & 200X is much more expensive but then you don't have to use as much either.