Beeswax: more trouble than its worth?

[Ravenscourt Apothecary]

So I've been toying with the idea of making a batch with beeswax, because supposedly it makes a really nice hard bar. I even have it all figured out through the soap calc.
My only concern is, beeswax melts at a higher temperature than most other butters and oils in my recipe (my solid fats are coconut oil and shea butter). Will it cause any trouble in the oil mix? Will it separate, re-harden or otherwise misbehave once combined with other oils and butters? Is it only feasible to use beeswax recipes in hot process?
Does anyone have any experience adding beeswax? If so, could you please share?

 

[judymoody]

In a word, yes.

For all the reasons you mention.

Hard to work with, messy to clean, and if you use too much, the soap feels, well, waxy.

There are easier ways to get a hard bar.

 

[Obsidian]

That being said... I made one batch with beeswax and I really love the feel. I melted the beeswax with the some of the other oils and used the stick blender to emulsify the oil mix with some really hot water. It basically made something like a lotion that I was able to blend the other warm oils into before adding the lye solution. I did soap hot so that might have helped some too.
One of these days, I will try beeswax again to see if my technique actually works well or if I was just lucky.

 

[cmzaha]

I do hot process my honey bar that contains beeswax. I do have a good reason, mine contains bee propolis, goat's milk, honey, yogurt beeswax. A recipe for failure...but hp's fine

 

[dixiedragon]

I like beeswax. I like the color it gives the soap and I think it boosts the sweet smell, which is important if you aren't using an FO (IMO). I save a food can and melt my wax in that, like a double boiler. That way, when the soap is done, I can just throw the can away and not have to struggle to get beeswax off of a pot. I melt my beeswax and heat my oils in my soap pot. I then pour the beeswax into the oils. The beeswax will sometimes harden up again if the oils are too cool, so I will slowly heat the oils until the beeswax melts into the mix, then let the oils cool. I make oatmeal, milk and honey soap this way. I use canned milk and add it to my oils. I have never had the over heating problems that some folks seem to have, even in a recipe that contains beeswax, honey and milk.

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2013/02/th...d-honey-cold-process-soap-milk-in-oil-method/

I take the weight of my can of milk and then I calculate a recipe that uses double that in water. Usually I use the calculator at the sage and I choose the maximum amount of water (the sage suggests a range). So, if I am using a can of milk that is 14.5 ounces, I want a recipe that calls for 29 ounces of water. I dissolve my lye in 14.5 ounces of water. I put my can of milk in the fridge or freezer to get it cold (not frozen). I have no idea if this is actually necessary. I did this the first time I used this method, and it worked (no overheating, no sour milk smell), so I have stuck with it. I melt my oils, melt my beewax, and add my beeswax to my oils. Once the beeswax is incorporated into the oils, I let the oils cool to 100. When the lye is ready to pour, I add my honey, milk and oatmeal to the oils, stir, and then pour the lye and stick blend.

I have a log mold that holds 4 logs. If I am making 2 logs of soap, I make sure they are seperated by an empty space, so if the soap seems to be overheating I can put something cool between the logs. But I have never had to do this. I don't put my soap in the freezer, I don't take it outside in the cold weather - I just don't insulate it. I do cover the counter with newspaper or old towels or something, just in case this the time that the soap decides to volcano on me. (I figure I am due for a soaplosion.)


Obsidian - I love your idea of melting the beeswax in really hot water. I will have to try that. Was it hard to get the wax off of your stick blender?

 

[Obsidian]

I didn't have too much trouble washing my stick blender. By the time I had the oils, wax and water emulsified it was like a greasy, waxy lotion. Dawn dish soap took care of the residue.

 

[Ravenscourt Apothecary]

Dixiedragon - thank you for a detailed post, I was looking for some advice from people who have experience adding beeswax to their batches. I personally don't make milk-based soaps out of personal preferences, but I am interested in using beeswax recipes. You didn't specify whether you use cold process for your beeswax bars, or soap it hot. (I'm just sort of collecting anecdotal evidence here).
Obsidian - that's an awesome idea about emulsifying with hot water! If I do decide to make a HP honeybee bar, I will consider doing it that way.
Judymoody - I thought as much but wanted more feedback from other soap makers. Thank you!

 

[Obsidian]

If you do decide to emulsify it, make sure to use at least the same amount or more of a thin oil like olive. I used approximately 2 oz of beeswax in a 2 lb batch.

 

[dixiedragon]

Ravenscourt - I do CP soap.

Obsidian - so, to emulsify the beeswax, I would use 1 part beeswax, 1 part olive oil and 1 part water?

 

[Obsidian]

I would do 1 part wax, 1 part oil and 2 parts water if you have enough water to use that much and dissolve your lye.