Beeswax With Cold Process Soap Making

[TobyandRosie]

I've never used beeswax and would love to know what it does to a bar of soap? What happens when you add more of the beeswax to the mixture and can you add too much?
Also does it impart the qualities of using beeswax on the skin like being a humectant and antibacterial etc... i.e do you get benefits of the beeswax after the saponification process?

Thanks for listening.

 

[Obsidian]

Beeswax makes a harder bar, thats about it. Max amount is 5%, anymore then that can cause accelaration, reduce lather, cause severe overheating and leave a waxy film on the skin.

Even 5% can speed trace and cause overheating. I've used it a couple times and liked it ok but not enough to deal with all the issues it causes.

No, none of the properties will survive the lye. The same goes for botanicals and essential oils. Soap cleans, it doesn't cure or treat medical issues.

 

[Deadgroovy]

I make and sell a beeswax and honey soap, and people love it. I use it at 2.5% and same with the honey. I dont get any problems with acceleration. You have to make sure your oils are as hot as the beeswax when you add it or you will get flakey bits of beeswax solidifying. It does get hot (due to the honey) while saponifying so you have to keep an eye on it

 

[IrishLass]

I use beeswax at 3% ppo in my Beeswax Honey soap made via cold process and have no drama issues with overheating or acceleration or separation, etc.... My process (laid out step by step in post #16 of of this thread here ) is very specific and it works for me every time. Believe it or not, I actually have to CPOP it to get it to fully gel in spite of the 5% amount of honey I use in it (a little over 1 tablespoon ppo). That's because I add my honey to my cooled-off lye water beforehand.

Like Deadgroovy said, you have to make sure your oils are as hot as the melted beeswax to avoid acceleration.


IrishLass

 

[Obsidian]

Wow, beeswax is a nightmare for me. I wonder if the type of wax has anything to do with it.

I use local wax that is only strained. Not tried the well cleaned pastilles before.

 

[TobyandRosie]

Ok that's all great to know. Im trying different things as im getting. sick of making the same bars over and over again. We've made a good shampoo bar and a good facial cleanser with zeolite amongst other great ingredients but while im here, does anybody have an ingredient or a special/effective soap that does more than just cleanses. If so what ingredient stood out the most, had the best effect or stood out the most in your mind?
Thanks for all the answers so far everybody!

 

[AliOop]

Not making medical claims here at all, but I love my goat milk-lard-colloidal-oats soap. It's the only soap I've ever been able to use on my face without breakouts and peeling.

 

[Ladka]

I used beeswax in my latest batch because I wanted a harder bar and hoped for some acceleration. I used 24 % lard in the recipe and hated the view of prolonged stirring and waiting. And accelerate it did! Not extremely, just shortened the usual slow saponification. I'm glad I used it but now have the problem how to clean the knife I cut my wax plate with.

 

[DeeAnna]

I turn my stove on and hold the knife over the flame (or electric element). You could even use a candle. Let the blade warm gently. When some of the wax melts, wipe the blade with newspaper or a paper towel. Warm, wipe, and repeat until clean.

edit -- if you have a large block of wax and want an easier way to handle it in the long run, I have a suggestion. Melt the wax in a warm-water bath. I often put the wax in a clean metal food can and set the can into a regular cooking pan filled with hot water on the stove. Line a large flat pan or cookie sheet with parchment. Pour the wax in a thin sheet over the parchment. Let the wax cool. Break it into pieces for storage and use.

 

[Ladka]

I turn my stove on and hold the knife over the flame (or electric element). You could even use a candle. Let the blade warm gently. When some of the wax melts, wipe the blade with newspaper or a paper towel. Warm, wipe, and repeat until clean.

edit -- if you have a large block of wax and want an easier way to handle it in the long run, I have a suggestion. Melt the wax in a warm-water bath. I often put the wax in a clean metal food can and set the can into a regular cooking pan filled with hot water on the stove. Line a large flat pan or cookie sheet with parchment. Pour the wax in a thin sheet over the parchment. Let the wax cool. Break it into pieces for storage and use.

Thanks so much DeeAnna for the knife cleaning instructions.
I do melt my beeswax I get directly from a beekeeper (with all the impurity particles in it) to clean it and then pour onto parchment paper to obtain a nice thin sheet. I can't imagine how I could possibly get off chunks I use in my creams and (occasionally) soaps.

 

[Motherclucker]

Not making medical claims here at all, but I love my goat milk-lard-colloidal-oats soap. It's the only soap I've ever been able to use on my face without breakouts and peeling.

Would you share your recipe?

 

[AliOop]

Would you share your recipe?

Sure, it varies a bit, but here is the general gist of it:

Lard 75%
Coconut oil 20%
Castor oil 5%
1 T sugar PPO dissolved in lye water (or 1% sorbitol if you have it)
1 T colloidal oats PPO (stickblended into oils before adding lye)
2 T goat milk powder PPO (stickblended into oils before adding lye)
Lye concentration 40%
2% SF