Cream Soap

[cmzaha]

I made a new cream soap batch today that is looking excellent. My KOH was apparently dead and I do not know how I did not notice it didn't swoosh when added to the distilled water. So far this batch is doing exactly as it is supposed to with my new container of KOH.
Color me happy! The color is actually a very pretty cream color.

 

[lsg]

It looks very rich and creamy.

 

[shunt2011]

Beautiful looking as always.

 

[msunnerstood]

Ive been wanting to try cream soap but the 8 week sitting time has discouraged me

 

[KimT2au]

Oh it looks so luscious and gorgeous. I love the idea of cream soap but I can see myself using far too much each time without some way of measuring how much soap is taken out of the pot. I wish there was something like a pump bottle that would work for cream soap.

 

[DeeAnna]

Why don't you try making a pourable version of cream soap? Cream soap is more like a shave soap due to the high stearic acid content, but otherwise cream soap shares a lot in common with typical liquid soap in the use of mostly KOH, a higher % of water-based liquids, and the method of making the base soap.

I have not personally tried this idea myself, but Irish Lass is basically making a high-stearic liquid soap in her Cocoa/Shea LS tutorial: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/my-creamy-cocoa-shea-gls-tutorial.57974/ You might try her recipe and see if that fits your expectations of a pumpable "cream" soap.

(Note: I strongly recommend not dissolving KOH in hot glycerin for safety's sake. Instead dissolve KOH in an equal weight of room temperature water, and then add enough glycerin so the total weight of glycerin + water equals the total "water" weight called for in the recipe. Much safer and faster.)

 

[cmzaha]

I use the cream soap for a salt scrub that my daughter loves. I also like it whipped 50/50 with my thick lotion for a shave soap, but never liked it as a whipped soap for showering with.

I did read the info on dissolving the KOH in glycerine and backed off from doing that. If I have time today I will try to run a batch of IL's and see if it will work for another idea I have

ETA: I like making cream soap more than I like making LS. Even though they technically are about the same method

 

[DeeAnna]

I have to say for myself that cream soap seems more luscious in pictures than it really is in practice. The high % of stearic acid in these types of soap, whether it's turned into actual soap or added as a thickener, creates a pasty, waxy type of lather that I don't like for bathing in general. A high stearic soap is plenty fine for shaving, however, because I'm wanting that somewhat sticky, slick lather to protect my skin. But for bathing ... not so much.

 

[Obsidian]

I've made cream soap in the past but the high stearic always left my skin with a weird waxy film.
Need to look for a different recipe, I really like the idea of cream soap.

 

[KimT2au]

I have not personally tried this idea myself, but Irish Lass is basically making a high-stearic liquid soap in her Cocoa/Shea LS tutorial: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/my-creamy-cocoa-shea-gls-tutorial.57974/ You might try her recipe and see if that fits your expectations of a pumpable "cream" soap.

That one is on my to do list as it looks gorgeous.

 

[amd]

Also on my to do list for November... that looks utterly divine! Is it November yet?

I'm with Obsidian, I don't care for the waxy feel for general bathing, but I do really like it mixed with pumice and used as a foot/knee/elbow scrub. It seems like the waxy feel helps keep everything together to get a really good scrub going before it starts lathering.

 

[cmzaha]

I made another cream soap based on one Humblebee & Me has on her site which has no added stearic acid. Mine is a tweaked version of hers and it is going to be a wonderful versatile cream soap. It will even dilute into a pretty thick LS or maybe a shower gel. Have to play with it a little more. I am going to make a few batches tweaking the CO and see how low it can go while still lathering and keeping the hard paste.

 

[Clarice]

I made another cream soap based on one Humblebee & Me has on her site which has no added stearic acid. Mine is a tweaked version of hers and it is going to be a wonderful versatile cream soap. It will even dilute into a pretty thick LS or maybe a shower gel. Have to play with it a little more. I am going to make a few batches tweaking the CO and see how low it can go while still lathering and keeping the hard paste.

Hi - I have made that Humblebee soap and found it to be a little "puny" (lacking in substance, more whip than cream!)

Did you end up adding stearic acid to it?

I have a VERY scientific friend visiting next week, and I think she and I will do some experimenting, so I would appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.

Thank you!