Diluting Liquid Soap

[kcbitsupply]

I'm a bit confused as to how to know when liquid soap is diluted. I just made a recipe from Making Natural Liquid Soaps and used:

18.5 oz coconut
4.5 oz. castor oil
2 oz. jojoba oil
6.5 oz. potassium hydroxide
19.5 oz. glycerin

I weighed out the soap paste and added an equal amount of water to dilute. It looks diluted to me but I'm a bit confused on what it's supposed to look like. Or, is dilution kind of a personal preference thing? Catherine Failor's book states, "A solution is too concentrated if a sticky, viscous layer develops on the surface of the finished soap." I diluted it last night and this morning there is no layer. Am I good to go?

I read in another thread that recipes with high amounts of coconut oil should probably be diluted down to 20% because the coconut oil can be drying.

Advice from someone more professional would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Kathy

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would think that it is diluted if there are no lumps of paste left - exactly how much water that takes will vary with the paste, I imagine, and how thin/thick the final soap needs to be will depend partly on the possible options with the paste and also personal taste.

 

[Susie]

Liquid soap is not sufficiently diluted if it has lumps or a skin on the top. If neither of those exist, it is diluted.

However, if you are using a foamer bottle, you will need to dilute it further to actually get foam. I normally dilute mine about 1:1 again.

 

[kcbitsupply]

Thanks. Just making sure I understand everything correctly. I don't know why liquid soap has me so confused!

 

[Susie]

It does that to everyone who has read more than one source of information on it. That is why I try to break it down to the simplest information and process possible. It just does not have to be that complicated and stressful.