It's Sunday tomorrow and I want to make soap. I have castor on order but it won't be here til next week. Will it really matter if I don't use it? I don't fancy paying a small fortune for a minuscule amount from the pharmacy.
Eek! Run out of castor!
- Thread starter KiwiMoose
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Donee'
Well-Known Member
why not just use any other oil you have in the cupboard?
When I run out I just go to the grocery cupboard - see whats there - and then do a new recipe
I have made soap without it but I usually add sugar to my lye water to boost the bubbles
Chris_S
Well-Known Member
Could you not just up the coconut oil another 5% and maybe add sugar?
I was going to up the avocado. Nothing else has ricolenic acid though. I always use 10% castor in my recipes.
Donee'
Well-Known Member
If you can’t get it locally, I would just add some sugar to your liquid before the lye. That will help boost the bubbles some. Several here don’t use Castor. I always do but again with everything it’s a personal preference. It should still be a lovely soap.
Just up your avocado or other liquid oil to make up for tje Castor.
I was down to about 12 oz, and panicked and ordered another gallon.
By the way, Amazon has a gallon for $25.19 on Prime, so free 2 day delivery:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WKEJI6G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
By the way, Amazon has a gallon for $25.19 on Prime, so free 2 day delivery:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WKEJI6G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Dawni
Well-Known Member
Same here.. Or any kind of milk (animal or not) if you're inclined ^^
My first recipes had no Castor either and I think they're still fine
Come to think of it some of my newest ones don't have either
I used castor in my soap for a fair bit of time, then got away from using it. I didn't notice a great difference -- certainly not enough to make me start using castor again.
I do like soap that lathers well, but I've learned there are other ways to get it besides using castor or increasing the coconut oil. For the past couple of years or so, I've been using a "dual lye" blend of 95% NaOH and 5% KOH. The dual lye or a bit of sugar or ingredients that add sugars such as beer work well to enhance the lather.
I do like soap that lathers well, but I've learned there are other ways to get it besides using castor or increasing the coconut oil. For the past couple of years or so, I've been using a "dual lye" blend of 95% NaOH and 5% KOH. The dual lye or a bit of sugar or ingredients that add sugars such as beer work well to enhance the lather.
Hendejm
Well-Known Member
I’ve done both...with and without and I don’t notice a huge difference in suds/bubbles. I use it because I have it but I would suggest you do as others have suggested and add a bit of sugar or honey to up the lather.
I am another soaper who does not always use Castor oil in my recipes. It really does not make enough of a difference to matter to me.
Use some aloe vera juice for liquid if you have access. Boosts lather better from what I have read.
That is true, Steve. I used to use aloe vera juice a lot instead of water for at least a year or so and those soaps did seem to lather up more than without it.
I ran out of castor oil last April and haven't bothered repurchasing it. I'm another one who doesn't notice a difference with/without it in the cured soap lather (always used to use it at 5%; I do still add 5% sugar ppo to each batch). And this may be a figment of my imagination, but I think my bars are slightly firmer/more durable during use and last longer now without it.
A difference I do see with not using it is in the soap making process, as my recipe takes forever to trace now. This can be a great thing when doing some designs that need a thin batter (or slightly frustrating when I need it to thicken up some).
A difference I do see with not using it is in the soap making process, as my recipe takes forever to trace now. This can be a great thing when doing some designs that need a thin batter (or slightly frustrating when I need it to thicken up some).
I use castor in most of my batches, but when I want to be assured of maximum working time, I leave it out. The soaps still lather fine. I do add 1 tsp PPO to the water before adding the lye. It doesn’t speed things up for me. Aloe juice is also a good bubble booster. I haven’t used it in quite awhile. I ran out and forgot to pick up more.
You should actually make a small batch without castor and see for yourself how it compares.
You should actually make a small batch without castor and see for yourself how it compares.
I often need more time for working with swirls etc, so maybe I should embrace the 'no castor' effect.
I am another that has made my soap without castor and do not notice a big difference in lather, but I do use Sorbitol that really does seem to up lather. I have really fallen in love with Sorbitol even with the cost of it.
Hendejm
Well-Known Member
I mostly use castor and I don’t have a problem with timing for swirls etc as long as I don’t over blend. Over blending gets me a lot of the time.
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