First liquid soap, a success!

[psfred]

Tried a liquid soap for the first time this week, for two reasons -- I want some potassium based soap for inseciticide to keep the squash bugs at bay, and it's nice to have some liquid soap in the kitchen.

My niece made some a couple years ago, probably one of those "make liquid soap from bar soap" ideas, she's not a chemist type (yet, working on that!), and I wanted to pay her back with some.

I used some GV shortening and left over beef and pork fat I had that needed to get used up, and it worked OK. Terrible separation during the cook, nearly wore my poor stick blender out trying to get it in suspension, and after the cook it was very cloudy with a white film when I test dissolved a bit. No zap, but obviously not totally saponified either.

My KOH is several years old, so I figured it was probably going to potassium carbonate, so I kept dissolving small amounts in water and adding to the soap until I finally got it to keep zapping after an hour of cooking, then titrated back to no zap with citric acid. Not ideal, but better than grease on my squash!

Today I dissolved some, and other than the solid meringue on the top that won't go away, it's good. Nice an clear, had to dilute to 2:1 to get a reasonable viscosity, and next time I dissolve some I'm just going to let it sit overnight with some heat rather than try to stir it, no need for upholstery foam on top of the soap!

Very nice soap, I'll be making more. I'm fixed for decades for insecticidal soap, I only need a ounce or so in a gallon, and that is two weekly sprays.

Canned 11 quarts of bread and butter pickles too, and now have to decide what to do with the other half of the cucumbers.....

Thanks to all the members here who provide all the answers if you look around a bit!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Thanks to all the members here who provide all the answers if you look around a bit!

Well, I for one, am impressed! Thanks for sharing!

the solid meringue on the top that won't go away, it's good. Nice an clear, had to dilute to 2:1 to get a reasonable viscosity,

I'm guessing, the solid meringue on top may be unsaponified fat or foam from running the stick blender too much. LS foam can look like what you describe. I've seen that happen to first-timers.

You remind me of my Aunt Evie. She was the best cook. I sat down with pencil and paper in hand one afternoon to watch while she added some of this, a little of that, and so on. I kept saying, "Wait, wait, wait! How much of that did you put in there?" It was impossible to write it down. She just knew what the batch needed and added more of something as she went along. Pure magic!

The best tip she ever gave me was, "When making a cake from scratch, add an extra egg and beat the H-E-double-toothpicks out of it!!!" I never forgot it. I don't bake at all these days, but that tip came in handy down through the years. All my boys, including DH, wanted cake from scratch for their birthdays.

One son used to come home from school and he would make a microwave cupcake for himself as an after school treat. He must have "Aunt Evie genes". He did it without a recipe.

 

[psfred]

Lol, thanks Zany.

The foam is nearly gone on the good bottle, in the one I mixed with the remainder of the stuff my niece made it seems to be permanent, but I don't care, it works and that's all that really matters.

I probably stirred a ton of air into it, I can never resist poking at it during the cook, but I think I generated most of the foam trying to get it diluted. Wonderful clear gel when I added water, but it foamed as I beat away at it, and I had to heat it to get it to rise.

Great fun!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I can never resist poking at it during the cook

I think that affliction is in our soaper's DNA! I can never resist fondling my bars while they are curing. I think they feel the love!

it foamed as I beat away at it,

Well, don't do that!

 

[psfred]

As my mother would say, "Patience, donkey, patience!"

It has gotten a little hazy since it cooled off, but I think that's pretty typical of a high palmitic/stearic soap. I'll use more unsaturated oils next time.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

a little hazy since it cooled off, but I think that's pretty typical of a high palmitic/stearic soap

Yes. That's typical of palm, lard, tallow and the like. Even my friends & family favorite 50/50 PKO/Lard Hair & Body Shampoo is opaque at first. It takes about 6 months before it completely clears.

I'll use more unsaturated oils next time.

Good idea!

50% coconut or PKO + 50% liquid oil(s) of choice, diluted at 40% soap 60% water will produce an LS close to shampoo viscosity. It's still a bit watery but lathers like a mad dog, is NOT drying at all, and rinses clean quickly -- unlike LS that's heavier on the soap % that takes more water to rinse off.

What to expect from various oils in LS

Dilution Rates