Honey powder

[Todd Ziegler]

Does anyone out there have any experience in using honey powder? Do you reconstitute it with RO water or do you mix it with your oils before or after emulsion? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Obsidian]

You'll want to completely dissolve it in water. You can add it to your oils, at trace or even with your lye solution.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

You'll want to completely dissolve it in water. You can add it to your oils, at trace or even with your lye solution.

So I can dissolve it with my lye water? Is that what you mean?

 

[Obsidian]

So I can dissolve it with my lye water? Is that what you mean?

I would dissolve it with just water then add it to your lye solution. It will heat up a lot but it should help prevent the soap batter from heating too much.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I would dissolve it with just water then add it to your lye solution. It will heat up a lot but it should help prevent the soap batter from heating too much.

Got it thanks.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I wouldn't add it to the lye as the sugars will start to burn. I'd add it to the oils before mixing in the lye after it's been dissolved in water.

 

[DeeAnna]

+1 what Obsidian said. Dissolve the honey in the water and then add the NaOH (or KOH)

@Irish Lass found out that if you add the honey to your water and then add the alkali to make the lye solution, the alkali and honey will react at that point in your soap making process. You can then allow that mixture to cool before making soap, if you prefer, so your soap batter doesn't heat up from the honey and NaOH reacting in the soap batter.

 

[melinda48]

If I use honey in my soap, should I use full water? It seems that when I use my regular 1.7:1 of water/lye, my soap overheats and sets before I can get it in the molds. Is it the water quantity do you think? I am making a small batch (only 8.6oz. Of oils). I am also adding lavender EO.

 

[atiz]

What is the advantage of honey-powder as opposed to real honey?

@melinda48, I follow IL's method (described by DeeAnna above), and it does not heat up for me. I usually use 2:1 water:lye ratio, not counting the honey (which I usually use 1--2 tbsp ppo).

 

[melinda48]

What is the advantage of honey-powder as opposed to real honey?

@melinda48, I follow IL's method (described by DeeAnna above), and it does not heat up for me. I usually use 2:1 water:lye ratio, not counting the honey (which I usually use 1--2 tbsp ppo).

Thanks!

 

[melinda48]

+1 what Obsidian said. Dissolve the honey in the water and then add the NaOH (or KOH)

@Irish Lass found out that if you add the honey to your water and then add the alkali to make the lye solution, the alkali and honey will react at that point in your soap making process. You can then allow that mixture to cool before making soap, if you prefer, so your soap batter doesn't heat up from the honey and NaOH reacting in the soap batter.

Brilliant!! Thank you DeeAnna and thank you Irish Lass!

 

[Todd Ziegler]

What is the advantage of honey-powder as opposed to real honey?

@melinda48, I follow IL's method (described by DeeAnna above), and it does not heat up for me. I usually use 2:1 water:lye ratio, not counting the honey (which I usually use 1--2 tbsp ppo).

I don't know if there's a real advantage but I added the honey powder to my oils and let it soak up the oils while they cool down and I never had any heating up issues. I also use powdered goats milk, powdered buttermilk in the same way and don't have any of the problems generally associated with the liquid milks.

 

[atiz]

I don't know if there's a real advantage but I added the honey powder to my oils and let it soak up the oils while they cool down and I never had any heating up issues. I also use powdered goats milk, powdered buttermilk in the same way and don't have any of the problems generally associated with the liquid milks.

Okay, I see. I use powdered milk too, it's just that I already have honey (for culinary purposes) so probably it would be pointless to invest in honey powder. (If I kept regular goat milk at home, I would use that instead of the powder too. But I don't.)

I have never had overheating issues with honey, but I can see that the powder method may be easier.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Okay, I see. I use powdered milk too, it's just that I already have honey (for culinary purposes) so probably it would be pointless to invest in honey powder. (If I kept regular goat milk at home, I would use that instead of the powder too. But I don't.)

I have never had overheating issues with honey, but I can see that the powder method may be easier.

I use propolis in cosmetics. We have our own hives but we don't get enough honey for anything but eating.

 

[DeeAnna]

You are seriously compromising the ability of your lotions to remain sanitary by adding sugars, including honey. Even if you use a preservative, this really isn't a good idea.

Cosmetic chemists strongly advise against adding more than tiny amounts (like in the neighborhood of 0.1%) of additives that supply carbohydrates (honey, other sugars, aloe to give examples) or proteins (milk for example).

 

[gloopygloop]

I add honey powder to a small amount of my water to reconstitute it and hold that back to add to the soap later, remember its a water soluble item not an oil soluble. Also be warned that honey powder has the habit of taking moisture from the air and turning into a piece of rock which is almost impossible to break up without brutal force!

 

[Todd Ziegler]

You are seriously compromising the ability of your lotions to remain sanitary by adding sugars, including honey. Even if you use a preservative, this really isn't a good idea.

Cosmetic chemists strongly advise against adding more than tiny amounts (like in the neighborhood of 0.1%) of additives that supply carbohydrates (honey, other sugars, aloe to give examples) or proteins (milk for example).

That was a mistake, thanks for catching it. I edited it to mean what I was thinking.

 

[melinda48]

Brilliant!! Thank you DeeAnna and thank you Irish Lass!

Success! Yay!!
I proceeded as suggested by DeeAnna and Irish Lass and mixed my honey in with my lye water. I then mixed my oils; let everything cool to room temperature and mixed by hand only until I reached light trace; poured. Worked perfectly. Many thanks!

 

[DeeAnna]

Irish Lass gets allllll the credit for this idea. I was glad to be able to pass her suggestion along to you, but I'm just the messenger.

 

[TashaBird]

You are seriously compromising the ability of your lotions to remain sanitary by adding sugars, including honey. Even if you use a preservative, this really isn't a good idea.

Cosmetic chemists strongly advise against adding more than tiny amounts (like in the neighborhood of 0.1%) of additives that supply carbohydrates (honey, other sugars, aloe to give examples) or proteins (milk for example).

Even if there’s no water? Reading along here about soap, but I use honey powder in my lip balm.