how to increase foam

[Kevinkn24]

hello im making a castile soap with olive-coconut 80:20 composition
however many friends complain about the product is not foaming enough
is there any tips for me to increase the foam
maybe using another oil? castor oil or something that i shoud try? can you give the recommendation composition?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

with olive-coconut 80:20 composition

Try Zany's No Slime Castile with 80% Olive Oil, 15% Coconut Oil, 5% Castor Oil.

Test drive a small 500 gram batch.
500g X a factor of 1.37 = 685g soap (approx)
685g soap divided by 5 bars = 125+g each.



ZNSC makes dense creamy lather that cleanses well and rinses off without leaving the skin feeling tight. With high olive oil in the formula, the lather will always be less foamy.

Coconut oil and castor oil will boost lather somewhat but for a high lather soap you need a more balanced recipe with a higher % of coconut oil or palm kernel oil - both are known to increase lather and hardness but may also be more stripping to the skin.

 

[AliOop]

hello im making a castile soap with olive-coconut 80:20 composition
however many friends complain about the product is not foaming enough
is there any tips for me to increase the foam
maybe using another oil? castor oil or something that i shoud try? can you give the recommendation composition?

You can add some form of sugar or starch at 1-2% of your oil weight. Sugar acts like a solvent so that the soap lathers more easily and quickly. It's wonderful for recipes where you need to keep a low amount of coconut oil to avoid drying out the skin.

My favorite is sorbitol, but plain old white sugar will work just fine. Be sure to dissolve the sugar in some of your batch water before you add the lye to the water; it won't dissolve well after the lye has been added.

Just remember that additives such as sugar don't change the numbers in the soap calculator, since the calculator only looks at the oils, not the additives. So the recipe won't look any more "bubbly" on paper, but you will definitely get better lather. Let us know if you try it!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

You can add some form of sugar or starch at 1-2% of your oil weight.

POINT OF CLARIFICATION:
Correct me if I'm wrong but if adding sugar to a recipe, especially ZNSC (Temps 100-120°F), it is a heater and therefore, at risk of causing a volcano / accelerating the batch? I don't know because I don't use it. Ever. Never had the need.

So, the advice would be to soap cool or room temp if adding something like sugar/sorbitol/honey or using starchy water like rice/potato/pasta water. Yes?

 

[dibbles]

POINT OF CLARIFICATION:
Correct me if I'm wrong but if adding sugar to a recipe, especially ZNSC (Temps 100-120°F), it is a heater and therefore, at risk of causing a volcano / accelerating the batch? I don't know because I don't use it. Ever. Never had the need.

So, the advice would be to soap cool or room temp if adding something like sugar/sorbitol/honey or using starchy water like rice/potato/pasta water. Yes?

Honey can be a heater, but that isn’t what she is recommending here. Sugar has never been problematic in any way in my experience as long as it is dissolved before adding the lye. I’ve never had an issue when using sorbitol.

 

[Iluminameluna]

I've usually added honey to my olive oil containing soaps (I added it to the oils, then blended it before adding the lye) and no volcanoes, no overheating, and no gelling really either, even though most of my soaping was done in a semi-tropical country, with high humidity. And it increased the amount of suds to my family's satisfaction.
I also learned that aloe "gel" (the watery stuff that comes in a jug) used instead of water to dissolve the lye (used cold from the fridge) also helps increase the bubbly.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[KDP]

Try Zany's No Slime Castile with 80% Olive Oil, 15% Coconut Oil, 5% Castor Oil.

Test drive a small 500 gram batch.
500g X a factor of 1.37 = 685g soap (approx)
685g soap divided by 5 bars = 125+g each.



ZNSC makes dense creamy lather that cleanses well and rinses off without leaving the skin feeling tight. With high olive oil in the formula, the lather will always be less foamy.

Coconut oil and castor oil will boost lather somewhat but for a high lather soap you need a more balanced recipe with a higher % of coconut oil or palm kernel oil - both are known to increase lather and hardness but may also be more stripping to the skin.

What are the ingredients you mixed up before the lye water?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

What are the ingredients you mixed up before the lye water?

The link to the recipe is in the post you quoted in your post.

Try Zany's No Slime Castile with 80% Olive Oil, 15% Coconut Oil, 5% Castor Oil.

 

[DeeAnna]

Is the OP wanting help with liquid soap made with KOH? Or bar soap made with NaOH?

Reason why I ask is the OP posted this in the LIQUID soap forum, not the bar soap forum. Some of the advice being offered is suitable only for bar (NaOH) soap.

I'm confused.

 

[lsg]

Is the OP wanting help with liquid soap made with KOH? Or bar soap made with NaOH?

Reason why I ask is the OP posted this in the LIQUID soap forum, not the bar soap forum. Some of the advice being offered is suitable only for bar (NaOH) soap.

I'm confused.

Me too!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Is the OP wanting help with liquid soap made with KOH? Or bar soap made with NaOH?

Reason why I ask is the OP posted this in the LIQUID soap forum, not the bar soap forum. Some of the advice being offered is suitable only for bar (NaOH) soap.

I'm confused.

Oopsie! I totally missed that. Good catch!

@Kevinkn24 Forget everything I posted above.

FOR LIQUID SOAP: You can increase lather fairly easily by lowering the % of olive oil, upping the % of coconut oil, and adding some castor oil. I would try:

50% coconut oil plus 50% olive & castor oils.
Dilution: 40% soap/paste to 60% water.

THat combo should have the viscosity of store-bought shampoo so there's no need to thicken.

You can use MMS Fragrance Calculator to determine the amount of fragrance needed.

Warm the diluted LS to about 60°C - 140°F before adding the fragrance for easier incorporation. Stir gently for one full minute to thoroughly incorporate. Spritz lightly with alcohol to disperse any foam that appears on the surface.

NOTE: 1-2 tablespoons (per 16 oz. of LS) of ethyl alcohol (aka ethanol aka grain alcohol aka vodka) has the ability to bump the lather. Use with a light touch. If you use too much, it will flatten the lather.

NOTE: The same applies to adding simple sugar syrup but I don't have any experience with that. I prefer adding alcohol.

HTH and HAPPY SOAPING!