How to lower the pH of liquid castile soap?
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What is your goal for lowering the pH of soap?
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Lowering the pH of soap, whether hard bars or liquid, is not recommended because you risk separation.
QUOTE; Liquid soap in an alkaline product and is meant to be an alkaline product with a pH typically in the range of 9 - 10.2. Trying to lower your pH below 9 or even around 9 and your soap begins to destabilize. It will start reverting into water, glycerin (a by-product of saponification), fatty acids, soap content (which will reduce more and more the lower you take your pH) and whatever acid was used to alter the pH.
http://alaiynab.blogspot.com/2014/12/liquid-soap-faqs.html#more
You can wait for the paste (or if you have diluted it) to sequester out or add a 33% solution of borax to your finished soap.
Adding Borax is a great way to lower the ph. However, like Zany_in_CO stated it can unstabilize the soap, throwing it out of solution.
The only way to do that is to make sure your paste has an excess of alkaline by using more (approx 10%) KOH in your recipe.
Borax has another additional benefit...it will thicken your soap.
Hope that helps.
Adding Borax is a great way to lower the ph. However, like Zany_in_CO stated it can unstabilize the soap, throwing it out of solution.
The only way to do that is to make sure your paste has an excess of alkaline by using more (approx 10%) KOH in your recipe.
Borax has another additional benefit...it will thicken your soap.
Hope that helps.
mmm...before putting a post up, I will try to revive this post. so I just made my frist super clear liquid soap...realy, so happy with it...but then I checked the ph was 14 .what should I do? how can I reduce it without clouding it?
Borax, citric acid or boric acid. All will lower pH. Just need to be careful so it doesn't throw your soap out of solution.
See my previous answer in this post.
without clouding it? I have tried citric acid..... it clouded it and made some of it separate and become white...
would essential oil and oils do any good?
would essential oil and oils do any good?
You might have used it incorrectly, possibly used too much.
Essential oils will not work.
I know for a fact that borax will not cloud the soap. Have used it myself.
Dissolve 1 oz borax into 4 oz distilled H2O. Water must be hot!
Use a little at a time till pH is lowered.
If your soap has a low percentage of coconut oil in it, the borax will thicken it as well.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
@rainlily is correct about lowering pH. However, I am concerned about your "super clear LS" with pH 14. That's the highest pH for LS I have ever heard of and I've been making LS since 2004. pH 9.5-11 is normal in my experience.
It would be helpful if you could start a new thread and post your detailed recipe and method in the Recipe Feedback Forum so we can take a look at it. If we can figure out why your pH is that high (excess KOH?) then you should be able to eliminate that problem in future batches.
thannks for the reply. well I will go get some borax tommorow and will try. thanks for the reply. i might have used too much. but then I tried a bit ,,,and even a bit changed the clarity.
sure will do that and add some pics@rainlily is correct about lowering pH. However, I am concerned about your "super clear LS" with pH 14. That's the highest pH for LS I have ever heard of and I've been making LS since 2004. pH 9.5-11 is normal in my experience.
It would be helpful if you could start a new thread and post your detailed recipe and method in the Recipe Feedback Forum so we can take a look at it. If we can figure out why your pH is that high (excess KOH?) then you should be able to eliminate that problem in future batches.
