How to make soaps long lasting

[apurwa]

I wanted to know which oils need to be used to make a soap long lasting. i am using one of my home made soaps currently and it seems to be getting over very soon. i have made it using olive oil,palm oil,almond oil,milk,castor oil.

Thanks,
Apurwa.

 

[agriffin]

Homemade soap does tend to be used up rather quickly. In my experience, faster than commercial soap. Make sure your soap has had a nice long cure- this will help. Also use a wash rag, loofah or sponge when in the shower.

I'm not sure that there is anything you can put in soap to help?

 

[Angela]

I use sodium lactate. This makes a nice hard bar of soap and I think it last a little longer too.

 

[mandolyn]

I wanted to know which oils need to be used to make a soap long lasting. i am using one of my home made soaps currently and it seems to be getting over very soon. i have made it using olive oil,palm oil,almond oil,milk,castor oil.

Thanks,
Apurwa.

CP? How long is it lasting? The longer you cure cp, the harder it becomes & the longer it lasts. I cure a minimun of 4 weeks, usually 6 before we use my soaps. We each have our own bar, & DH's lasts 1 month with daily showering.

 

[honor435]

do you have any co or pk in there ot mostly liquid oils?

 

[donniej]

Oils high in stearic acid tend to last longer... but IMO they're not as nice on the skin.

Part of the problem is the pressence of glycerin. Gylcerin holds water and helps the soap get soft, but it also adds some of the best properties to our soaps.

It's all a big balancing act...

 

[xyxoxy]

I use 60-65% hard oils... not including Olive which I suppose is technically a soft oil but results in harder soap in the long run.
I also believe in a nice long cure before using.

I find most people tell me that they can't believe how long my soaps last. However I have heard one or two reports to the contrary. I have to think it's a matter of how you use them. I suspect a washcloth or loofah may use less soap than just using soap directly on skin. But I'm not sure it's appropriate to ask for those kinds of details.

Maybe I'll have to go into the "lab" and do some testing.

ETA: I also know that having proper drainage for your soaps makes a HUGE difference. I use a wire soap rack (actually 3 of them). They stick to the wall of my shower and prevent the soap from sitting in water and getting mushy.

 

[honor435]

i couldnt tell ya how long a bar last either! i cant stick to the same one every day, but hubby does and I believe his lasts 3 wks(hp).

 

[rubyslippers]

i couldnt tell ya how long a bar last either! i cant stick to the same one every day, but hubby does and I believe his lasts 3 wks(hp).

LOL - sooooo glad to hear someone else has a habit of changing bars so frequently! Hubby is always asking if it is necessary to have so many bars of soap in the shower. Of course it is!

 

[MorpheusPA]

i couldnt tell ya how long a bar last either! i cant stick to the same one every day, but hubby does and I believe his lasts 3 wks(hp).

LOL - sooooo glad to hear someone else has a habit of changing bars so frequently! Hubby is always asking if it is necessary to have so many bars of soap in the shower. Of course it is!

Roughly the same question applies here: "Do we really need four bars of soap in the shower?"

Yes. Yes we do.

And don't be tellin' me you're not snitching my ginger and cinnamon soap, because I KNOW you are.

But that's a sidenote. I find that a standard 4.5 oz bar of MP seems to last a week to ten days, or about what Ivory used to last. Most of my CP, by extrapolation since I'm starting with the smaller bars, should last 3 weeks or so.

 

[apurwa]

so looks like letting the soap cure for longer period of time will help in making it last longer. i shall try that.

thanks all for all the help!

Apurwa.

 

[Pepper]

At the moment I have a beer soap for my hair, a yoghurt one for my face, a rose fragranced rebatch for my body, and a coffee grounds scrubber for my feet. You can never have enough soaps available for changing moods.
By the way, I didn't wash my face with soap for years, because commercial soaps made my skin feel SO TIGHT! Then I started making my own, and they have all been fine on my face, but the yoghurt is the best - wonderful and creamy.

 

[agriffin]

At the moment I have a beer soap for my hair, a yoghurt one for my face, a rose fragranced rebatch for my body, and a coffee grounds scrubber for my feet. You can never have enough soaps available for changing moods.
By the way, I didn't wash my face with soap for years, because commercial soaps made my skin feel SO TIGHT! Then I started making my own, and they have all been fine on my face, but the yoghurt is the best - wonderful and creamy.

Hahahaha...that sounds like my soap lineup in the shower...although I haven't tried yogurt in soap yet... I'll have to add that to my list.

 

[reallyrita]

It is so true....a nice long cure makes for a nice hard and long lasting soap. The addition of coconut oil or palm kernal oil helps to make a harder type soap. One of the biggest enemies of hand made soap is a puddle of water in the soap dish!

 

[edree]

i see nothing wrong with having 5, 6,10 bars of soap going and if my DH does not like it he can use the other bathroom

and who wants to wash their hands with the same soap every time soooo if i have 3 or 4 or 6 by the sinks whats it to him i share[/quote]

 

[Vintageliving]

I alternate soap bars so that they have a chance to dry well before they are used again.

 

[Dixie]

Keeping them dry is a must.

I think handmilled or rebatched soaps last longer.

 

[ToniD]

Oh, I am so glad so many other people have multiple bars of soap in their bath!

 

[redmom]

yoghurt

yep..can't have too many bars of soap at once!

how do you incorporate yoghurt when you make soap?

 

[Pepper]

redmom, I have a book called Milk Soapmaking, by Anne L Watson. It's fantastic. She recommends freezing the yoghurt with the water allowance in icecube trays until it's really hard. The lye will dissolve the ice eventually, then add to the oils, and that's it. She also has recipes for soaps made with buttermilk, sour cream, whipping cream, butter, goat's or cow's milk, coconut milk, and vege milks. It's my favourite soapy book at the moment.