Keeping EOs Emulsified--Polysorbate 20?

[Benjamin]

Hello all,

My EOs keep wanting to separate from my liquid soap. Sometimes they form a film on top. Other times they form a white residue. Currently I am mixing them in to warm diluted soap at a rate of 1 to 3%.

Would mixing the EO's with a little Polysorbate 20 help keep everything emulsified? Are there any other tricks? I'm not bothered by cloudiness, but film/residue is a bit gross.

Thanks! The advice I've received from folks so far has been super helpful.

---Ben

 

[Lindy]

I think you're on the right track with polysorbate...

 

[FGOriold]

When are you adding the EO's to the soap? If you add them when the soap is room temp or cool, they will not mix in. You need to add them when the soap is hot.

 

[Benjamin]

When are you adding the EO's to the soap? If you add them when the soap is room temp or cool, they will not mix in. You need to add them when the soap is hot.

Hi FGOriold,

I am reheating the soap before I add the EOs. It's definitely hot when I add them.

---Ben

 

[lady-of-4]

Hmmm... never had this issue, and I heat my soap as well when I added fragrance or EO. It's your soap really runny? That could be a factor, less soap for the oils to cling to/mix in, if that makes sense. Just a theory. I dilute mine to a fairly thick, almost gel, consistency.

 

[Benjamin]

Hi Lady-of-4,

I diluted this batch at 1:3. It's fairly runny, but it has a high OO content and didn't want to dilute at a lower rate.

FWIW, I ordered some polysorbate 20. Mixing it with the EO, and then mixing it directly with the liquid soap didn't work until I added more water to the soap. Then it worked very well, but was too watery. Next I'm going to try mixing my EO's with polysorbate and an equal amount of water, and then mix that with my diluted soap. I'm guessing this will work well, and add a minimum of extra water.

I also ordered some polysorbate 80, but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm going to try using that to SF with avocado oil.

What amazes me is how concentrated even diluted LS is. A little bit goes a long way. I'm making 1 lb. test batches, and after diluting we are drowning in soap! We like using foamer bottles, so I dilute even further for those. I make soap just because we like it so much more than the store bought junk. We share liberally with friends and family, but I have no plans to ever start selling. Still, my recent experiences with LS make me think if anyone ever wanted to start selling soap, the profit margins would be much better with LS than bar soap.