Liquid soap... in bar ?

[Emmanuel]

Hello evryone.
I had a hard time choosing the right sections to post this thread as you will understand why.
I love the idea of limiting packaging by using solid product. However I would also like to produce liquid soap.

Here is my idea : creating a solid soap that is easyly disolvable with water to form a liquid soap. That way I won't need to send plastic bottle to customers , I could send them soap flakes in carboard box that they will dilute with water in their reusable container.

I had some idea about it, maybe create a soap that contain mostly potassium hydroxyde instead of sodium. I wonder if anyone know a receipe about it

Have a nice day !

 

[IrishLass]

Hello Emmanuel! You can easily do that with 100% potassium hydroxide, no problem. Stage one of making liquid soap (normally made with 100% potassium hydroxide) is called the 'paste stage': i.e., after combining the oils and potassium hydroxide solution, it traces and forms a semi-soft, but solid soap paste, much like the consistency of pulled taffy candy......solid, but easy to dent when pressed. You will most likely have a difficult time trying to shred it I think, but it takes well to cutting into small pieces (which is what I do when I dilute my paste into liquid soap).

Stage two of liquid soapmaking is diluting the paste with water to turn it into liquid soap.


IrishLass

 

[atiz]

Oh, this is apparently a fashion now! I just saw this ad on Facebook the other day (way too many soap ads these days...), this company is doing the same except it's syndet. https://www.blueland.com
(I haven't tried them and really in no need of more cleaning products. But I like the idea.)

 

[Jersey Girl]

Hello Emmanuel! You can easily do that with 100% potassium hydroxide, no problem. Stage one of making liquid soap (normally made with 100% potassium hydroxide) is called the 'paste stage': i.e., after combining the oils and potassium hydroxide solution, it traces and forms a semi-soft, but solid soap paste, much like the consistency of pulled taffy candy......solid, but easy to dent when pressed. You will most likely have a difficult time trying to shred it I think, but it takes well to cutting into small pieces (which is what I do when I dilute my paste into liquid soap).

Stage two of liquid soapmaking is diluting the paste with water to turn it into liquid soap.


IrishLass

May I ask how long can the paste be stored? Can you dilute what you need and store the rest for the next time you need it? Thinking about venturing into some liquid soap at some point.

 

[IrishLass]

Hi Jersey Girl....it can be stored indefinitely in the fridge. That's where I store mine. I normally make 1 lb batches of paste at a time and dilute only enough of it to make 16 oz of liquid soap at time to fill my handful of pump dispensers throughout my house, and the rest I store in my fridge in a gallon Ziploc bag until I need to dilute more to refill my dispensers. I only make liquid soap for my own household, so it doesn't take up much room in my fridge.


IrishLass

 

[Jersey Girl]

Hi Jersey Girl....it can be stored indefinitely in the fridge. That's where I store mine. I normally make 1 lb batches of paste at a time and dilute only enough of it to make 16 oz of liquid soap at time to fill my handful of pump dispensers throughout my house, and the rest I store in my fridge in a gallon Ziploc bag until I need to dilute more to refill my dispensers. I only make liquid soap for my own household, so it doesn't take up much room in my fridge.


IrishLass

Thank you so much. This is exactly what I had in mind. I don’t know why I feel so intimidated to try a batch but I need to get over it.

 

[Emmanuel]

Hello Emmanuel! You can easily do that with 100% potassium hydroxide, no problem. Stage one of making liquid soap (normally made with 100% potassium hydroxide) is called the 'paste stage': i.e., after combining the oils and potassium hydroxide solution, it traces and forms a semi-soft, but solid soap paste, much like the consistency of pulled taffy candy......solid, but easy to dent when pressed. You will most likely have a difficult time trying to shred it I think, but it takes well to cutting into small pieces (which is what I do when I dilute my paste into liquid soap).

Stage two of liquid soapmaking is diluting the paste with water to turn it into liquid soap.


IrishLass

Very interesting, thank you, I will try it as soon as possible
Why do you keep it in fridge ? does it tend to get rancid faster ?

 

[DeeAnna]

Liquid soap paste doesn't go rancid any faster than bar soap, at least in my experience. Storing the paste in the refrigerator is a choice, not a requirement.

Any soap will stay nicer longer if stored away from light, excessive humidity, and heat. I keep my soap paste as well as my bar soap in a dark, cool cupboard.

edit: The texture of most KOH soap paste is something like soft gummies (gummy bears) or firm marshmallows. In other words, the paste is something you can cut or mash, but it will not shred.

 

[IrishLass]

Very interesting, thank you, I will try it as soon as possible
Why do you keep it in fridge ? does it tend to get rancid faster ?

Good question! I've never stored it outside the fridge, and so have absolutely no personal evidence that it would go rancid faster if I didn't refrigerate it. I've just always stored it in there simply because I saw some of the liquid soaping mentors I admire on another forum doing it, and there are other soapers that I admire here that do it also (Susie, Dahlia, jcandleattic, etc...)...... plus, I've got space enough in there, so why not? lol

Having said that, though, there are also other soapers I admire that don't store it in the fridge, such as our DeeAnna, who mentioned her positive experience storing it in a cool, dark cupboard above ^^^. So, in a nutshell.....it is as DeeAnna says: Storing paste in the refrigerator is a choice, not a requirement.


IrishLass

 

[Misschief]

Hi Jersey Girl....it can be stored indefinitely in the fridge. That's where I store mine. I normally make 1 lb batches of paste at a time and dilute only enough of it to make 16 oz of liquid soap at time to fill my handful of pump dispensers throughout my house, and the rest I store in my fridge in a gallon Ziploc bag until I need to dilute more to refill my dispensers. I only make liquid soap for my own household, so it doesn't take up much room in my fridge.


IrishLass

I do the same. I have enough to last the two of us a very long time as we mainly use bar soap.

 

[Susie]

I store my paste on my soaping cart now. It is also somewhere else I can't lose, so I don't end up making more when I don't need it. That was the only reason I stored it in the refrigerator, so I couldn't lose it.