Hi everyone, it's been awhile since I've posted! I've been super busy and have just been doing the basics as far as soap goes (you know, just enough of my favorite cp soap to get me by). Anyway, I may have some time now to experiment a little more and I was wondering what people's opinion of liquid soap is? As in, do you think it works just as well as or better than CP soap about not stripping the skin of oils? I'm kind of wanting to try my hand at it, so for those of you that have used both, what's your opinion? (Also, I know a soap is only as good as its recipe, but in general). And for those of you that have made both, how much more complicated and tedious is LS than CP? Anyway if you have some time, please give me your opinion!!! Thanks
LS better for skin than CP???
- Thread starter Bamagirl
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If you use the glycerin method of making liquid soap, it is pretty simple. I don't make a lot of liquid soap. My family prefers cp bar soap.
I personally dislike liquid soap. I've not found a recipe that doesn't either dry my skin or make it tight.
I haven't tried a recipe high in lard though, its the best fat for my skin.
I haven't tried a recipe high in lard though, its the best fat for my skin.
dixiedragon
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I don't think it's necessarily LS vs CP, so much as the ingredients. I prefer bar soap because you don't have to put it in a container. Plus colors and swirls.
I've been playing around with liquid soap with an eye towards selling. However, though it's fun to make, I'm not completely happy with any of the batches I've made. If I can't get them to a point where my dry, sensitive skin likes it, I won't bother making it. I think it will be for family and friends only... if any of them even want it. They're all (including family) very happy with my CP soap.
BattleGnome
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I find liquid soap that I make much better than store bought, if that helps. I think I used my regular CP recipe on my last batch.
Yea, my "favorite" bar and basically the only recipe I've used in a year and a half has 65% lard. It really seems to work with my skin the best.
I have never made any type of liquid soap, only cp. I'm just kind of bored and want to shake things up lol
I make liquid soap for using at the kitchen sink (washing hands mostly) and for use with my wet felting work. I think liquid soap tends to be more drying than bar soap for a couple of reasons --
Most LS recipes call for a higher % of coconut oil than a lot of bar soap recipes. IMO, this is done to get the LS to make lather more quickly. More coconut = more bubbles but more drying.
Another issue is people want thick LS but they don't want to use separate thickeners to get that. They only want to add just enough water to get a thicker consistency. When you do that kind of "thickening by dilution only" then each dollop of LS contains a lot more soap (as much as 30% pure soap) than you would get when you rub a bar of soap to do the same job of washing hands or whatever. More soap on the skin = more drying. Not to mention wasteful.
If the soap is diluted sufficiently to reduce the actual soap content to maybe 10% to 20%, the soap should be milder to the skin. The lather will build quicker because lather is created more easily when soap is mixed with sufficient water. That means the LS recipe could use less coconut. The downside is the soap will be watery, so you'll either have to use a separate thickener (HEC or HPMC are used a lot) or use a foamer dispenser.
Another route to increase mildness would be to blend non-ionic and/or anionic synthetic detergents with the LS. A blend of surfactants will increase mildness of a cleanser, which is why you see some bar cleansers that are a mix of one or more syndets and lye-based soap. Some syndets will also add viscosity, so can act as a thickener. I know using a separate thickener is not an appealing solution to many soap makers, so I kinda doubt adding syndets will appeal either, but it's an option to be aware of.
Most LS recipes call for a higher % of coconut oil than a lot of bar soap recipes. IMO, this is done to get the LS to make lather more quickly. More coconut = more bubbles but more drying.
Another issue is people want thick LS but they don't want to use separate thickeners to get that. They only want to add just enough water to get a thicker consistency. When you do that kind of "thickening by dilution only" then each dollop of LS contains a lot more soap (as much as 30% pure soap) than you would get when you rub a bar of soap to do the same job of washing hands or whatever. More soap on the skin = more drying. Not to mention wasteful.
If the soap is diluted sufficiently to reduce the actual soap content to maybe 10% to 20%, the soap should be milder to the skin. The lather will build quicker because lather is created more easily when soap is mixed with sufficient water. That means the LS recipe could use less coconut. The downside is the soap will be watery, so you'll either have to use a separate thickener (HEC or HPMC are used a lot) or use a foamer dispenser.
Another route to increase mildness would be to blend non-ionic and/or anionic synthetic detergents with the LS. A blend of surfactants will increase mildness of a cleanser, which is why you see some bar cleansers that are a mix of one or more syndets and lye-based soap. Some syndets will also add viscosity, so can act as a thickener. I know using a separate thickener is not an appealing solution to many soap makers, so I kinda doubt adding syndets will appeal either, but it's an option to be aware of.
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In that case, shake it up! You should try it at least once, just for the experience and so that you have something to compare.
Dawni
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These are the reasons I'm not very inclined to try making liquid soap ..
To each his/her own. I make both. I use both. I enjoy making soap, whichever kind it happens to be. I do find making liquid soap much faster, though.
Most of the soap I make and use is bar soap, but liquid soap has its place in my life too. I use it at the kitchen sink for washing dishes, in my workshop for scrubbing dirty hands, and for my hobby of wet felting. It's also kinda fun to make.
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