Making CP soap with Soda Pop

[amd]

Earlier this week I spur of the moment pitched myself to a local brewery. I dropped off two bars of soap for the owners to try (soap that I had made for my own store with one of their beers) - and they loved it! They asked if we could meet next Saturday, they would like designs/fragrances in each of their flagship brews (I explained the soap process and that I wouldn't have actual product with me, they were more than happy to have me bring sniffies of the fragrances I am suggesting). I am somewhat prepared for wholesale because I have been wanting to make that move so I'm familiar with terms, what I'll need for the meeting, etc.

My question comes from a second call I received from them this afternoon, they wanted to know if I could make soap with their homebrewed rootbeer. I was honest and told them that I have never done it myself, but I have heard of soap being made with soda, and I'm open to trying it. (If you want to call LaCroix a soda and reference Brambleberry's experiments with it.) I also found this thread on the forum which is quite old.

Has anyone made soda pop soap? Any advice or assumptions? I imagine with a higher sugar content I'll have to be careful of volcanos and overheating. I'll let the soda go flat, of course. Off the top of my head I'm thinking I would do 2:1 water lye ratio, adding in a 3rd part with the soda to help dilute the amount of sugar.

 

[jcandleattic]

Any advice or assumptions

I personally have never done it but my assumption would be you would need it to be flat (just like beer) and that it will make the soap super hot because of all the added sugars, and popping in the freezer may not help.
If it were me, instead of doing a full soda liquid soap, I would do maybe a 60/40 water/lye solution with the rest being added as the soda, or maybe even less than that.

As said, though, that's just a guess..

I imagine with a higher sugar content I'll have to be careful of volcanos and overheating. I'll let the soda go flat, of course. Off the top of my head I'm thinking I would do 2:1 water lye ratio, adding in a 3rd part with the soda to help dilute the amount of sugar.

HAHA I really should have read the whole post before answering. This is basically what I just said, so I was in reality, just repeating what you already knew/was thinking.

 

[amd]

@jcandleattic it's always good to have someone verify my thinking! Great minds and all that. BTW: I have to confess to being a bit slow on the uptake. I have always thought your name was JC and Lea Tic. I was really curious who Lea Tic was. It just occured to me now that it is J Candle Attic... omg.

 

[dibbles]

I think that Bramble Berry discontinued the Amber Ale FO they had. When my daughter smelled it, she said it smelled like root beer. If there is someone else who carries that one it would be perfect. And you aren't the only one slow on the uptake - I read jcandleattic as JC and LE Attic for quite awhile too. I so laughed at myself when the light dawned and I realized it was 'candle' in there. Great minds, right?

 

[SaltedFig]

@jcandleattic

I have always thought your name was JC and Lea Tic. I was really curious who Lea Tic was. It just occured to me now that it is J Candle Attic... omg.

I read jcandleattic as JC and LE Attic for quite awhile too. I so laughed at myself when the light dawned and I realized it was 'candle' in there. Great minds, right?

Along the same lines, I thought your name was ... JC and Le Attic
(It sounded to me like a "crafting in the attic" version of JC and the Pussycats ... so cool )

I only realised I had it wrong, when you posted a few months ago what your name actually spelt

 

[LiLiSoapz]

If it isn't possible to do the actual soda, could you perhaps do it with some of their raw ingredients void the problematic parts.

Since they are the ones who make the root beer, they should be able to provide you with what you need.

 

[earlene]

I've made soap with store-bought Kombucha tea, which is carbonated and contains sugar. I don't think there would be a whole lot of difference. I used it along the same lines as I used beer, so I think root beer would work just the same.

 

[BattleGnome]

Rootbeer may be a syrup with carbonation added later. If it is you can ask for a small bit of the syrup and use it like sugar, a few spoonfuls a batch

 

[amd]

Rootbeer may be a syrup with carbonation added later. If it is you can ask for a small bit of the syrup and use it like sugar, a few spoonfuls a batch

The rootbeer is brewed by the brewery, so it won't be a syrup.

I've made soap with store-bought Kombucha tea, which is carbonated and contains sugar. I don't think there would be a whole lot of difference. I used it along the same lines as I used beer, so I think root beer would work just the same.

I've made soap with my homemade booch as well. Although I think booch typically has a lot less sugar than sodas. The sugar is really my concern at this point.

If it isn't possible to do the actual soda, could you perhaps do it with some of their raw ingredients void the problematic parts.

That's a good point. I wonder if the next time they brew, they could reserve some liquid before sugar and molasses are added. Hmm... I don't know enough about brewing rootbeer to know if this would be reasonable. I'll have to ask my husband, he might know.

I think that Bramble Berry discontinued the Amber Ale FO they had. When my daughter smelled it, she said it smelled like root beer. If there is someone else who carries that one it would be perfect.

Interesting about that FO! Did it still smell like root beer after soaping? I have a really nice Rootbeer FO from BCN, but haven't soaped with it yet. I might pick up some rootbeer this weekend and make a small 1lb batch just for the sake of experimenting.

 

[dibbles]

Interesting about that FO! Did it still smell like root beer after soaping? I have a really nice Rootbeer FO from BCN, but haven't soaped with it yet. I might pick up some rootbeer this weekend and make a small 1lb batch just for the sake of experimenting.

DD only smelled it in cured soap. It’s been awhile since I’ve had it, but I still have a bar that is a couple of years old, and I can still smell the FO.

 

[MKLonestar]

During my trucking days, I learned that the syrup for sodas are explosives (I would have thought corrosives) and considered hazardous materials. However, we never hauled the Root Beer syrup, therefore, I do not know if that is same for it as well. This would be something important to find out from the brewery before moving forward with just adding some of their syrup to the mixture. Once the carbonated water is added to the syrup, it no longer is explosive, even if it has gone flat. If I were doing a soap using actual soda in it, I would use a flat soda just to insure that I am not dealing with adding an explosive chemical to my lye solution.

 

[jcandleattic]

@jcandleattic
Along the same lines, I thought your name was ... JC and Le Attic
(It sounded to me like a "crafting in the attic" version of JC and the Pussycats ... so cool )

I only realised I had it wrong, when you posted a few months ago what your name actually spelt

I think that Bramble Berry discontinued the Amber Ale FO they had. When my daughter smelled it, she said it smelled like root beer. If there is someone else who carries that one it would be perfect. And you aren't the only one slow on the uptake - I read jcandleattic as JC and LE Attic for quite awhile too. I so laughed at myself when the light dawned and I realized it was 'candle' in there. Great minds, right?

@jcandleattic it's always good to have someone verify my thinking! Great minds and all that. BTW: I have to confess to being a bit slow on the uptake. I have always thought your name was JC and Lea Tic. I was really curious who Lea Tic was. It just occured to me now that it is J Candle Attic... omg.

Hehe - Yeah, my business name is The Candle Attic, and my first name starts with J -(Janel) so I try to use that username for all my candle/soap/forum related places.
I once had the c and a capitalized to break it apart as JCandleAttic, but didn't like the way it looked..

 

[LiLiSoapz]

The rootbeer is brewed by the brewery, so it won't be a syrup.


I've made soap with my homemade booch as well. Although I think booch typically has a lot less sugar than sodas. The sugar is really my concern at this point.


That's a good point. I wonder if the next time they brew, they could reserve some liquid before sugar and molasses are added. Hmm... I don't know enough about brewing rootbeer to know if this would be reasonable. I'll have to ask my husband, he might know.


Interesting about that FO! Did it still smell like root beer after soaping? I have a really nice Rootbeer FO from BCN, but haven't soaped with it yet. I might pick up some rootbeer this weekend and make a small 1lb batch just for the sake of experimenting.

I can't wait to see how this all comes about. Congratulations on your success of getting your soaps in a brick and mortar. I loved your approach. You flattered them and they couldn't resist.

 

[penelopejane]

When we made home made rootbeer (called ginger beer here) we used a mother plant - a culture that you grow up and feed with a tsp of sugar a day. You add that to water and it ferments and creates bubbles.

There is no syrup and there is no added carbonated water in real gingerbeer.

 

[TeresaGG]

Actually American root beer is not the same as ginger beer. It's made using the sassafras root. But you can make it either way and it is very good.

 

[steffamarie]

I know Nature's Garden has a root beer FO that Katie from Royalty Soaps uses. I do not like root beer in the slightest, but a ginger beer soap has piqued my interest. Moscow Mule, anyone?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Don't know if this helps or not, but Walmart sells a Root Beer Extract Concentrate that the family loves in homemade popsicles. The flavor is spot on. Might work in soap and you wouldn't have to deal with carbonation.

 

[NsMar42111]

If it's got sugar, it will massively volcano when you add the lye to it LOL...I made soap out of Mountain Dew and the liquid volume expanded to a LOT . I used the soda as my water, after letting it go flat. It turned bright orange and more than tripled in volume. No smell survived, but talk about bubbles! It was a great soap in the end but whew on the volcano! If I do it again, I'll only sub out maybe half the water for the soda...

 

[cm4bleenmb]

Several years ago when we still lived in Michigan, there was a shop not far from our house that sold all-natural soaps made by one of the locals. One day I was sorting through them and found one labeled as rootbeer scented. It was a lovely blend of creamy white, light green, and medium brown streaks, which I think was influenced by the fact it was scented with sweet birch essential oil. I don't know why, but I was sceptical, so I bought a bar, took it home, lathered up with it, and shure 'nuff, it smelled like root beer. I loved that soap but every time I used it, I had to have a float.

 

[cmzaha]

Yes, I have made soap with soda pop and it works just fine. I soap 50/50 lye solution and used the soda as the remainder of the liquid. Never had it overheat or volcano.