MORE BUBBLES reqested.

[Shalisk]

Well, after using the first bar they really like it but a couple have mentioned they would like more bubbles. I am not secrative about the recipe i used I think its pretty basic:

30% Coconut oil
8% Castor
37% Olive
and 25% Palm

I have other oils (Bab, PKF, Sunflower etc) But no matter how much I poke at it, unless I wanna take my cleansing up to somthing obscine like 30+ i cant get more than a extra 4 points of bubbles or so :/

Suggestions?

 

[Obsidian]

How long has your soap cured? It should have nice lather with 30% coconut. Have your testers used handmade soap before? It just doesn't have the thick lather of commercial bars.

 

[elmtree]

That's already a ton of bubbles! Do people realize that natural soap doesn't have added chemical 'bubble enhancers'? You could try sugar or sodium lactate. Sugar I believe is one tsp per pound and sodium lactate is about the same. I use soap wort root added to my oils at 2 tsp in 100oz batches. I don't use nearly that amount of coconut and I have a ton of bubbles and with that amount of castor and coconut you should too. Good luck!

 

[lsg]

It won't show on SoapCalc, but adding sugar to your water and stirring until dissolved, then adding the lye will up the bubbles. My beer soap had tons of bubbles after it cured for about 8 weeks.

 

[seven]

ditto to what others have said, maybe yer testers weren't used to handmade soaps yet.

keep a bar from the same batch and give it another month of curing, i think you'll notice lotsa improvements.

i also like the idea of adding sugar, it'll help, but beware of overheating.

there is a thread (i think in the recipe section) that's currently discussing about a very interesting recipe which involves a high amount of castor. if i remember correctly, the OP made the soap with something 20% castor. the key is to keep the hard oil proportion high, and the soap will not be sticky.

have a read there, it might interests you..

 

[Shalisk]

Well I thought it had a nice lather but not nessicarrily tons of 'bubbles' none of us are used to the lather/bubbles of hand made soap yet and the soap is only about 4 weeks old.

I will dig around for that thread and have a read.

 

[newbie]

If they were testing it before 4 weeks, they're not cured enough. I would have them hold it aside for a minimum of 2 more weeks and preferably 4 before they test again and rate it. I wouldn't judge your recipe at this length of cure.

That said, things that increase bubbles are sugars, sodium citrate, beer (for the sugars), sodium lactate, soap nut infused water, rosin (but difficult to soap) as additives if you wanted to keep your recipe the same but boost lather.

 

[Seawolfe]

Adding sugar to the water in my basic recipe added a surprising amount of bubbles. More cure helps too

 

[Shalisk]

Well I was told by a few places that 3-4 weeks and the soap is ready :/

 

[FifthCap]

It took the SO a while to get use to the idea of not having a plethora of bubbles
I think a lot of people think more bubbles = more clean

 

[IrishLass]

Well I was told by a few places that 3-4 weeks and the soap is ready :/

'Ready' is definitely a relative term when it comes to soap-making. lol Technically, soap can be used as soon as you unmold it as long as it doesn't zap, but as for when it's ready...... well.... that's more subjective and can differ from person to person, as well as from formula to formula.

For me, I don't like using my soap before 4 weeks have gone by. Although they improve even more further down the road from that, the 4 week mark is when I consider them to be at their 'earliest best', i.e., when they lather and clean adequately enough for me without drying me out. My Castile's are another story, though- their earliest best for me is when they've reached the 3-month mark.

I would suggest keeping a bar or 2 back and washing with them once a week to see how they've improved. Remember to take notes!

IrishLass

 

[Bubli]

Have not tried it yet,still new to making soap,but I've read a lot of info and post here and there about people adding anywhere from a tsp to a Tbsp ppo of sugar or honey to increase bubbles.

 

[Hazel]

My Castile's are another story, though- their earliest best for me is when they've reached the 3-month mark.

The earliest best for me is 18 months and it's not Castile because I use buttermilk in it. Buttermilk helps to boost bubbles, too.

Have you considered making a salt bar? Use a high percentage of coconut but increase the lye discount to offset the dryness. I generally use 18% - 20% superfat. However, I cure salt bars for 6 to 8 weeks rather than 4 weeks because I've noticed an improvement in the lather with my recipe. Other people have mentioned they only cure them for 4 weeks.

Beer soap - lots of bubbles!

Have not tried it yet,still new to making soap,but I've read a lot of info and post here and there about people adding anywhere from a tsp to a Tbsp ppo of sugar or honey to increase bubbles.

Be careful with honey. It can heat up a batch.

 

[navigator9]

More bubbles does not mean better soap.

 

[Hazel]

No, but people associate them with quality soap and getting clean even though the bubbles don't have anything to do with it.

Besides, bubbles are fun! I love lots of bubbles in my soap. The bigger, the better. I like to indulge my inner child.

 

[Dennis]

More bubbles does not mean better soap.

You're right but tell me you don't smile and have a good feeling when you use that new bar of soap and you get a nice bubbly lather that increases with each pass.

 

[Bubli]

Thanks for the honey tip,what is a good amount and if it does heat up then you should not insulate,right?

 

[CaraBou]

You could also try reversing the percentages of palm and olive so that the palm is higher. It will add creamy lather not bubbly like you're asking for, but it might affect the overall impression.

 

[DeeAnna]

Check out the Lather Lover's project and compare your soap with theirs. https://www.flickr.com/photos/amathiasoapworks/6878518116/in/set-72157629324839760/?rb=1

 

[Hazel]

Thanks for the honey tip,what is a good amount and if it does heat up then you should not insulate,right?

You're welcome but you would have found the tip eventually. It's been mentioned frequently. I use approximately 1 T for 1 lb ppo but some people may use more. I rarely use honey so I'm not positive what would be a good amount. A couple of tips I've learned from other members:

Use a little of the water amount to dissolve the honey so it will incorporate better. (I think this was IrishLass's suggestion. If not, I apologize to the person who did suggest it.)

Rub a little oil on the measuring spoon so the honey will slide off and not stick to the spoon. I wish I remembered who suggested this because I would like to give credit to the person. I mentioned this to my sister as in "what a great tip". She just looked at me like I was an idiot. She was a baker and that's an old trick they used. She couldn't believe I'd never heard of it.

I wouldn't insulate but then I've only used the honey in milk soap. I suppose you could insulate as long as you weren't using a FO which heats up and also keep an eye on it. Check occasionally and remove the insulation if you see it heating up.