Pic request of bubbles

[MooreThanBags]

I don't use added sugars in my soap but my soap is all made with goat milk and since lactose from milk is a sugar maybe that helps. I do add honey to my oatmeal and honey bar.

 

[Rosnasharn Farm]

@Rosnasharn Farm Is there any reason animal fats aren't used often in Oz? I know it can really affect bubble production. My 100% lard bars doesn't have much for bubbles.

@MooreThanBags do you use sugar in your recipes? I made a 50% lard batch and used sugar, it immediately produced a fantastic lather.

@roseb
Thank you for the pictures. Most of my soap produces similar. I will get pictures of mine today.

The only animal fats I use are in my goats milk I use for my soaps....the fact we dont use lard I think is just the difference in each of our lifestyles....I think you have more Homesteaders/off grid/self sufficient/homeschoolers/hunters etc. than we do. Soap makers in general live in suburbia and make it in their kitchens....others that make Goats milk soap generally have or have had goats and live on the land (making it with powdered goats milk or carton doesnt count)....This is of course my humble opinion and living on the land this is what I have experienced with my fellow soap makers.

 

[Chookie2]

I have been making soap here in Australia since the 1970s and still often use lard or tallow, (at least 60%of the time )people seem to like it better than veg oil soaps as it lasts longer in the shower they say.
I am fairly new to M&P and all veg oil soaps, and am still learning from folks here about the many variables in EO,FO and Mica.
All good fun and so helpful to read all these discussions. I am sure no one is deliberately negative.

 

[Rosnasharn Farm]

I have been making soap here in Australia since the 1970s and still often use lard or tallow, (at least 60%of the time )people seem to like it better than veg oil soaps as it lasts longer in the shower they say.
I am fairly new to M&P and all veg oil soaps, and am still learning from folks here about the many variables in EO,FO and Mica.
All good fun and so helpful to read all these discussions. I am sure no one is deliberately negative.

Really? That is very interesting....no-one I know makes their soap with lard or tallow....in this day and age with everyone watching what goes in their mouths in the trans fats etc they are very mindful of what goes on their skin....in what form is your lard and tallow....do you render down the pork fat from your latest home kill?
Getting away from commercially made soap that is make with animal fat is the reason why I started making my own GM soap.

 

[MooreThanBags]

I am sad to read all the negativity on this thread. We all have a common interest, making soap, and hopefully we can respect our differences and learn from each other. To use animal fat or not is a personal choice and while it bothers one person it pleases the next. I have really enjoyed this soap forum and hope we all get back to supporting each other in a positive way.

 

[Obsidian]

the fact we dont use lard I think is just the difference in each of our lifestyles....I think you have more Homesteaders/off grid/self sufficient/homeschoolers/hunters etc. than we do. Soap makers in general live in suburbia and make it in their kitchens....others that make Goats milk soap generally have or have had goats and live on the land (making it with powdered goats milk or carton doesnt count)....This is of course my humble opinion and living on the land this is what I have experienced with my fellow soap makers.

This is interesting. I've never associated making soap with living off the land. All my animal fat and goat milk come from the grocery store.
Harvesting the fat and milk from my own animals isn't something I really care to do, though if I want pure tallow I will have to render it myself.
I do come from a rural area though and everyone hunts here. Most people aren't going to mind animal in their soaps.
It would be different in a larger city with a bigger vegan population.

 

[dimitris]

I agree, tallow (for me) makes a superior soap that lathers better and is also harder.
I have made several batches, and my friends and family agree with me about the higher quality of tallow based soap.

In its saponified nature, tallow is just another oil. It's not the same as eating meat vs eating vegetables.
This is my own opinion, but I am sure other people think otherwise.

 

[Robert]

Also what you wash with makes a difference -- bare skin, washcloth, bathing puff, etc. A low sudsing soap might not be my choice at the sink where I use cool water and bare hands, but it's fine in the shower with a puff and hot water.

Here's how I do it. Donna & I didn't know back in our bathtub days (see near bottom of linked page) that we were using a method similar to the way they make a heap of suds in a Turkish bath. It's just that the Turkish bath uses a really big cloth--a sack like a pillow case--while all we had were washcloths. So now I use my lungs, which hold a lot more air than you could trap in a little rag.

By "dense weave" I mean high thread count.

Other people have obviated the pressing of the soapy cloth against the face (which eventually causes skin irritation if you like to play with this a long time, as in making a bubble bath without bubble bath) by cutting off the bottom of a plastic soda bottle and using a rubber band to attach a cloth to cover that big hole, so they can blow thru the little hole. Hard to affix the cloth tight enough that way to use bar soap to soap up the cloth, though; I've seen this only as a trick to do outdoors with the soap or other bubble blowing solution already diluted in a dish. Part of the point of that method was to not dribble water or soap on yourself; they weren't thinking about bathing.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...With the cloth in place, do not inhale further. (Try not to cough, hiccup, or laugh, either, especially if using real soap (see below). Real soap on the back of the throat can hurt for hours!)..."

I just about snorted a mouthful of coffee down the wrong pipe -- why do I get the impression that y'all learned this tip the hard way?!?!

 

[Koshka]

Ok, I've also taken pics of some of my "bubbles" here they are!

1. 22 Bubbly 12 Creamy

2. 20 Bubbly 22 Creamy

3. 22 Bubbly 16 Creamy (That's my lard recipe, and my favorite one by far! I absolutely loooooove lard and I personally think that it makes the best soap)

I didn't use any sugar/honey/milk/beer in my soaps. Used my 2 hands to lather the soap up, cold water, kitchen sink

Also, please don't be upset if you feel that some comments come across as negative ones. Some people are like that. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, it's just that some people don't know how to relay it without offending others. And toughen up! You're not gonna get far here if you're gonna allow some stranger's commentary ruin your day

Big hug!!!

 

[Jan Johnson]

Wow! I love the amount of big bubbles you all get! Impressive!

 

[Stinkydancer]

I agree with Dagmar and others, the only way for you to find out is to do testing. To many things can effect bubbles. The other oils and additives in the soap, the superfat, the process you used to make it, the amount of water you used, the amount of water in your soap when you tested, your water hardness and one very important fact is the way you wash your hands when you test for bubbles. Like the water temp, amount of water and how much air you trap when turning the bar.
And besides, if you really want answers you need to pay attention to the fatty acid profiles not the numbers on a soap calculator.
Nice idea but its just not that easy.

This exactly...

But with the influx of new soapers it is that easy and unfortunately a lot of them are turning out bad soap and selling after a few months. Sad but true..

 

[Stinkydancer]

I agree, tallow (for me) makes a superior soap that lathers better and is also harder.
I have made several batches, and my friends and family agree with me about the higher quality of tallow based soap.

In its saponified nature, tallow is just another oil. It's not the same as eating meat vs eating vegetables.
This is my own opinion, but I am sure other people think otherwise.

Tallow is nicer in soap than Lard- I get DOS with Lard...

 

[Obsidian]

Nice bubbles pics, #3 does look really good. I'll have to try harder to find some tallow, I don't want to render it myself.

 

[Koshka]

Thank you! It's lard I'm not sure if tallow has the same effect. I don't know about tallow, but you can buy lard at any walmart.

Nice bubbles pics, #3 does look really good. I'll have to try harder to find some tallow, I don't want to render it myself.

 

[heartsong]

walmart sells a tallow/palm shortening that I use a lot...it's their great value...check the label as they also sell veggie shortening...it's usually on the lower shelves...soapcalc also lists this...scroll down the list to "walmart GV shortening" I save a lotta $$$ on shipping between that & lard...my favorite soap has a bit of both.

thanks for the pics, koshka...i'm with you on lard & tallow...I call lard my "poor man's shea butter."

after soaping for many moons, I have tried almost every oil & exotic butter, but I keep coming back to the more simpler elements of soaping...as for me, I've decided to quit trying to re-invent the wheel---LOL!

 

[Moody Glenn]

I agree with Dagmar and others, the only way for you to find out is to do testing. To many things can effect bubbles. The other oils and additives in the soap, the superfat, the process you used to make it, the amount of water you used, the amount of water in your soap when you tested, your water hardness and one very important fact is the way you wash your hands when you test for bubbles. Like the water temp, amount of water and how much air you trap when turning the bar.
And besides, if you really want answers you need to pay attention to the fatty acid profiles not the numbers on a soap calculator.
Nice idea but its just not that easy.

Sistrum's response is actually a summery of my testing adventures when making a basic or base recipe. I spent an enormous amount of time using SoapCalc trying to perfect a soap using regular oils and fats (including tallow and lard.) My goal (like all of us) was to find the most bubbly recipe. I eventually came up with 10 or so variations of my basic recipe. The trouble was SoapCalc had slight variations on the bubbly factor. So I had to devise a plan on how to determine which recipe variation was the best in bubble production. My plan was to test each variation using the worst possible application. This worst application was using cold, hard water.

I used an outside faucet that by-passed the water softener so only cold, hard water flowed. I figured that if any variation could produce massive bubbles in cold, hard water it should produce even more bubbles in warm or hot soft water. So, one day I tested each variation. Guess what? To my surprise the original basic recipe - my first SoapCalc recipe using the oils and fats I wanted to use based upon what they provide to the soap - produced the most bubbles and cleaning action in cold, hard water. The others - even some being different in small percentages - were disappointments. All soap batches contained no color or fragrance. Only the oils and fat percentages were different. I stuck with this original recipe and it does provide even more suds and bubbles in hot, soft water. I did the same in hot, hard water - even more bubbles than in cold water.

So what is the point of my long posting? Pictures are pictures but constant testing of your recipes is the final judge of what will be bad, good or great. Try testing your recipes using the worst possible conditions in using soap - in cold, hard water. What does good here has potential to be absolutely great in the best of conditions. :smile:

 

[Robert]

"...With the cloth in place, do not inhale further. (Try not to cough, hiccup, or laugh, either, especially if using real soap (see below). Real soap on the back of the throat can hurt for hours!)..."

I just about snorted a mouthful of coffee down the wrong pipe -- why do I get the impression that y'all learned this tip the hard way?!?!

You know it!