June beere
Member
Im sure I have read that someone used their poodle fur as a replacement for silk - has any one any experience ? I Bagged up some washed fur when my Poochon was groomed
Poodle fur instead of Silk
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jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
personally I would not do this. What about those that are allergic to dogs - who is going to think to check and see if there is dog hair in their soap...
I may be alone in this but just thinking about this also gives me the "ick" factor...
I'm not sure a poodle/bichon mix (I think that's what a poochon is?) qualifies, but there's a breed of dog whose hair is meant for yarn making. So not so weird, just unfamiliar.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but yarn is not silk - and I would still be worried about allergies. (I believe the breed you are talking about is the Afghan Hound)
But tbh putting silk in soap is mainly for label appeal. Unless you use a LOT of it in your soaps, you really can't feel much of a difference, if any.
I'm lost ... why put silk or anything in soap?
I for one can totally feel the difference from adding one little poof of tussah silk to a bar, so I add it to almost all of mine. The extra bit of silky slip is wonderful!
But I have heard others say they feel nothing, and thus, they believe it is all for label appeal. To each her own.
But I have heard others say they feel nothing, and thus, they believe it is all for label appeal. To each her own.
ok, so you just stir it into your soap batter when it's cooking? I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be dumb ... I'm still new and hadn't heard of this until now.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
no, if you do it that way you will have chunks of silk - you need to dissolve it in your lye water first.
Usually one snips a few tussah silk threads onto the top of their liquid, then pours the lye right on top of the fibers to help them dissolve into the lye solution.
I had a bit of a time when I recently ordered tussah silk from WSP. What they sent me was silk noils, which look more like cotton balls than silk fibers. Not only did it look very different from the silk fibers I'd previously seen, but also, the first noil I pulled out of the bag was very tough. It didn't cut up well or dissolve well at all. With help from other soapers, I figured out the issue, only to realize that the rest of the noils were much softer and weren't going to be a problem.
I share all that in case you decide to order some from WSP, and it looks different from the tussah silk fibers that you may see other soapers using on YouTube.
I had a bit of a time when I recently ordered tussah silk from WSP. What they sent me was silk noils, which look more like cotton balls than silk fibers. Not only did it look very different from the silk fibers I'd previously seen, but also, the first noil I pulled out of the bag was very tough. It didn't cut up well or dissolve well at all. With help from other soapers, I figured out the issue, only to realize that the rest of the noils were much softer and weren't going to be a problem.
I share all that in case you decide to order some from WSP, and it looks different from the tussah silk fibers that you may see other soapers using on YouTube.
Ohh, ok ... got it. Thanks! For a minute there I thought there would be silk fibers randomly throughout the bars of soap.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
LOL yes, there would be if it doesn't get dissolved first.Ohh, ok ... got it. Thanks! For a minute there I thought there would be silk fibers randomly throughout the bars of soap.
You are not alone with the "ick" factor, plus the fact I am allergic to dogs.
I'm not even sure dog hair would dissolve the way silk threads do. And then you have the allergen factor. I mean I guess if only you were going to use the soap you could try it but I doubt it will add anything to the soap.
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As am I. I still remember being sick for 2 months because inconsiderate jerks had loose dogs in the car I rented AND it was not cleaned. If you can imagine 2 months of coughing, wheezing and puking everything I tried to eat, You'd know why I don't support dogs being where people are with the exception of service animals only. I also don't care how bitter I may come off with that.
I seem to remember someone using cat hair so I don't see why dog wouldn't work.
You can pretty much put anything into your soap. I'm sure some of mine may have random dog hairs as I have two dogs. I try to keep them out of my soaping area when I make soap and clean well before and after. But to purposely put dog hair into my soap, I kind of have that ewwww factor as well. But for personal use I say give it a try. I do use silk in all my soaps but my vegan. I too can notice a difference with and without.
Dog fur/hair is a type of keratin protein. Silk is also a protein and is sometimes classified as a keratin, as is spider silk. Our hair and fingernails are made of keratin. As I understand it, it’s the dander/skin cells associated with fur that trigger allergies, not the fur itself.
I say do it! Just don't give anyone those soaps 'cause they will think you're crazy 
Silk dissolving in lye smells awful. Sickly sweet and dog hair-ish. Evacuate the house awful. Dog hair should be equally nice to work with. Have fun!!
Silk dissolving in lye smells awful. Sickly sweet and dog hair-ish. Evacuate the house awful. Dog hair should be equally nice to work with. Have fun!!
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