Silk In Soap

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

Hey! For a 2 1/2 lb loaf, I use a tuft of tussa silk a bit bigger than 1/2 a cotton ball. I separate it as much as possible, and snip it into itty bitty pieces. Then add to my water, let it get saturated, then add my lye. Let that mess sit and cool for 4-6 hours stirring every 30 minutes or so. Before I add the lye water to my oils, I strain it through a fine mesh sieve to get out the undisolved bits (which sometimes I feel like that's most of the silk... mine disolves very poorly). Anyway, that's how I've been doing it.

 

[GrantLee63]

One gram of finely cut Tussah on top of my weighed-out water. Sprinkle lye on top of silk then stir making sure all the silk is wetted, and all the lye dissolved. Stir periodically until temp gets down ~ 100F. The silk completely dissolves each and every time ...

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

One gram of finely cut Tussah on top of my weighed-out water. Sprinkle lye on top of silk then stir making sure all the silk is wetted, and all the lye dissolved. Stir periodically until temp gets down ~ 100F. The silk completely dissolves each and every time ...

Hmmm.... I wonder why your dissolves and mine doesn't? I'm wondering if it's the silk I'm using? Would you be willing to share where you buy your silk from?

 

[RiverRose]

I use the tussah silk fibers also. It takes just a pinch, and you need to rip it up into small pieces and get it wet thouroughly in the water before adding lye; at least that's what i do and it seems to work.

 

[GrantLee63]

I get my silk here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/98554581/wild-honey-tussah-silk-spinning-fiber

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

I get my silk here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/98554581/wild-honey-tussah-silk-spinning-fiber

Thank you very much! I will absolutely check them out. I really appreciate it!