soap getting mushy soft in the bathroom

[Miha Engblom]

I have been giving some soaps to my mother in law and to my sister in law and they became soft mushy on the side that was against the soap dish. That never happened to any of my soaps that i have been using at home. (But i have a proper soap dish that allows the soap to really dry) This soaps that became mushy have been drying more then 3 months and they had 30% PKO , and 15% shea b , the rest soft oils and OO.
Any ideas why this is happening?

 

[dalewaite48]

Any soap that is in an improper soapdish and laying in water will become mushy.

 

[lsg]

Toward the end of the bar, my soap does the same thing. I even have it on a soapsaver dish. It helps to have a soap dish that drains away the water.

 

[pamielynn]

It's handmade soap, full of glycerin. That's what it does if it doesn't dry properly.

 

[Susie]

Is going to buy them some reasonably priced, but good draining, soap dishes completely out of the question?

 

[cmzaha]

I find and so do my customers that the wood slatted soap dishes make a big difference. Even cutting a piece of crown molding works well. If you do the crown molding take a soap with you and see how it fits then drill a couple of drain holes. I sell hundreds of the simple wood dishes and my customers tell me it has made a big difference in the longevity of their soaps. Of course the palm oil percentage makes a difference also

 

[Rowan]

Even with a good draining soap dish, I find that with young kids the soap is constantly getting wet, so I have a couple of bars I swap around. I also second cmhaza comment, in that soaps with a higher percentage of Palm do better.

 

[pamielynn]

I sell these faster than I can order them: http://www.bathessential.com/proddetail.php?prod=301

 

[Miha Engblom]

thank you!! Both persons have been using in the past commercial hard bars and they never behaved like that... it just happened with my soaps... maybe because of the glycerin... this takes away all my confidence... (in my soaps)

 

[Rowan]

thank you!! Both persons have been using in the past commercial hard bars and they never behaved like that... it just happened with my soaps... maybe because of the glycerin... this takes away all my confidence... (in my soaps)

Please don't lose confidence. Commercial bars may last longer or stay drier but think what's in them, they are basically detergent bars packed full of some very unhealthy chemicals, which are not great for your skin.

I like to think our soaps are like little works of art. They take a little more looking after, as you would with something handmade, but the results, when used are amazing. My family and I no longer have itchy skin. My husband no longer has cracked/bleeding feet. He'd previously tried every cream on the market and they never helped.

Some oils, when made into soap are more water soluble than others. I don't think its the glycerine, but i'm not a chemist and may have that wrong. It may be worth reading up on the properties of oils and their fatty acids. I'm really new to soapmaking., only 6 months so far and I'm gradually learning what makes a longer lasting and conditioning bar for my family. I make plenty of mistakes but have confidence that I'm giving my family a much healthier option. I'm sure your soap is wonderful too and after all we're not trying to replicate commercial bars!

 

[pamielynn]

"Commercial" bars are extruded and then shaped. They have their glycerin removed so that it makes a super-hard, long-lasting soap. Foam boosters are added for all that "lather' that they drone on and on about. If you want the benefits of handmade soap - it comes with a change in mindset.

 

[Miha Engblom]

Thank you for the encouraging words! I have for me and my family hard bars for many years in advance... they will get so cured that I do not think we will have any problem , but I do not know if I will dare to sell in the future hard bars... ,
One lady that has a shop where one can buy all kind of soaps, was telling us that she has soaps that do not get mushy ... so hint hint... people seem to find mushy soaps unattractive.... anyway in Finland almost everybody prefers liquid soap, and our liquid castille has been getting pretty good reviews... so at least i can be happy for that...

 

[Rowan]

Thank you for the encouraging words! I have for me and my family hard bars for many years in advance... they will get so cured that I do not think we will have any problem , but I do not know if I will dare to sell in the future hard bars... ,
One lady that has a shop where one can buy all kind of soaps, was telling us that she has soaps that do not get mushy ... so hint hint... people seem to find mushy soaps unattractive.... anyway in Finland almost everybody prefers liquid soap, and our liquid castille has been getting pretty good reviews... so at least i can be happy for that...

Sorry Miha, I meant to say less water soluble rather than hard, sometimes I have to type too fast, due to the kids. Some oils like coconut are very hard but also dissolve in water quickly. The same with high concentration olive oil soaps. My soap bars are in constant use all day due to the children, ie. sticky fingers, muddy fingers etc etc, etc. they never get the chance to dry out, which is why I've been investigating oils that are less water soluble when made into soap. Deeanna has talked about this in her posts, but I'm not sure how to do the link.

So far I've found a higher concentration of Palm helps but would also love to learn from more other soapers.

 

[SozoArtisanSoaps]

Quick question on the soap dishes...how much to you mark them up to sell?

 

[DeeAnna]

...Deeanna has talked about this in her posts, but I'm not sure how to do the link....

Uh, is this the post you're thinking of? http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=383997&postcount=17

Everyone is right -- any soap, whether commercial or handcrafted, will mush if allowed to sit in water, but I'd say handcrafted soap is more prone to mushing due to its nature.

Ways to minimize mushing:

Use a CP method that allows the soap to gel during saponification

Use a more concentrated lye solution (less water in the bars to begin with, so less water after the cure)

Allow a full cure (evaporate as much water as possible)

Maximize the % of fatty acids in the recipe that make less soluble soaps. This includes the stearic and palmitic fatty acids from lard, tallow, palm, cocoa butter, etc.

Minimize the % of fatty acids that make highly soluble soaps. This includes the oleic, linoleic, linolenic fatty acids (olive, soy, safflower, etc.) and the lauric and myristic fatty acids (coconut oil, palm kernel oil, etc)

 

[CanaDawn]

I use something like this: http://mydlonaturalne.pl/photos/mydelniczka-mydlo-na-magnes-made-in-sweden-1980736395.jpg

Apparently uncommon/unknown here, as it ALWAYS gets comments and I brought it home with me from overseas.

 

[Miha Engblom]

I am using something like this soap dish, and myself never had a problem with mushy soap...

 

[houseofwool]

I use something like this: http://mydlonaturalne.pl/photos/mydelniczka-mydlo-na-magnes-made-in-sweden-1980736395.jpg

Apparently uncommon/unknown here, as it ALWAYS gets comments and I brought it home with me from overseas.

How does it work?

 

[houseofwool]

I use something like this: http://mydlonaturalne.pl/photos/mydelniczka-mydlo-na-magnes-made-in-sweden-1980736395.jpg

Apparently uncommon/unknown here, as it ALWAYS gets comments and I brought it home with me from overseas.

How does it work?

 

[CanaDawn]

How does it work?

small magnet in the wall mount, small metal disc you press into the bar of soap, then the magnet sticks to the disc and thus the soap.