Soaping 101 liquid soapmaking video?

[Susie]

Yeah, trust me, if I can do it, anyone can. I have had every conceivable issue with liquid soap in paste making, and the wonderful thing is that if you get it to emulsification, it can be soap sooner or later. You may have to add a bit of heat if you literally have to abandon it to rush someone to the hospital before emulsification, but a bit of heat and stirring after you get back, and you still get soap. I know this for sure.

 

[Susie]

Silly me, I didn't take the temp of the KOH solution. ... Side note: I've never been zapped before this, and I'm wondering...are there degrees of zap? The first test of this soap batter, the zap was instantaneous and very sharp, but this morning, it took a few licks before I got what I thought was a milder zap.

I just needed to know if it was hot, warm, or cool, nothing specific.

If you had to lick several times, you do not have zap. Zap is that instantaneous sharp sensation. Not really a taste. If you wonder exactly what it feels like, place both the positive and negative parts of a 9V battery to your tongue. That is exactly what it feels like.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...I've never been zapped before this, and I'm wondering...are there degrees of zap? The first test of this soap batter, the zap was instantaneous and very sharp, but this morning, it took a few licks before I got what I thought was a milder zap...."

In the interests of science :crazy: I have gingerly but intentionally zap tested a very "hot" soap batter. Even the tiny almost invisible smear of batter on my fingertip gave me a most memorable super strong zap. The sensation is immediate and unpleasant, and I'm glad I had a glass of cold water to rinse my mouth (spit, don't swallow!) I don't recommend this unless you're a nerdy fool like me.

I have also tested all kinds of slightly to just barely zappy soaps. Even a mild zap leaves no doubt I've been zapped, although the sensation is milder -- more like a tiny to moderate static shock on a dry winter day. Based on my perception that even tiny zaps are so definite and clear, I have to say if you weren't sure you were really getting zapped, the soap most likely wasn't zappy.

That said, some parts of a soap can be zappy while other sections are fine -- maybe that is what you are trying to describe?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I also find that KOH soaps give really bad zaps. Maybe it's because I test too soon (I'm also impatient) when I made LS and when I make shaving soap, but KOH kicks like a mule

 

[DeeAnna]

Oh, it's nice to know I'm not the only nerdy fool! :mrgreen:

 

[sudsy_kiwi]

I'm happy to report that batch #3 appears to be a success :-D
I'll get to that in a moment...

My initial batch is still a mystery. 4 days later, and it's still a very dark, thick but stirrable moosh. It has a "bitter, tangy" kinda smell to it. But, it doesn't zap. It also doesn't lather when I use some to scrub my hands under running water.

My second batch, I used the same recipe, but increased it to 500g oil weight. I also added the glycerin to the oils, rather than mixing it with the lye solution ( to try to keep the lye from cooling too much before mixing). WOW...talk about a reaction lol. It foamed and bubbled like all hell was breaking loose (I dubbed it Beelzebubbles). Once that had calmed down a bit, it basically went the same was as the first batch. And now, 3 days on, it looks and smells just like batch number one, it also doesn't zap, but there is some small amount of bubbles if I get a decent goop of it on my hands and scrub under running water. Not exactly inspirational.

So, not to be deterred, yesterday I weighed out the last dregs of my "good" (ie not supermarket-brand) glycerin, and found that I had just enough to allow for a 250g-oil batch, using the same recipe. Went through the drill, and could tell straight away that this was going to be different. The oils stayed a nice olivey colour as I began stabmixing, which gave me hope. After a few minutes, the temp began rising. I could see the batter thickening slightly. And lo, after about 20 minutes, I had a nice thick paste :-D I didn't get flying bubbles, which I was really hoping for, after reading about them lol. And it doesn't seem to be the translucent amber that I've seen on this thread...it's more like a creamy latte colour. See the pic below (Next to it is batch number 2, for comparison)

Half an hour after I stopped mixing (I assumed I had mixed enough when the mixer head glugged up) I couldn't wait any longer and gave the paste a loving lick...no zap (picture Numfar doing the dance of joy, for any Whedon fans out there). I left it a few hours longer, then before going to bed, I measured out 100g of paste, added 75g water, gave it a wee stir and covered. By this morning about half the paste had dissolved, and I've given it a few more gentle stirs during the day. I've just added another 5g water and smooshed away some lumps, I figure I'll leave it a few more hours and hopefully it'll be ready to bottle.

It still has a creamy appearance, in contrast to the clear amber y'all seem to get. Once it's bottled, I'll get another picture up. Oh yeah, and it lathers up quite nicely.

So, it would seem that the problem lay with the supermarket brand glycerin. Either lye doesn't like the preservative they used, or there are other additives in there that the manufacturers aren't telling us about. So it's time to order more "good" glycerin, and then it's full steam ahead on the GLS express :-Dhttp://www.soapmakingforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[DeeAnna]

Kudos to you for pinpointing the source of the problem!!! I have to say your picture of the gloppy "chocolate pudding" soap next to the pale "good" soap -- the difference is shocking. Wowser. No wonder you were wondering what had happened!

 

[IrishLass]

Wow, what a difference! I wonder what on earth they put in that there supermarket-bought glycerin?! Yikes! I'm so glad you had some of the good stuff left to be able to compare to how things are supposed to turn out.

The 'vanilla pudding' looks just like how mine turns out when I dissolve the KOH with water before adding the glycerin. Looks like you're heading in the right direction now.


IrishLass

 

[sudsy_kiwi]

Wow, what a difference! I wonder what on earth they put in that there supermarket-bought glycerin?! Yikes! I'm so glad you had some of the good stuff left to be able to compare to how things are supposed to turn out.

The 'vanilla pudding' looks just like how mine turns out when I dissolve the KOH with water before adding the glycerin. Looks like you're heading in the right direction now.

I know, right?!?!! And this stuff was in the baking aisle...they expect us to eat it!! :sick:
I had been holding onto the good stuff for a batch of lotions I was going to make, but I just knew I had to test my theory. I've already ordered more so I can carry on having this fun

I'm glad mine matches up with how yours looks, that really does give me confidence.

I've now bottled it and taken it into the shower, and it lathered up beuatifully, did a great job of cleaning me, and smells divine (although I can't take credit for that lol, I just love my Lemongrass FO). It is somewhat drying, but after many batches of bar soap, and buying other CP soaps, I've come to the conclusion that it's just my skin type.

It is still a bit thick; I was worried I might have over-diluted it when it was in the bowl, but in the bottle it really didn't want to come up the pump spout. It would be fine in a squeezy bottle, but I prefer the pump bottles.

So, thank you again for your help and inspiration :-D
http://www.soapmakingforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[soapysarah]

Thank you for all your feedback with regards to coffee. I just like playing around with things just for home use. I did experiment with a very small amount of paste and diluted it with some left-over real coffee - it smells wonderful and seems to lather well. I understand about it going off so won't bother with it again, although it gets rid of smells on hands really well.

I have been using a glass bowl for my lye in cp soap for a couple of years now. I certainly did not know that it was not the right thing to use.

 

[couch0]

Okay- to continue.......

To dilute, I use Carrie's canning jar method. It's easy and it prevents evaporation as your're diluting:

A) I heat up some water to simmering in a large soup pot (enough water to come up the sides of my canning jar without making the jar float). Also- I stick a round cake cooling rack in the bottom of the pot so that my canning jar won't be in direct contact with the pot's bottom.

B) While the pot of water is coming to a simmer, I weigh out my paste (dried foamy head and all) into an appropriate-sized canning jar, i.e., one that will accomodate my paste and dilution liquid with enough room to spare for stickblending purposes, and set aside.

C) I weigh out my dilution water and my sodium lactate and add them together into a separate pot (using the dilution rate of 1 part paste to .75 parts water, and 3% sodium lactate as per weight of my paste). I bring this mixture to a boil then immediately pour it over my waiting paste in my canning jar.

D) Then I cover the the jar tightly with its matching lid, give it a shake, then place the jar into the large soup pot of simmering water to warm and soften things up.

E) After about 15-20 minutes or so I take the jar out, wipe the water/condensation off the jar, then I open it so I can stick a clean knife inside to stir things around and test how soft the paste has become. If it's as soft as jam/jelly, I hit it with my stickblender for a minute or so of on and off pulsing until there are no more lumps, but if the paste is not soft enough to my liking yet, I'll just cover it back up and let it sit in the simmering water about 10 minutes more and check again before deciding to stickblend or not.

I need to mention that when I hit it with the stickblender, the contents turn an opaque milky white color. This is normal and only temporary.

F) Once it has been stickblended, I squeegee off as much soap as I can from the stickblender back into the jar, cover with the lid, and stick the jar back into the pot of hot water (off the burner this time). If all goes as planned, the soap will clarify over the next few hours from the bottom up and turn into clear liquid soap with a foamy head on the surface.

G) Re: the foam: The foam eventually dissipates if I let it sit long enough (the warmth of the water helps greatly with this), but sometimes when I get impatient I'll spritz the foam with a spray or 2 of alcohol periodically to help the foam to dissipate in a more timely fashion. I try not to over-do the alcohol,though, because I don't want it to thin my soap out. I've read of people just skimming the foam off, but because I hate waste, I like to let it sit and dissipate to become part of the main body of soap.

H) When the soap is foam-free enough to my liking, I partition off as much as I would like to scent and bottle at that time, and I store the rest in the canning jar at room temp for later use.

I) When I add scent, I make sure to also add an equal amount of PS80 as per the amount of scent so that the scent will not separate out of my soap. I mix the scent with the PS80 and then stir the mixture into the soap. If it looks like the soap is clouding up from the scent at all, I'll just add more PS 80 drop by drop until all is clear again. Thankfully, that doesn't happen but once in a blue moon.

The finished soap is quite lovely, thick, and crystal clear:

http://www.aislinnscorner.com:8080/images/IMG_1002CroppedClearIndoorsUnscentedGLSLarge.JPG

Here is a shot of it outside held up to the sky:

http://www.aislinnscorner.com:8080/images/IMG_1007CroppedClearUnscentedGLSLarge.JPG


My suds:

http://www.aislinnscorner.com:8080/images/IMG_1028CroppedWhiitePeachSudsLarge.JPG

IrishLass

Irish Lass thank you so much

 

[konglishkiller]

Wicked!
Easy peasy. Got flying bubbles and paste in an hour or so.

This is just a fantastic technique. Thank you for this thread.

My soap is nice and clear....but a little drying. Looking over my recipe I realised I entered fractionated coconut oil not 76 into soapcalc. Can I do anything to save it or is it destined to be only dish soap?

 

[DeeAnna]

"...My soap is nice and clear....but a little drying. Looking over my recipe I realised I entered fractionated coconut oil not 76 into soapcalc. Can I do anything to save it or is it destined to be only dish soap? ..."

I'm assuming you made Irish Lass' recipe from earlier in this thread that is based on a 3% superfat? In which case, the "drying" probably is because the soap is lye heavy. If you want to correct this, you would need to figure the recipe with the correct fats, compare that recipe to the "wrong" one based on FCO, and figure out how much additional fat would be needed to react with the excess lye.

 

[Mandymaz]

Hiya folks,
after reading, most of, this thread and having my first go at making liquid soap, I am pleased to say that liquid soap is easy-peasy to make. Here's a photo of my first batch.

I also used Chickens In The Road blog post about liquid soap making as guidance.
I used ½ & ½ water & glycerine to dissolve the lye, as Susie suggested, and because I only had a 235g of glycerine . The bottle pictured was diluted as Irish Lass has in her tutorial.

sorry about the huge pic, i'm not sure how to resize it.

 

[Susie]

The big picture is fine. It lets me see that gorgeous soap in all it's glory! Congratulations!

 

[IrishLass]

Congratulations Mandymaz- very lovely soap! Prepare to be addicted now. lol


IrishLass

 

[kchaystack]

I have used 2 litres of water and 8oz bar pears and grand them but after one day my liquid soap is no more bubbly or foaming
Plz help me

Are you trying grate bar soap to make a liquid soap?

If that is what you are doing, it won't work. Several people on this forum have tried it and none have worked.

Sorry.

 

[IrishLass]

I have used 2 litres of water and 8oz bar pears and grand them but after one day my liquid soap is no more bubbly or foaming
Plz help me

Like Kchaystack said, the method of mixing grated bar-type soap into water will not work, unfortunately. The end-product is quite inferior, as you just experienced.

It's so much better to start from scratch with KOH and oils, such as the kind of liquid soap that is being discussed in this particular thread.


IrishLass

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

You can check out the first page of this thread. Or http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=49852

 

[nikkisessence]

Thank you all!

Great thread, great responses! After reading through, I have a great liquid soap. Thanks again!!