Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate in CP?

[Obsidian]

I have nearly a pound of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate and I was wondering if I can add it to CP at trace? I'm concerned about how it will react with the lye and water that are present at trace.
Since my slsa is powder form, it gets wet and foamy very easy. Figured I would mix it with oil and gently stir it in by hand.

 

[IrishLass]

I have a half lb. of powdered slsa myself, but haven't used it yet. For what its worth, though, this is what I have written down in my soaping notes in regards to its use: it needs to be dissolved in water first, then carefully added after the oils/lye are emulsified so that it doesn't whip to a froth with the SB.

I obtained the above info from an old post of a fellow soap-maker on another forum who had used slsa in her CP and who said it came out great. Although the info is quite brief and not as detailed as I would like it to be, I'll be using those guidelines when I finally make my own attempt- only, like you yourself mentioned, I think I might gently hand-stir it into my emulsified batter instead of using the SB.

I wish I knew the % of how much she used for her batch, but she never did say. MMS (where I bought mine) recommends a usage rate of 1% to 3%, but also says it can be used up to 50%. That's what's still holding me back from my attempt. Have you decided how much you'll be using?


IrishLass

 

[Obsidian]

I ended up making a 1 lb batch of mostly crisco with a little OO. I mixed 2 TBS slsa into the OO then SB the mixture into the batter. I just wanted a little boost in lather.

I didn't have any foaming or weirdness, it mixed into the batter quite well. There was a tiny bit a foam when I added the FO but not enough to worry about. Not quite sure how to dissolve the stuff in water since it foams as soon as it gets damp.

 

[Obsidian]

I just pulled my bars out of the molds. I gelled them and since they are relatively hard already, I took one to the sink and did a lather test. Holy cow! They have great big bubbles already and my hand feel really soft.

My recipe was 87.5% crisco and 12.5% OO, on soapcal it has a bubbly number of 0. I've used crisco before and it make a ok soap but the lather is pretty thin. I might try a castile soap with slsa next. I personally don't mind using a surfactant and I'm all for a super bubbly bar that isn't drying.

I will post lather pics tomorrow, the bars need to dry more.

 

[IrishLass]

Thank you so much for sharing your results! That's great to hear that it mixed right into the oils! I think I shall attempt it with a 100% OO/Castile batch.

IrishLass

 

[Obsidian]

The lumps didn't mix in so make sure it nice a smooth before you mix it up. I colored this with yellow dock, was supposed to be pinkish but its just ugly The white spots are tapioca pearls. Pretty good lather for being poured only 6 hours ago.

 

[IrishLass]

That's some pretty awesome lather for a Crisco/OO soap only 6 hours old! I'm impressed!

Thanks for the heads-up about the lumps- I think I might just risk the foaminess and dissolve the slsa to water first as carefully as I can, then.

IrishLass

 

[Obsidian]

If you run the slsa through a fine sieve, you wouldn't have lumps. They were easy to break up with a spoon though. Let me know how dissolving it in water works, I'm too chicken to try it myself.
Has you worked with slsa before? I suggest using a dust mask or tying a scarf across your nose. Its really light weight and becomes airborn easily.

 

[samirish]

I tried this myself and the soap left a chalky dry residue on my hands after rinsing. Maybe I added too much..

 

[judymoody]

There were some threads on the Dish about adding detergent surfactants to CP awhile back. If you're a member there, you'd probably turn up some info on this.

Nice lather!

 

[IrishLass]

If you run the slsa through a fine sieve, you wouldn't have lumps. They were easy to break up with a spoon though. Let me know how dissolving it in water works, I'm too chicken to try it myself.
Has you worked with slsa before? I suggest using a dust mask or tying a scarf across your nose. Its really light weight and becomes airborn easily.

Thanks for the tips! :smile:

No- I've never worked with it before, but I will definitely heed your warning to wear a protective mask. And just for good measure, I'll make sure to weigh it out/mix it in a draft-free area. Breathing in slsa dust doesn't sound very appealing to me.

I did some further searching last night and was actually able to find a few other posts from the fellow soap-maker that I mentioned in my earlier post above (yay!), and in one of them she said she had used the slsa @ 3% in an all-tallow soap. And I also found a different soap-maker who wrote that she also uses slsa in her CP at the same rate- 3%, or .5 oz ppo. I believe I will try it at that same usage rate in a 1 lb batch of Castile (hopefully I will be able to get around to it this week). I'll let you know how pre-mixing it in water works!

IrishLass

 

[IrishLass]

There were some threads on the Dish about adding detergent surfactants to CP awhile back. If you're a member there, you'd probably turn up some info on this.

Nice lather!

Hi Judy! Yep- that's where I found my info.

IrishLass

 

[Obsidian]

Just a little update on my bars. I've been trying them once a week since they were just a few days old. The lather has improved quite a lot, big bubbles quickly turn into thick creamy lather. The bars are a little slimy like a castile but the slime lathers up really nice so its not a issue.

So far I've only tried washing my hands but this morning I did wash my face. My skin is a bit tight but not dry or itchy and is quite soft. I'll let the bars cure for two more weeks then try ine in the shower.

 

[cmzaha]

Keep in mind if you are selling, many customers buy handmade soap to get away from added surfactants

 

[Seawolfe]

Oh I would make solid shampoo bars! Personally I'd try to make something similar to the LUSH cinnamon shampoo bar because I love it so, and some people can't use regular soap shampoo bars for whatever reason.