Stearic acid for shimmer

[Lindy]

There is a product sold by Voyageur that is called EZ Pearl that does a fantastic job and I love the look of my LS when using this. I'm actually not a big one for clear LS because I love the look of the pearlescent soaps.

I should add with the Stearic Acid, my recipe included tallow and stearic, I wonder if that is where the pearl look came from rather than the stearic? I was giving the Stearic the credit for it as I had heard that it did it. I stick with the EZ Pearl (which I add to my base) because it makes such a gorgeous pearl...

 

[seven]

i've not tried making pearl LS. i think i need to experiment it does sounds lovely *i have this image in my head... pearlescent soap*

 

[Susie]

Hmmm...I feel a lard ls in my (hopefully) near future...

 

[cmzaha]

Believe me Lard gives a beautiful pearl to LS

 

[ronrho56]

I have added Stearic Acid at 2% of my base oils when making liquid soap and it did add a pearlescent effect to the finished soap. The recipe had no animal fat.

 

[Kyra]

What percentage of lard would give you the pearly look in LS? I never used lard in LS, but I do love it in CP. Now I can't wait to try it

 

[IrishLass]

I can't believe I didn't see this thread until just now. As a matter of regular practice, I always add 2% stearic acid 'after the fact' (i.e., during dilution) to my glycerin liquid soap formula that contains a 25% combo of cocoa butter & shea butter. The rest of the formula consists of coconut oil, castor oil and olive oil. I got the idea to add the stearic at dilution from 3bees~1flower over at the Dish forum on that famously looooong glycerin liquid soap thread.

Anyway, without the added stearic acid, my finished soap is quite the ugly duckling- i.e., a dull, murky, semi-translucent amber color. But with the addition of the stearic, my ugly duckling is transformed into an opaque, pearlescent, creamy-looking swan.

I always add a bit of PS 80 along with the stearic to solubize it and keep it from precipitating out of my finished liquid soap. For what it's worth, I've held back a few dilutions of my formula for over a year for observational purposes and am happy to report that they have held up great. There have been no separation or rancidity issues.

I've also tried adding 2% stearic to my crystal-clear glycerin liquid soap formula that contains mostly olive oil and no butters, but instead of creamy and pearly, it just turns into dull, murky, semi-translucent amber (yuck), so I stick to just using the stearic in my cocoa/shea formula where it really shines (and adds a nice feel to the soap, too).

IrishLass

 

[PippiL]

Thanks Irish.
I have a question, it's been a while since I made LS.
I did my paste using glycerin.I was done cooking in 30 minutes,did the test with
phenolphthalein came out clear,but I didn't do the milky test.Is it possible to be done cooking LS in 30 minutes ?

 

[FGOriold]

Thanks Irish.
I have a question, it's been a while since I made LS.
I did my paste using glycerin.I was done cooking in 30 minutes,did the test with
phenolphthalein came out clear,but I didn't do the milky test.Is it possible to be done cooking LS in 30 minutes ?

Yes - using the glycerin method will greatly speed up the processing time in making liquid soap and 30 minutes is not at all unusual using that method. You will always still want to test it for excess lye (which you have done) and clarity though.

 

[PippiL]

I forgot to do the clarity test, I need to make LS more often.But I SF 1%.
The pearl EZ looks great, but I read up on it and they use it for antifreeze and some other nasty stuff

 

[Susie]

If you SF at 1%, and no zap, there should be no issue with clarity.

 

[PippiL]

It's not clear, I used lot's of palm,shea butter.But I don't care much for clarity,I use them in amber bottles.