Stearic Acid in CP

[amd]

@penelopejane I really like the stearic acid soaps! They have the lather appearance of a better aged soap - not that I'm suggesting it as a way to cut curing time, but just if you want a well lathering soap right from the start, I quite like it. I still suggest at least 4 weeks curing. I also like it in honey soaps to help make the soap a bit harder. Right now I'm using it at 1% (I pulled the 1% from my OO/RBO amount). It does heat up my recipe quite a bit, so I leave it uncovered and it still gels through.

 

[penelopejane]

Thank you so much AMD I didn’t think of taking it from the oils amount! And the heating characteristics.

Great to hear your opinion. I cure all my soap for minimum 3 months so no worries there.

 

[smengot0]

3 months cure? That’s a long time if you sell. Please how do you manage To keep up with demand?

 

[penelopejane]

You plan ahead.

 

[Loralei]

Thanks for this thread, @amd - just last night, I was reading about using SA in CP soap. I'm also soaping in our basement, and am experimenting with natural colourants (which I have heard hold better colour when gelled). When I've used a heating pad, I've gotten cracked soap. Now I'm wanting to see if SA will gel my soap, without using heat... really wish I had the day off now, lol...

 

[amd]

Thank you so much AMD I didn’t think of taking it from the oils amount! And the heating characteristics.

Great to hear your opinion. I cure all my soap for minimum 3 months so no worries there.

Stearic acid has an SAP value and I didn't want to add to my SF, but if you don't mind the increase you could add it without calculating it in. The lye will still take what it wants and I don't think there's a benefit to superfatting with stearic acid (at least, not one that I dug into, I was looking to use up my stock and add hardness to my soft honey soaps so they'd be easier to cut).

I wasn't too worried about you personally taking a "curing shortcut", I was more concerned with someone new looking for a shortcut to curing and I didn't want to be misinterpreted

@Loralei keep me updated! I've been curious to know if it's my recipe or if that's a common result with the additional SA. I made a batch with SA this weekend using buttermilk and honey and I popped it into the fridge right away (buttermilk scorches at room temp for me). I can't see any signs that it tried to gel at all, but it cut perfectly at 18 hours, which I can't normally do with honey soaps (it's more like 35 hours before I can cut).

 

[dxw]

You plan ahead.

OMG people can actually *do* that? Awesome.

 

[beckster51]

Stearic acid has an SAP value and I didn't want to add to my SF, but if you don't mind the increase you could add it without calculating it in. The lye will still take what it wants and I don't think there's a benefit to superfatting with stearic acid (at least, not one that I dug into, I was looking to use up my stock and add hardness to my soft honey soaps so they'd be easier to cut).

I wasn't too worried about you personally taking a "curing shortcut", I was more concerned with someone new looking for a shortcut to curing and I didn't want to be misinterpreted

@Loralei keep me updated! I've been curious to know if it's my recipe or if that's a common result with the additional SA. I made a batch with SA this weekend using buttermilk and honey and I popped it into the fridge right away (buttermilk scorches at room temp for me). I can't see any signs that it tried to gel at all, but it cut perfectly at 18 hours, which I can't normally do with honey soaps (it's more like 35 hours before I can cut).

I have only used straight stearic acid in shaving soaps, so does a lower percentage avoid that waxy, difficult to rinse aspect of SA?

 

[shunt2011]

I'm going to give this a try this weekend (if I get to soap). I have quite a bit of SA so why not. I too cure my soaps for 2-3 months, rarely less than two. Planning is the name of the game. I generally get all my soap made January-March then am good and just need to make a handful of batches or so periodically at a time to keep up. That allows me time to make my sugars scrubs, lip balms, perfumes and bath bombs or other products I decide to sell at my shows or online.

 

[smengot0]

expect a seize if adding cocoa butter to your recipe. Otherwise stearic acid is great in CP soap. Yes it does make a huge different, but do not go above 4 percent.

With Cocoa butter at 5%, my recipe (Soleseife) traced really fast. 1% Stearic Acid, 25% salt of water, 40% Lard. Other Oils: Castor, Sunflower, PKO and 10% Neem.

Please any ideas why the fast trace is appreciated. Thanks

 

[amd]

Soap batter with salt in it (at least the amount we're talking about in soleseife or salt bars) will trace faster. I would try the recipe again without the stearic acid and see if that helps. Other factors to include are how much you stick blend and EO/FO added.

 

[DeeAnna]

@smengot0 -- you may want to post your question in a new thread. You are asking a question that isn't specifically about stearic acid in soap, so you may not get many answers. Some people say neem accelerates trace. Salt, as Amd noted, can accelerate trace. Stearic acid definitely accelerates trace. Pick one or more of these possibilities -- your recipe includes them all.

 

[Loralei]

@amd I'm hoping to have time for some soaping tomorrow, and will try the SA... fingers crossed!