Sticky

[Ant]

This is the recipe I used. At 33% lye concentration. I did add I think about 13 grams of sodium citrate to the distilled water and let it dissolve, then my lye was added along with tussah silk. When the lye solution cooled down I stirred in 2 tsp of sodium lactate. I used 3 oz of BB wild rose fragrance oil.

I used a wooden mold lined with freezer paper. Kept covered with the wooden lid but didnt insulate it for two days. Hoping the helps prevent soda ash forming because I've been getting quite a bit.

This is the first time trying this recipe, I don't think it gelled maybe that would help but when I went to cut it the bars were so sticky and had to slide the sliced bar from the loaf each time.

What could help tone down a sticky loaf of soap?

 

[DeeAnna]

I'd get the stearic + palmitic percentage closer to 30%. A few more percentage points higher might be good.

Gelling will help with firmness too. If you don't want the soap to gel, then you may need to substitute patience -- wait a few days for the soap to firm up before you unmold and cut.

The 9% ricinoleic acid content (10% castor oil) is another thing to look at. Some people find that much castor makes the soap sticky, although others feel otherwise. To learn whether this is an issue, you might want to reduce the castor a bit.

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I think you might be suffering from the "if a few fats are good, many fats are better" syndrome. Perhaps give some thought to recipes that have fewer than 7 fats? I'm not sure this complicated list of fats will result in a soap that is superior to a less complicated recipe.

I think many soapers, especially newer ones, get intrigued by all those amazing fats, only to learn with more experience that a person can make lovely soap with fewer fats at lower cost. Remember soap is ultimately made out of fatty acids, not fats. By the time the lye dismantles the fats to get at the fatty acids it wants to bond with, the amazing properties of the various fats are largely gone.

 

[artemis]

My soap sticks to the blade when I cut it a little too soon.

Is it still sticky after it's had time to sit out after the cut?

 

[cmzaha]

In my non-vegan recipe, Stearic and Palmitic acids equal 34% with 3% Ricinoleic and my vegan goto recipe contains 30% Palmitic and Stearic acids with 5% Ricinoleic. Both become quite hard.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I agree with what has been noted above. Patience is key when a soap is low in stearic & palmitic. One of my early batches made with 25% palm and 20% coconut and the rest liquid oils was on the soft side for weeks. I was going to toss it, but was encouraged by members to let it “mature.” It hardened up over time and, a year later, it is one of my favorite soaps.

 

[Jersey Girl]

There is 10% castor in this recipe. I don’t think most people go over 5%. That could contribute. Also, 3oz of FO for 35 oz of oils seems like a lot to me. Maybe someone who has more experience can weigh in if that could also have something to do with it.

 

[Ant]

I'd get the stearic + palmitic percentage closer to 30%

If you don't mind suggesting, what should I adjust to get it there?

Some people find that much castor makes the soap sticky, although others feel otherwise. To learn whether this is an issue, you might want to reduce the castor a bit.

I'll have to try this. From what I have read some people don't even notice when there is castor oil in a soap bar or not. Will try the 5 percent.

I think you might be suffering from the "if a few fats are good, many fats are better" syndrome.

Absolutely suffering from this. I've just started making soaps this January and bought up all these oils beforehand. So far my favorite combination is olive, coconut, palm, castor and lard. Now I have all these oils and trying to use them up. I thought the using canola oil in place of half of the olive oil would help save some money since olive oil is more expensive but that may be pointless to do.

Another thing for me, I imagine most people start selling their soaps eventually just from excess that starts to pile up. I want to try different techniques etc. So looking on etsy, most but definitely not all, looking at their ingredient lists have all these different oils. Its probably more from a marketing standpoint?

I've been trying a different recipe/ combination every time I soap trying to find one I like.

Thank you for your input regarding this, I appreciate your viewpoints on this.

 

[Ant]

Is it still sticky after it's had time to sit out after the cut?

It's not sticky after having time to sit for a day after slicing.

Since I've been try different recipe combos, this is the first one to be that sticky for the cut.

 

[Ant]

I was going to toss it, but was encouraged by members to let it “mature.” It hardened up over time and, a year later, it is one of my favorite soaps.

I knew I shouldn't have cut it yet. They sides of the loaf were a bit tacky. For maturing a soap loaf, do you just leave it in the mold or unwrap it and let it sit out? The top of the soap wasn't sticky at all but when I peeled back the freezer paper from this sides I definitely contemplated putting it back in the mold but curiosity got the best of me.

 

[Ant]

Also, 3oz of FO for 35 oz of oils seems like a lot to me

I used brambleberry's fragrance calculator. This one was their wild rose fo. Maybe I am misunderstanding how the calculator works but this is what I inputed

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I knew I shouldn't have cut it yet. They sides of the loaf were a bit tacky. For maturing a soap loaf, do you just leave it in the mold or unwrap it and let it sit out? The top of the soap wasn't sticky at all but when I peeled back the freezer paper from this sides I definitely contemplated putting it back in the mold but curiosity got the best of me.

My soap was cut. I just put it aside and left it alone. It was noticeably better after a few months.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...If you don't mind suggesting, what should I adjust to get it there? ..."

The recipe you shared earlier has lard, palm, and shea in it. All are fats higher in stearic and palmitic, so more of any of these fats would increase these fatty acids. I personally would increase the lard, but that's just my preference.

 

[dibbles]

About your fragrance, Bramble Berry calculates usage rate based on total batch weight. Most of us (as far as I can tell) calculate usage rate based on PPO (per pound of oils). Looking at your recipe you have 35 ounces of oils and used 2.19 ounces of FO. This seems about right either way. This would be a usage rate of about 6%, which is not uncommon.

 

[Ant]

Thank you all for the feedback!