sugar in soap

[Miz Jenny]

How much and where to add? Haven't used it and I'm curious.

 

[ghia61]

I use 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ppd of oil, depending on lather quality indicated by soapcalc . Dissolve in liquid before adding lye.

 

[Kay]

I'm going to be trying this myself soon. From what I've read, you have to be sure to get the sugar completely dissolved in the water before adding lye. Dissolve sugar in water designated for lye. Let cool some. Then add lye. I'm wondering if you need to add a little more water due to evaporation?

 

[Hazel]

I'm wondering if you need to add a little more water due to evaporation?

Don't worry about adding more water. If there is evaporation, it is minimal and isn't going to make a difference.

 

[chicklet]

I use 1 tsp ppo confectioners sugar. I heat a little water in the microwave and dissolve my sugar in that then add it at trace. Keep meaning to try mixing it in lye water, but the other method works, old habits are hard to break, etc.

 

[tkine]

I use 1 Tablespoon ppo of sugar, & 1 teaspoon of salt ppo.

 

[Kay]

I've done some more reading, and it sounds like there is a possibility of the sugar caramelizing because of the heat. Some have reported this, but not all I'll try adding it at trace like chicklet does. Chicklet, have you ever had any issues with caramelizing using confectioners sugar at trace?

Edited to add: And if you happen back in here...Is there a reason why you use confectioner's sugar vs plain sugar?

 

[Serenity]

I've been going to try this to see if it will boost the lather. I make palm-free soaps and it's a battle to get lots of bubbles.

For those that have used sugar, did you notice much improvement in bubbliness of lather & if so, at what rate ppo?

 

[CaliChan]

I discount some of the water (roughly 2 oz) for the lye solution and i use that to disolve the water in and i add it when im mixing my lye solution and oils together.

 

[ghia61]

Using the tsp ppo I haven't had any problems with sugar burn. I'm very careful about making sure it is fully dissolved before adding the lye. I do like Chicklet's suggestion and might give that a try. I would think she's using confectioners sugar because the smaller particles dissolve more completely and much easier than the larger granules of table sugar.


Oh, and I get great lather in my OO/lard soaps.

 

[Hazel]

Also, some brands of confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) is mixed with cornstarch and cornstarch adds a little bit of a silky feel to lather. (I also noticed this when I did the same recipe - one with cornstarch and one without it.) Several people in past discussions have mentioned they prefer to use powdered sugar for these reasons - increases bubbles, dissolves easily and silkiness. Plus many people use cornstarch as a scent anchor.

I've found sugar improves lather but this could be just a subjective opinion. I generally use between .5 T to 1 T ppo depending on the recipe. BTW, someone mentioned too much sugar can contribute to softness and stickiness in soap. I realized this could explain why one of my recipes remained sticky for a couple of months (high percentage of OO). I liked tkine's recommendation of 1 T sugar and 1 tsp salt ppo. I've noticed a small amount of salt helps to harden soap more quickly so I can get it out of the mold more easily. Of course, sodium lactate also helps with initial hardening.

 

[Bicycle808]

My experience with adding salt is that it speeds trace and adds to hardness, at the expense of the lather. I've sinced ditched salt in my soaps.

I haven't messed with sugar yet, as far as I can recall. If I ever tried it, it was when I was just starting out, and my results were too inconsistent to tell what was going on. :shock:

 

[Hazel]

I'm surprised it would speed trace for you. Too much salt will suppress lather except for in batches with a high CO percentage. I didn't notice a faster trace but I might not have realized it was faster. I use lard in this recipe and several people have mentioned lard slows trace. I take that tip with a grain of salt...har har. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I can say the salt definitely didn't suppress the lather in the soap but I only used 1 tsp ppo. How much salt did you add?

 

[Bicycle808]

I used 1tsp ppo. It didn't kill the lather entirely, but it lessened it noticeably compared to the same recipe without salt.
I've been into keeping things simple lately, so I need a really good reason "why" before I add anything. Salt didn't pass that test, for me. I understand that a lot of ppl use it, though.

 

[Hazel]

This is interesting information for everyone. Now people can do a comparison if they want to see if there is a difference between a batch with salt and one without salt. I haven't had problems with lather being suppressed but I'll pay attention to the batch I made today since I used the same recipe. I forgot to add salt and now I'm glad I did. I'll do a comparison after it cures.

 

[DeeAnna]

I thought I would share the link to tests of the change in lather based on using different additives. The same base soap is used throughout the test. See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amathiasoapworks/6878711296/

Within this series of photos is a lather test with powdered sugar as the additive. The comments, "The powdered sugar sample gave a slightly creamier lather than the granulated sugar sample...."

And the comment from the test with granulated sugar: "I've always considered the adding sugar to your soap to increase lather one of those little soapmaking myths - sort of. Fruit juices in soap seem to up lather, so it makes sense that sugar would do it. But I've heard soapmakers' claim that it makes for huge thick phenomenal lather, which is probably why I thought it was a little over the top. It did seem to increase the lather, but not any substantial amount worth bragging over...."

 

[Hazel]

Thanks for sharing the link. It was interesting to read the comments especially about sodium citrate. It makes me wonder how citric acid would work in soap since sodium citrate is manufactured by the combination of citric acid and sodium hydroxide. It might be interesting to dissolve it in the water before adding the lye and trying it in a batch.

I do want to say I've never claimed sugar makes for thick phenomenal lather. I've said it improves the lather and I get more bubbles. I like adding it because I generally only use coconut between 19% to 25% unless I'm making a milk soap or salt bar. Interestingly, the first batch I made today I didn't add sugar because it was an experiment and I decided not to add any extra additives other than fragrance. I'll have to compare this batch with a previous batch, too.

 

[chicklet]

I don't know that I would use the word phenomenal for all my soap's lather, but I would have to say that, in my experience, the sugar does make a significant difference in the lather. I don't add sugar to my honey yogurt soap, but I do add it to all others, including beer soap. The lather in my beer shampoo bars IS phenomenal - everybody says so! As I said before, I use 1 tsp ppo, but it's not a level tsp so it's probably closer to a TBS. I use confectioners sugar because I think it dissolves quicker and easier. There are no additives listed on the bag, but if it does have cornstarch that's okay with me.

I also add salt. I've always been conservative with it at 1/2 tsp ppo so it doesnt kill the lather but it's good to read that 1 tsp ppo gets good results.

 

[tkine]

I don't find any problems with my lather adding both salt & sugar to my soap--it works well with my recipe. I would imagine it all depends on your own recipe as to how it reacts. I love how my soap lathers. The salt helps being able to unmold & cut my soap log sooner than without it.

I never noticed it speeding trace either. I'm able to do swirls or whatever I wish.

 

[mel z]

I just add the teaspoon ppo of powdered sugar into the oils and mix until dissolved. Haven't had any change in color or caramelizing when adding the lye, or at all.

I just *assume* it adds bubbles, but since I am using an oil that contributes to bubbles, I cannot really say with any certainty that the sugar is adding anything to the finished product, lol.

Interesting link above, thanks!