Sugar?
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No, it needs to be dissolved in water or other liquid before adding it.
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
I've added powdered sorbitol at emulsion once … and never again. Don't, unless you like crunchy spots all over your soap, with the danger that they sink to the bottom, are unevenly distributed throughout the bar, and/or impair cutting.
A
amd
For what purpose? If you're looking for a gentle exfoliant that will dissolve, you can salt at trace, but you need to adjust your formula to make a salt bar. Search the forum for salt bars, you'll find many threads and many recipe options for making them.
Todd Ziegler
Circle Z soaps
Adding ingredients at trace usually doesn't accomplish anything and could make things worse.
Take the advice of @AliOop and @ResolvableOwl and you will be just fine.
Take the advice of @AliOop and @ResolvableOwl and you will be just fine.
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I dissolve the sugar completely in water before adding the lye. Be sure the sugar is completely dissolved or you will have a crystalized blob at the bottom of the lye water.
Everyone answered your question in regards to the way you most likely want to use the sugar, but I used to make a sugar bar much in the same way as I would make salt bars. The biggest difference I did not have to up the CO as I do in salt bars, while they were not huge sellers I did have a following for them. Just ask, I have probably been there and done that. 
These sound really cool! So you added the sugar to your normal recipe to make an exfoliating bar?Everyone answered your question in regards to the way you most likely want to use the sugar, but I used to make a sugar bar much in the same way as I would make salt bars. The biggest difference I did not have to up the CO as I do in salt bars, while they were not huge sellers I did have a following for them. Just ask, I have probably been there and done that.
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
@cmzaha Have you found that the soap becomes more gel-like, almost like M&P base? (which it in some way is, given that sugar is one of the solvents used to assist soap become re-meltable). At least that was my observation upon adding a few % of erythritol to a “salt bar”.
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
No, the sugar did not dissolve and made a nice exfoliating bar of soap like a salt bar without the sting. The difference I found the sugar bar did not smooth out like a river rock as much as a salt bar will tend to. If using a sugar solution it would work as a solvent.
Ugeauxgirl
Well-Known Member
You can do it in HP. That's when I usually add mine
But you dissolve in warm water first, yes? I do that, too, when I want to add some fluidity to my HP batter. But the OP was asking about adding undissolved sugar at trace.
Ugeauxgirl
Well-Known Member
No, I don't dissolve it. I just dump it in there. Even sorbitol will dissolve that way if you let your soap get hot, and I always doBut you dissolve in warm water first, yes? I do that, too, when I want to add some fluidity to my HP batter. But the OP was asking about adding undissolved sugar at trace.
Interesting. Makes sense that the heat would melt it, but I've HPd for almost a decade and never heard of doing that. Thanks for sharing.
Ugeauxgirl
Well-Known Member
I accidentally did the same thing when I was doing CP and I can tell you it does NOT work. I had to rebatch, but the heat fixed it.
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
I haven't added sugar that way in HP, but it makes totally sense. Basically cooking simple syrup along the saponification. Sugar is ridiculously easily (and quickly) soluble in hot water, and that reduces the competition between sugar and sodium hydroxide about the scarce water. And the less time with lye contact, the less is the caramel discolouration.
