Testing Lather

[LynetteO]

I’m a person that loves soapy science & testing. I always test “lather” same way for every bar of soap. After I lather up, I scrape all the suds off my hands & onto ledge/edge of stainless sink to let sit until soap bubbles have all “popped”. Here’s what I have noticed. Soap made with soy wax leaves the most “soap scum”, soap with lard also leaves a lotion like “sludge behind” but a bit less than the soy wax. However, ZNSC bars leave basically nothing behind but a very very faint soap ring. I didn’t snap any photos but I will on next “lather” test.

 

[Phantomina]

Best recipe!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

However, ZNSC bars leave basically nothing behind but a very very faint soap ring.

Thank you! I've added that to my growing list of testimonials!

I wash my face AM and PM with ZNSC daily. The dense cold-cream-like lather always leaves my dry, sensitive, mature skin feeling clean without that "tight" feeling I get from other soaps. Makes me happy ... even moreso knowing others may be having the same experience.

 

[LynetteO]

Best recipe!

Agreed. I enjoy testing different soaps with different oils but ZNSC simply a FANTASTIC & the one I make to gift

 

[LynetteO]

In case anyone reading this is new 2SMF & wondering what the heck ZNSC soap is…
Zany's no slime castile

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Do you crochet? I recently posted some Soap Savers that I love that make a gift of soap even nicer. Pretty and practical too! Check them out.

 

[LynetteO]

Do you crochet? I recently posted some Soap Savers that I love that make a gift of soap even nicer. Pretty and practical too! Check them out.

I did see them, them, and think they are better than the ugly, smelly cisal bags I purchased off Amazon. I don’t crochet…yet! I’ve heard that motion is lotion for arthritis & maybe those cuties are just the ticket to work my fingers!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I’ve heard that motion is lotion for arthritis

True. I need to write that down! I have arthritis also. And lethargy doesn't help it at all!!!

 

[LynetteO]

Lather test pics.
Soy Wax has 23% CO which is higher than I normally go but made with that % to test INS 160 bars.
Lard bar has 20% CO, also INS 160 bar
ZNSC tweak bar has 15% CO

Instead of letting the lather sit overnight, when down to almost nothing, I “scooped” into piles. The lard leftovers feel like lotion & a bit slimy. The wax feels less slimy, less lotion like & ZNSC was hard to get into a pile due to being almost water like.

 

[LynetteO]

I have done my “lather test” numerous times. So believe me when I say that had I not “fiddled” with the lather and left it undisturbed overnight, there would be nothing left behind of the ZNSC other than faint soap ring. Not so with the other two. So far there has always been a visible soapy lotion like substance remaining with the wax & lard lathers. Have not tested using PO yet but have a 160 INS bar with palm curing so it will get lather tested eventually.

I may only use ZNSC soap in my home built in 1928 with old plumbing from here on out.I love lard soaps but…

 

[lenarenee]

This is so interesting. In the name of science, I have a few questions:
What type of water do you have?
Have you tried any of these tests on soap with a chelator?
The pic of the soap in the corner shows a lot of lather ran down into the sink; did the other lathers do that?
Any theories as to what is going on? I'm wondering if the amount of palmitic/stearic makes a difference. Or, is it the higher hardness (solubility) of the Castile type soap which means there's less soap in the lather itself...therefore less material left when the water evaporates?

I don't have any soy wax or Castile type soaps, but I do have palm, lard, and tallow soaps...going to experiment. Although, I'm not sure what this proves exactly. That the soap doesn't rinse well? Possibly a moot point I think because soap isn't left laying around on horizontal surfaces, but is rinsed down pipes with a flow of water...?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

This is interesting. What is the superfat level of the lard and soy wax soaps? Are you using a chelator?

 

[AliOop]

I would echo @Mobjack Bay's questions. Are the SF percentages the same for each recipe?

FWIW, my high-lard bars do require a chelator (I use sodium citrate at 2%) to prevent soap scum. I don't use the ZNSC enough personally to know if that's an issue, but I use the same chelator in the same amount anyway, because my main ZNSC user lives in a hard-water area.

 

[LynetteO]

This is interesting. What is the superfat level of the lard and soy wax soaps? Are you using a chelator?

@lenarenee

I do use sodium citrate as a chelator for the hard water in my area. Each of the batches have the same amount of sodium citrate @ 2% of oils. As to super fat %:
ZNSC SF=0%
Lard SF=3%
Soy Wax SF=3%

 

[LynetteO]

I would echo @Mobjack Bay's questions. Are the SF percentages the same for each recipe?

FWIW, my high-lard bars do require a chelator (I use sodium citrate at 2%) to prevent soap scum. I don't use the ZNSC enough personally to know if that's an issue, but I use the same chelator in the same amount anyway, because my main ZNSC user lives in a hard-water area.

I use same 2% of oils of sodium citrate in every batch. Same SF for the lard & soy (3%) & 0% for ZNSC.

 

[LynetteO]

This is so interesting. In the name of science, I have a few questions:
What type of water do you have?
Have you tried any of these tests on soap with a chelator?
The pic of the soap in the corner shows a lot of lather ran down into the sink; did the other lathers do that?
Any theories as to what is going on? I'm wondering if the amount of palmitic/stearic makes a difference. Or, is it the higher hardness (solubility) of the Castile type soap which means there's less soap in the lather itself...therefore less material left when the water evaporates?

I don't have any soy wax or Castile type soaps, but I do have palm, lard, and tallow soaps...going to experiment. Although, I'm not sure what this proves exactly. That the soap doesn't rinse well? Possibly a moot point I think because soap isn't left laying around on horizontal surfaces, but is rinsed down pipes with a flow of water...?

I have hard water & do use a chelator in every batch. When testing lather I’ve noticed both the lard & soy wax soaps produce a “heavy” dense lather & the lather falls down the ledge every time. What is left behind is not what I was testing, I just happened to leave a set out “lather piles” overnight once & noticed ZNSC left virtually nothing behind. Which I found interesting.
When lather testing, the only reason I scoop the suds off my hands & onto the edge of sink is so I can look at the lather closely to note the size of bubbles, stability, color etc.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thanks @LynetteO I don’t have any 0% SF lard or soy wax soaps to test, but I do have soap made using my regular recipes and brine at 3% SF that I can compare with ZNSB. Have you compared ZNSC and ZNSB?

 

[AliOop]

I have hard water & do use a chelator in every batch. When testing lather I’ve noticed both the lard & soy wax soaps produce a “heavy” dense lather & the lather falls down the ledge every time. What is left behind is not what I was testing, I just happened to leave a set out “lather piles” overnight once & noticed ZNSC left virtually nothing behind. Which I found interesting.
When lather testing, the only reason I scoop the suds off my hands & onto the edge of sink is so I can look at the lather closely to note the size of bubbles, stability, color etc.

So interesting! Goes to show, the different oils make very different soaps.

 

[LynetteO]

Thanks @LynetteO I don’t have any 0% SF lard or soy wax soaps to test, but I do have soap made using my regular recipes and brine at 3% SF that I can compare with ZNSB. Have you compared ZNSC and ZNSB?

Sorry, I should have given a few more details in my original post. It was a ZNSB batch. I had been using ZNSB acronym but thought I read a comment from @Zany_in_CO on another thread that mentioned even when using “tweak”(in this case mine was 80%OO, 15%CO & 5% castor) the soap would still be considered a Castile.

Sadly I gave away all of my OO ZNSC bars, or I would test that today. Need to make some more!

 

[Marsi]

I would be interested in seeing the lather difference (interesting test LynetteO ) between an aged olive soap (if anyone has one - I can't use olive soaps, they are too drying for me), and one with the bi-carbonate of soda addition (all other ingredients remaining the same) - I would expect little difference, given they use the same oils, but there's nothing like testing to know for sure