This is long one. I’ll title each section so the reader may skip ahead.
Introduction (as this is my first post)
About a year ago I began wet shaving. I began, and have remained, with a straight razor. Artisan shaving soap makers lead me to artisan bath soaps, which lead me to making bath soaps, which lead me to making shaving soap. The latter was never a consideration and it would not have been possible without the famous shaving soap thread, started by songwind. My hat is off to him and everyone who participated. A special thanks to LBussy for his knowledge there, Deanna for her knowledge everywhere, and of course IrishLass for making all this possible. There were several others as well. Having read quite a bit here, I feel like I know many of you.
Background
After reading Kevin Dunn’s book, I decided I wanted to try working with Tetrasodium EDTA and Rosemary Oleoresin. I first used these successfully in making a shaving soap. I do not make a 50% lye solution, as Dr. Dunn does.
When making the shaving soap, I added both the ROE (0.05% of oil weight) and EDTA (0.5% of total weight) to the water, then adding KOH, and then adding Sodium Lactate. This methodology worked once before, so I followed it today in making bath soap. This is where the wheels came off.
The Problem
Some folks already know the problem, but I encourage you to read on. The ROE solidified into small, undissolved particles. At first I thought something was precipitating out of the solution… and then the “duh” moment. ROE is not water soluble, so why did Dr. Dunn instruct to mix it in the water? Why didn’t he instruct adding it to the oils? I went back to his writings and the next “duh” moment… he didn’t. He added it to the oils. Okay, let’s do this again… this time adding the ROE to the oils, and the EDTA and Sodium Lactate to the lye.
The Second Problem
I added EDTA and Sodium Lactate to the lye and the EDTA(?) would not dissolve. So I made a new batch of lye, but this time I added the ETA to the water first. That dissolved. I then added KOH, and when the lye solution was clear, I added the Sodium Lactate. No problems with that.
Final Thoughts
First and foremost, RTM! There is a modified acronym of this. If you know it, apply it as needed. :mrgreen: But okay, that part was easy to understand and resolve. I am left scratching my head as to what happened when I added the EDTA to the lye solution. Did I not let it fully dissolve before adding the Sodium Lactate and that then interfered? I don’t know.
In Dunn’s experiments, his use of ROE and Tetrasodium EDTA, combined, provided good results. I have increased the EDTA to 0.5% to combat soap scum. This now begs the question… with that concentration of EDTA, is adding ROE superfluous?
Right now the soap is in a full gel phase on the heating pad and, like its non-EDTA/ROE predecessor, looks good.
Introduction (as this is my first post)
About a year ago I began wet shaving. I began, and have remained, with a straight razor. Artisan shaving soap makers lead me to artisan bath soaps, which lead me to making bath soaps, which lead me to making shaving soap. The latter was never a consideration and it would not have been possible without the famous shaving soap thread, started by songwind. My hat is off to him and everyone who participated. A special thanks to LBussy for his knowledge there, Deanna for her knowledge everywhere, and of course IrishLass for making all this possible. There were several others as well. Having read quite a bit here, I feel like I know many of you.
Background
After reading Kevin Dunn’s book, I decided I wanted to try working with Tetrasodium EDTA and Rosemary Oleoresin. I first used these successfully in making a shaving soap. I do not make a 50% lye solution, as Dr. Dunn does.
When making the shaving soap, I added both the ROE (0.05% of oil weight) and EDTA (0.5% of total weight) to the water, then adding KOH, and then adding Sodium Lactate. This methodology worked once before, so I followed it today in making bath soap. This is where the wheels came off.
The Problem
Some folks already know the problem, but I encourage you to read on. The ROE solidified into small, undissolved particles. At first I thought something was precipitating out of the solution… and then the “duh” moment. ROE is not water soluble, so why did Dr. Dunn instruct to mix it in the water? Why didn’t he instruct adding it to the oils? I went back to his writings and the next “duh” moment… he didn’t. He added it to the oils. Okay, let’s do this again… this time adding the ROE to the oils, and the EDTA and Sodium Lactate to the lye.
The Second Problem
I added EDTA and Sodium Lactate to the lye and the EDTA(?) would not dissolve. So I made a new batch of lye, but this time I added the ETA to the water first. That dissolved. I then added KOH, and when the lye solution was clear, I added the Sodium Lactate. No problems with that.
Final Thoughts
First and foremost, RTM! There is a modified acronym of this. If you know it, apply it as needed. :mrgreen: But okay, that part was easy to understand and resolve. I am left scratching my head as to what happened when I added the EDTA to the lye solution. Did I not let it fully dissolve before adding the Sodium Lactate and that then interfered? I don’t know.
In Dunn’s experiments, his use of ROE and Tetrasodium EDTA, combined, provided good results. I have increased the EDTA to 0.5% to combat soap scum. This now begs the question… with that concentration of EDTA, is adding ROE superfluous?
Right now the soap is in a full gel phase on the heating pad and, like its non-EDTA/ROE predecessor, looks good.
