What other oils give you a good lather?

[rubyslippers]

I add sugar to the water prior to adding lye.

The sugar will make the lye water heat up more so than it does without the sugar. I always set my pitcher of water in an ice bath and then add the lye.

 

[ChrissyB]

Yes, add the sugar to the water before you put the lye in. Make sure it is all dissolved, otherwise you will end up with bits of toffee in your soap.
It usually takes about 5-10 minutes to get it to dissolve, It's like making jelly, you have to make sure it's all gone. Then put your lye in.
You can use any sugar, icing sugar (pure), castor, brown, normal. I use 1 tablespoon per pound of oils, so for my normal 1 kilo batch of soap I use 2 tbspns. It definitely adds to the bubbles in the soap. I have had the most success with ordinary sugar.

 

[rubyslippers]

I measure my distilled water and take out about a quarter of cup & heat it a little in the microwave & then dissolve my sugar in the heated water. After it is dissolved, I place it into the freezer to cool while I measure out all my oils and get all my soaping ingredients ready. By the time I am ready to start soaping, my water/sugar mixture is cooled so I add it to the remaining water that I've premeasured, give it a good stir, and then add the lye. This may seem like unnecessary work to some, but it works for me and I don't end up with undissolved sugar in my lye water.

 

[Guest]

I'm trying clear, Karo syrup this weekend.

 

[IrishLass]

So if I add sugar to my lye water before mixing it with the oils, it will create a good lather?

Sugar will help to boost lather from the lathering oils that are already present in a recipe, but I wouldn't say that you'll get really good lather from the sugar if that was the only lathering element you were using in your recipe.

Coconut oil, palm kernel oil (not to be confused with palm oil), and babassu oil are your super bubbly lathering oils and they can be substituted for each other quite well with a minor tweak here and there as they are almost identical to each other in properties (with only a few minor differences). Castor oil will help with bubbles, too, but I find it works even better synergistically along with either coconut, pko or babassu as to compared to when it's used on its own without any of them.

I agree that 60% coconut is pretty high. I usually soap with 27%, 30 being the 'normal' maximum recommended usage.

In a 'normal' recipe, like one that is only superfatted at 5% for example, I totally agree- it is pretty high. But if you are making it with a high superfat, it's wonderfully bubbly and miraculously non-drying. I make these kind of bars quite often as I get a lot of request for them. I use between 70% and 100% coconut oil, and I superfat them between 15% and 20%, depending on the recipe. Keep in mind though, that everyone's skin has their own likes and dislikes, and that some may not like these kinds of bars no matter how high they are superfatted. I haven't run into any such people personally among my testers and/or family and friends, but I have read about a few on the different soaping forums who are sensitive to high amounts of coconut oil no matter how high the superfat.

I know that 20% seems pretty high for a superfat (which it can be, depending on the recipe), and some might be concerned about DOS, but coconut oil is a very stable oil and it's perfectly safe to do a high superfat with these particular kinds of soaps. My first batch of 100% coconut oil soap with a 20% superfat was made over 2 year ago and I still have a bar from that batch (I save a bar from each batch I've ever made for testing purposes)- and it's still as good and as fresh as the day it was made. All my other test bars from this kind of recipe are still good, too.


IrishLass

 

[vivcarm]

You can't get caster oil over the counter, ask me how I know! I spent ages going round all the different chemists when an independent told me that they can't sell it due to having effects on pregnant women I don't know what those effects are though. I can only get it online, I live in the the highlands and everything except olive, sunflower, and a couple of very expensive oils, it all has to be delivered, and it you are in the highlands you also get another £12 odd added on to most of the P&P charges which makes me mad - she says going off on another tanget! I will shut up now.

 

[rubyslippers]

I'm trying clear, Karo syrup this weekend.

That's a great idea. I have some Karo that is at least a decade old , left over from my candy making days. Keep us posted how it turns out.

And, Irishlass that is a fantastic tip to save a bar from each batch you have ever made for testing purposes. I'm so new to this craft that I still have bars from my first batch and I'm going to do just that!

 

[Egzandra]

I'm in Scotland
It's only health food shops that sell it in the high street here. I checked out the price yesterday and it was around £7 for 500g - way too expensive! I can order it online for £3.15 for 1Kg, it's waiting for it to be delivered I find almost impossible!!

I'm in England, not far from London. Do you have any ethnic supermarkets near you? The cheapest coconut oil I have managed to get was £1 for 1lb tub in an African shop, otherwise I get it for about £1.50 per 1lb in an Asian shop. That compares very well, I think with the £3.15 for 1kg online except that you would have to pay postage methinks.