Why Does Anyone Want to make LS Anyway?
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To be honest, M&P can run you just as much as, if not more than, CP soap making. The bases (the good ones) aren't cheap and you have to consider the costs of embeds, molds, M&P safe fragrances if you want them and the colorants you'd want to use that won't give you too many problems (If you have an eye for colors and how they work, you can get by with just the primary colors at least)
That's not to say you're better off not trying or anything but to start off with M&P soaps, you may want to do some reading here, research the methods of preparing the soaps and scour the interwebs for sites that offer you the best bang for your bucks. I would just like to see you well prepared for what you may find and to have you know that M&P is not necessarily the cheapest or easiest way to go (some people really put their foot into their M&P creations), but it does keep you from handling lye yourself.
What is PS-80 and what is it used for?
I am trying to make LS, the recipe I have has different types of LS soap; Soy, Almond and hemp. Each has different amounts of water to use. Would you call that dilution?I like making liquid soap for the same reasons that Maya and Ngian mentioned- for the enjoyable creative outlet it gives me, and also for the ease of being able to make a luxuriant-feeling liquid soap that's able to be bottled and used the same day I make it. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to make something from scratch that I've always had to buy commercially....and to have it turn out even better than the commercial brands I used to depend upon.
Like Ngian, I use the glycerin method and have never found it to be frustrating, limiting or irritating...........except perhaps at the beginning when I was still trying to figure out my dilution rates. That admittedly caused me a week or two frustration, for sure! LOL Once I was finally able to successfully dilute to the consistency that I liked best, though, things became smooth sailing.
IrishLass
This will be my first attempt at making LS. Once I get over the fear of change. I think I want to make LS because its a different vision. Its like changing channels, there is a whole new world in this type of soap making, in fact; many of the soap vendors at fairs, dont have LS, its all soap bars. I find that interesting.
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From my understanding, polysorbate 80 is a solubizing agent that would allow you to effectively add oils, EOs and FOs to LS or other projects like a room spray or the such. I don't want to call it an emulsifier because the end product is not supposed to be an oil-in-water or water-in-oil type of product (like creams and lotions and conditioners). PS 80 only helps oils and the such mix into a product to s point.
I am trying to make LS, the recipe I have has different types of LS soap; Soy, Almond and hemp. Each has different amounts of water to use. Would you call that dilution?
It depends when the water is added as to whether it is batch water (mixed with KOH) or dilution water (added after you get a paste). Like bar soap, the amount of water and "lye" depends on the oils used.
Also, like bar soap, be sure to run all recipes through a lye calculator for yourself before making. Typos happen, and there are bad recipes out there.
Also, like bar soap, you need lots of experimenting before even thinking of selling.
I would strongly suggest that you try IrishLass' recipe over any other recipe. It works perfectly, every single time, and it takes so little time that it is a much more instant gratification than those "cook the paste for hours" recipes. There is also much less fooling around with excess lye then neutralization. It comes out thick and lovely.
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For Susie: ok do not laugh. I bought a kit on sale at hobby lobby. It contains EVERYTHING i need to make my first 10 bars of m &p. Its a little lovely lavender set with flowers color and oil. And a mold of 4 different styles. Now im waiting for ALONE TIME to experiment.im like a kid with a magic kit.i cant wait to start practicing bcuz i want to learn this craft well.But $16. Was a small price to give me a practice kit learning how to melt my soap.use color etc.i will keep u up to date. Your info and everyones is very helpful.and down the road ill decide about LS.
Just keep in mind that hobby shop M&P is not a high quality product. It may be a good start but I highly recommend ordering quality MP from a reputable source. But it's a good starter.
It will get you the experience of making MP soap. But don't judge all MP bases on those.
Thanks Susie, I was reading IrishLass' recipe. I will definitely be giving it a try. I agree, I need to experiment first. I need to try different methods and see which one works for me.
The question I had about the water was mostly after paste. How does one judge the amount of water needed to turn the paste into LS? With all the different oils that we use, what's the tip on the amount of water to a particular oil. For example Hemp vs Soy, or OO vs Coconut?
Without looking at the recipes, it will be difficult to even speculate. You see, even with known recipes, stuff changes. I have had a particular recipe take a certain amount of water to dilute this week, and last week it took a different amount. One of the reasons I love IrishLass' recipe is that I KNOW how much dilution water to use. Every time. It is the only recipe I have used that I could count on exactly how much dilution water.
My rule of thumb used to be to start with equal parts paste to water, then add from there. Now I would say start with 1 part paste to 0.5 parts water, and add from there. You add very slowly. Small amounts (no more than 1/10 the original paste weight at the time, and decrease the amount each addition) with lots of stirring and at least half an hour between.
My rule of thumb used to be to start with equal parts paste to water, then add from there. Now I would say start with 1 part paste to 0.5 parts water, and add from there. You add very slowly. Small amounts (no more than 1/10 the original paste weight at the time, and decrease the amount each addition) with lots of stirring and at least half an hour between.
I was reading this post and just realized that the recipe that I have instruct to just dump x amount of dilution water. BAM! I think if I did that I would have a disaster.
So here's my reason for making LS, I hope to be able to make foam soap. Has anyone tried this?:think:
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If you are referring to liquid soap that you pour into a foamer bottle to make it foamy, that is exactly what I use lots of my liquid soap for. Matter of fact, I am taking 2 gallons of it to my son with 2 foamer bottles, and 1 gallon to my sister-in-law who has foamer bottles already.
Yes that is exactly, what I want to do too! So it can work; I love the foamy soap. Thanks for letting me know. Cant wait to get started. I've made this same statement 3 times now.....this time I mean it.
JuneP
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I've never made LS soap but will try it in the future since my daughter told me that my son-in-law will only use liquid soap. Right now I'm just wishing I could stand long enough and find the time to make another CP soap (not that I'm out of soap or anything)! LOL
If you can stand long enough to make CP soap, you can make IrishLass' LGS. Truly. It takes me less time to get the paste made than to get CP bars made and poured.
IrishLass LGS saved my hands, but literally.
I've tried all shop bought liquid soaps and they all gave me terrible rash, cracked skin, etc.... esentially some sort of eczema.
I saw thread with the recipe and gave it a go. My hands are the only reason I'm still making it.
I use it in the foamer bottles and it works perfectly.
It needs to be diluted quite a bit to work nicely, so 500gr batch lasts for ages.
I've tried all shop bought liquid soaps and they all gave me terrible rash, cracked skin, etc.... esentially some sort of eczema.
I saw thread with the recipe and gave it a go. My hands are the only reason I'm still making it.
I use it in the foamer bottles and it works perfectly.
It needs to be diluted quite a bit to work nicely, so 500gr batch lasts for ages.
I make a 2 lb of oils size batch that yields 3 L (roughly) of diluted soap. I add enough water to make that a gallon. I then dilute that 1:1 to go into the foamer. That seems to be the perfect dilution to prevent soap boogers on my foamers.
And yes, making my own liquid soap saved the skin on my hands.
And yes, making my own liquid soap saved the skin on my hands.
That's wonderful to hear! My sister-in-law is the same way- she loves my cocoa/shea GLS formula so much and has told me it is the only liquid soap she's ever used that doesn't give her dry/cracked hands or rashes.
IrishLass
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I used to wonder why people bother with liquid soap too! But after someone gave me 2 huge Costco bottles of oo (I don't like oo in cp soap), I tried Irish Lass's recipe and Susie's easy method and now I'm hooked on the clear golden color, thick texture, and gentle scent of olive oil!
It's a rich, luscious recipe, gentle, easy to rinse. I am enormously grateful to IL and Susie for their generosity in sharing their recipe and technique, not to mention the amount of time, trial and error they went through!
Btw, I'm lazier than Susie and found an even lazier way to handle the last bit of dilution. After bottling, I found the soap still thickened up for a day or two into gel. I simply added water to the bottle, shook, let it set for a few hours and done. I also added lemon and lemon myrtle eo the same way, except stirred it well with a chopstick. It clouded up, but cleared up on its own.
It's a rich, luscious recipe, gentle, easy to rinse. I am enormously grateful to IL and Susie for their generosity in sharing their recipe and technique, not to mention the amount of time, trial and error they went through!
Btw, I'm lazier than Susie and found an even lazier way to handle the last bit of dilution. After bottling, I found the soap still thickened up for a day or two into gel. I simply added water to the bottle, shook, let it set for a few hours and done. I also added lemon and lemon myrtle eo the same way, except stirred it well with a chopstick. It clouded up, but cleared up on its own.
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