why won't my soap bars harden?

[glamscientist]

i have experimented with a few different things, and it seems that, when i get the result of a hardened bar, it won't lather lots.



i want lather. but when i added olive oil to the glycerine, it just separated! help me?

 

[Guest]

what type of soap? because it sounds like CP.
Also I would need to see your recipe to let you know.

 

[Guest]

I agree it could be the recipe, are you using all "soft" oils.

Not all oils are created equal, and you need a bit of each catagory to make a good bar of soap.

Each oil has a different function in soap making and are added for the reason, and not added at random.

If you post your recipe we can help you solve the puzzle.



for example my my basic soap has tons of lather, and the oils that I include are 4 ounces lard, 4 ounces vegetable shortening, 3 ounces coconut oil, and 5 ounces either canola oil or olive oil.

And so for every 13 ounces of other oils add 3 ounces of coconut oil to get a good lather.

It works well for me and i can actually buy coconut oil cheaper at my local grocery store in the popcorn section than i can buy it online because of the cost of shipping that must also be paid. So just a hint, try to buy things locally instead of online all the time.

 

[CPSoaper]

If you post your recipe, we can help you better. If you are adding extras to MP, you could be adding too much.

 

[glamscientist]

ah i see! i was just adding stuff, i didn't have a recipe!

now i see, and i will try another batch, and let you all know if it actually worked!

 

[Guest]

yeah...you cant make soap like that... you will hurt someone. try getting a basic recipe from

www.millersoap.com

 

[glamscientist]

will do!

 

[carebear]

yeah...you cant make soap like that... you will hurt someone. try getting a basic recipe from

www.millersoap.com

was she doing MP or CP???

Glam, from another post you made I think you are doing MP. Lack of lather from MP can be caused by too much or the wrong additives and also by overheating your MP while melting. The basic rule of thumb for additives is i tablespoon per pound of soap. But yea, hardeners can significantly cut down on lather.