Xylitol (rather than Sorbitol) in soapmaking (for bubbles) - NOT tooth soapmaking

[AliOop]

I was never threatened, only subjected... so let's just say, you don't need sorbitol after soap has been in your mouth, ifyouknowwhatImean.

 

[Dooleykins]

It made a blatantly obvious increase in the amount of lather. It's now standard in all my soaps, and it is no more expensive than sugar when ordered in bulk from Amazon.

Well dang, I'm not even the OP and this comment sold me. Make sure you get your commission from the Sorbitol Commission or whoever, @AliOop.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Me too! I've looked it up and it's cheap to buy from my supplier.

 

[DianaMoon]

Mum always did threaten to 'wash my mouth out' if I said naughty things

I bet that never stopped you.

I have a bag of the stuff on order from A Monopoly Online Retailer and I can't wait! I'm gonna make a small test batch of the remnants of several oils, into which I'm dumping the remnants of many EOs. I want to get rid of them all. I'm fine if it fails. I will call it Flotsam & Jetsam Soap.

 

[cmzaha]

I changed from using sugar to sorbitol about 5 yrs ago. I purchase mine here, there may be less expensive places now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019FYWF18/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[AliOop]

@cmzaha that's the same one that I use, as well. In fact, I saw your product review there before I purchased it!

 

[Hope Ann]

Honest question meaning I'm not trying to offend people. Is there any scientific proof that sorbitol works better than plain old white sugar in increasing lather? Or is this one of those, "I feel it" things? Because I'm not keen on buying another specialty item just for soaping.

I'm not aware of scientific proof but I see a definite difference vs other bubble boosters. I do high lard ans minimal coconut so my soaps need bubble help. It's worth it and not expensive.

Hope

 

[DeeAnna]

A bit late to the party, but I thought I'd add The Lather Lovers Soap Swap in 2012-13 found a big difference between sugar versus sorbitol, so I'd say using sorbitol might well be worth the trouble and cost. The pictures here seem to bear out the testers' opinions -- https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/blog/updated-lather-lovers-additive-testing/

 

[Na7asha7aylor]

Even better than icing sugar??????
That sugar lathers like a mutha

 

[AliOop]

Even better than icing sugar??????
That sugar lathers like a mutha

My best recollection is that what you call "icing sugar" in Canada, is what we call "powdered sugar" in the US.

If that's correct, that would be #15 in the list of bars in the Lather Test that DeeAnna linked above. It did pretty well but sorbitol, esp sorbitol with sodium citrate, seemed to be the winner, along with aloe vera juice for liquid.

 

[TheGecko]

Well this is fairly timely as hubby noticed that he is down to his last couple of bars of Cantaloupe and wants MORE BUBBLES. What is it with guys and bubbles?!?

So okay...order some Sorbitol from Amazon. Then what? Like How Much PPO? Do I add it dry to the oils or mix it in with my Lye Solution? And if it is the latter, do I add it before adding Sodium Hydroxide? Or can I disperse in water and then add it since I tend to MB my Lye Solution.

FYI - Hubby is getting Mr Bubbles for Christmas...just need to find a gallon size bottle.

 

[Catscankim]

Well this is fairly timely as hubby noticed that he is down to his last couple of bars of Cantaloupe and wants MORE BUBBLES. What is it with guys and bubbles?!?

So okay...order some Sorbitol from Amazon. Then what? Like How Much PPO? Do I add it dry to the oils or mix it in with my Lye Solution? And if it is the latter, do I add it before adding Sodium Hydroxide? Or can I disperse in water and then add it since I tend to MB my Lye Solution.

FYI - Hubby is getting Mr Bubbles for Christmas...just need to find a gallon size bottle.

Where do you get cantaloupe fragrance. I had someone ask me for that a while ago and I had no luck.

 

[TheGecko]

Where do you get cantaloupe fragrance. I had someone ask me for that a while ago and I had no luck.

Rustic Escentuals. Hubby really, really likes it. And then I take an basic Orange Mica, add a just a tough of Pink and some TD and I get a perfect color.

Nature’s Garden carries it, but I’ve only ordered it from RE. They have a few florals that I interested in, so I might order a small bottle to see what it is like.

 

[AliOop]

So okay...order some Sorbitol from Amazon. Then what? Like How Much PPO? Do I add it dry to the oils or mix it in with my Lye Solution? And if it is the latter, do I add it before adding Sodium Hydroxide? Or can I disperse in water and then add it since I tend to MB my Lye Solution.

I use sorbitol at 2% of total oil weight (TOW). If you use the SMF calc, you can add sorbitol as a custom additive, and then select % of oils as when it asks how to measure it.

I have heard of others using up to 3.5% TOW but I’m very happy at 2%. I do use a chelator, about 20% CO, and powdered GM in most recipes, so take all your other bubble-makers, or lack thereof, into consideration when deciding how much to use for your recipe.

I also MB my lye solution. So I take the extra liquid and slightly warm that, then stir in my sorbitol and sodium citrate. As I swirl the container around, it all dissolves in 15 seconds or less.

I used to pour that into my oils, but had some precipitation once or twice, maybe because it wasn’t was fully dissolved as I thought, and the oils were cooler than the solution. So now I just dump the sorbitol-citrate solution into my MB lye solution right before adding that to the oils.

If your extra liquid is GM, I’m guessing you don’t want to heat that. Instead,try subtracting out about half the combined weight of your sorbitol and citrate, and using water for those instead. It doesn’t take much for sorbitol or citrate to dissolve, esp if you warm the water. If you find that’s not enough, increase by very small amounts till you get it all dissolved.

 

[Na7asha7aylor]

I use sorbitol at 2% of total oil weight (TOW). If you use the SMF calc, you can add sorbitol as a custom additive, and then select % of oils as when it asks how to measure it.

I have heard of others using up to 3.5% TOW but I’m very happy at 2%. I do use a chelator, about 20% CO, and powdered GM in most recipes, so take all your other bubble-makers, or lack thereof, into consideration when deciding how much to use for your recipe.

I also MB my lye solution. So I take the extra liquid and slightly warm that, then stir in my sorbitol and sodium citrate. As I swirl the container around, it all dissolves in 15 seconds or less.

I used to pour that into my oils, but had some precipitation once or twice, maybe because it wasn’t was fully dissolved as I thought, and the oils were cooler than the solution. So now I just dump the sorbitol-citrate solution into my MB lye solution right before adding that to the oils.

If your extra liquid is GM, I’m guessing you don’t want to heat that. Instead,try subtracting out about half the combined weight of your sorbitol and citrate, and using water for those instead. It doesn’t take much for sorbitol or citrate to dissolve, esp if you warm the water. If you find that’s not enough, increase by very small amounts till you get it all dissolved.

Any experience using it with citric acid??

 

[AliOop]

Any experience using it with citric acid??

Yup, I used that for a long time, but am much happier now that I switched to sodium citrate - no need for lye adjustments, and I find it easier to dissolve, as well.

 

[TheGecko]

I use sorbitol at 2% of total oil weight (TOW). If you use the SMF calc, you can add sorbitol as a custom additive, and then select % of oils as when it asks how to measure it.

I also MB my lye solution. So I take the extra liquid and slightly warm that, then stir in my sorbitol and sodium citrate. As I swirl the container around, it all dissolves in 15 seconds or less.

I used to pour that into my oils, but had some precipitation once or twice, maybe because it wasn’t was fully dissolved as I thought, and the oils were cooler than the solution. So now I just dump the sorbitol-citrate solution into my MB lye solution right before adding that to the oils.

This will just be my Regular Soap with 34 oz Oils so 2% would be 0.68 oz. I too MB my Lye Solution, but at 33%. Hubby still has enough soap that it would hurt to have to cure a little longer if I had to add an extra ounce of water to dissolve or I could make a 35% Lye Concentration (something that I've been thinking of doing anyways).

And since he is the only one who can complained about 'bubbles' I'll just buy the 7oz package. If it is something that adds hugely, I may start adding it as a matter of course.

Thank you.

 

[Na7asha7aylor]

Yup, I used that for a long time, but am much happier now that I switched to sodium citrate - no need for lye adjustments, and I find it easier to dissolve, as well.

Nice! I use citric acid but I rarely adjust my
lye, I don't mind the extra SF since I usually keep SF between 3-5. Thanks!!!

 

[AliOop]

You are welcome. I always did the lye adjustments for CA because I try to keep my SF around 2-3% for less soap scum, more abundant bubbles, and less grease on my soapy dishes. I also didn't like the crystals that I'd sometimes get on my soap from CA; I never get those from citrate. But if CA is working well for you, that's great since it can be used for other things like bath bombs, etc.

 

[Dooleykins]

Well this is fairly timely as hubby noticed that he is down to his last couple of bars of Cantaloupe and wants MORE BUBBLES. What is it with guys and bubbles?!?

Right??? This is always my boyfriend's request, as well.

I'm currently using sorbitol, citric acid, and aloe vera juice. This seems to be enough to make the bubbles acceptable.