yogurt soap question...

[mcleodnaturals]

I've been reading about yogurt soap and I have one simple question....do you need to use a preservative in the soap so the yogurt doesn't go rotten/rancid? I've read about using GSE with pumpkin soap, but is it really required or just another additive?

thanks!

 

[beachgurl]

GSE is an antioxidant, not a preservative .. moreover there's no hard scientific evidence that proves its effectiveness as a preservative in soap and/or toiletries. I don't use preservatives in my yogurt soap or any soap for that matter. Yogurt soap is the same as a GM soap. In my experience, it actually makes a harder bar.

 

[mcleodnaturals]

thanks for your reply...i realize that GSE isn't a preservative so I was wondering what benefit it would have in a pumpkin soap?!?! seemed a bit of a waste to me!

thanks!

 

[beachgurl]

You'll love the yogurt soap .. I promise !! It's really wonderful. I haven't had to use any kind of preservative/antioxidant with my soaps and never got DOS. I think it probably has a lot to do with what kind of a lye discount/superfat you use.

 

[mcleodnaturals]

what lye discount do you use? i usually use around 6%, will that work okay for this type of soap?

thanks!

 

[beachgurl]

I use around 5% when I'm doing a yogurt, CM, GM soap because there's all that extra fat in there. Also, when I'm formulating my recipe, I don't really worry about the creaminess of the lather because if you add these ingredients you shouldn't have a problem (or at least I haven't had a problem).

 

[mcleodnaturals]

can you HP this type of soap?? I know that cooking yogurt in a recipe can sometimes cause it to curdle...

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Question: What does the superfat percentage do? What is the normal range? I just use what the soapcalc is set on. Thats 5%

 

[beachgurl]

I'm going to explain this (maybe you already understand, but I know that it was a bit comfusing for me). When you make a normal CP soap, you want there to be some extra fat in there .. makes for a margin of error and also for a nice moisturizing soap. There are two ways you can get the extra fat into the soap (1) lye discount or (2) superfatting. I use a lye discount ... pretty much what that is .. I use a lesser amount of lye .. I make sure that I have a 6% lye discount. Superfatting is slightly different .. you add some extra oils to your batch when you're done mixing everything together. I don't prefer this method for a couple reasons. First, it's easy to forget to add the extra oils (I'm sometimes mentally crippled ). Second, I haven't noticed a difference between doing an effective lye discount and superfatting, so it's just easier (for me, just my opinion) to do the lye discount.

For CP soaps, I usually go around 6% for my lye discount. Generally accepted levels range from 5 to 9 or 10%. Anything in excess of that can make your soap more prone to rancidity ... but more importantly .. it makes for a soft bar (unless you're doing something like a coconut salt bar) that doesn't last as long.

 

[mandolyn]

I use yogurt powder at trace.