Types of Soaps
- Hard Soap. : Hard soap is made using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or lye. ...
- Soft Soap. : Soft soap is made using potassium hydroxide (KOH) rather than sodium hydroxide. ...
- Lithium Soap. : Moving down the periodic table in the alkali metals group, it should be obvious soap may be made using lithium hydroxide (LiOH) as easily as NaOH or ...
How does hard vs soft water affect soap?
Soaps behave differently in hard water than soft and it’s not good behavior. Soaps in soft water are able to function as a cleaning agent whereas soaps in hard water are not. The same amount of soap in soft water will form more suds than it will in hard water.
What is the best mild soap?
What is the mildest soap for your face?
- The Best For Most People: Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar.
- The Best For Acne-Prone Skin: Shea Moisture African Black Soap.
- The Best For Dry Skin: Ethique Bliss Bar.
- The Best For Sensitive Skin: Herbivore Botanicals Pink Clay Soap Bar.
What is the best soap for hard water?
- BEST OVERALL: Rockin’ Green Natural Laundry Powder | Lavender Mint
- BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent Plus OxiClean
- BEST DETERGENT BOOSTER: Charlie’s Soap Booster & Hard Water Treatment
- BEST FOR SENSITIVE SKIN: Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder Fragrance Free
- BEST STAIN-REMOVING: Persil Liquid Detergent ProClean Intense Fresh
What makes soap so slippery?
The surfactant molecule gives us the two basic ingredients for slipperiness built into one molecule - long chains which can easily glide over each other, in conjunction with the molecule being a base. All bases have a slippery feel to them, but it is the long chains of the surfactant that give soaps that slippery feel.
What ingredient makes soap hard?
Add sodium lactate Sodium lactate is a clear liquid that comes from the natural fermentation of sugars found in things like sugar cane and sugar beets. Used in an amount of about 1%, or roughly four tablespoons (2.25 ounces) for this recipe, sodium lactate will significantly harden your DIY bar soap.
What makes soap softer?
Adding too much extra oil (like with dispersed colorants) can lead to a soft bar of soap. Adding too much fragrance oil can also lead to a soft bar of soap.
What to add to soap to make it harder?
If you are looking to increase bar hardness in a soap recipe, try: Increasing your hard to soft oil ratio, by using a higher percentage of hard oils (oils that are solid at room temperature) Adding stearic acid at 0.5% to 1% of the total soap formula. Including beeswax at 1% to 5% of the total soap recipe.
What oil makes the hardest soap?
Hard oils for soap making are those that are solid at room temperature, such as coconut oil, cocoa butter, palm oil, and shea butter. These hard oils each have unique properties, but tend to create harder bars of soap. Soft oils, on the other hand, are liquid at room temperature and make for softer soap bars.
What does adding salt to soap do?
The hardness of your soap is directly related to the types, balance, and qualities of the oils you're using. Different oils make your soap harder or softer, depending on their fatty acid makeup. However, many soap makers add a bit of salt to their soap to help increase the hardness.
Why did my soap harden so fast?
If adding cold lye to butters and oils that are solid at cooler temperatures, it can cause the oils/butters to cool and thicken on contact. False trace happens pretty quickly. As the lye is poured in, the soap will start to thicken immediately. You may also notice it looks grainy.
How long does homemade soap take to harden?
Saponification is complete within around 48 hours, ie all the hydroxide has been turned in to sodium salts but during the continuing cure time the longer chain fatty acids are still busy queuing to rearrange themselves into soap crystals and this is what helps your soap to become harder as time goes on not just the ...
What is the effect of sugar on soap?
Different oils give different amounts and different types of lathers, so many soap makers turn to sugar to increase the suds. Adding a bit of sugar to a soap recipe can help make a light, bubbly lather with large bubbles when the oils you're using do not lather up as much as you'd like.
What does castor oil do to soap?
Basic Information About Castor Oil Castor oil added to a soap recipe results in a stable lather that is low, dense, and creamy. What it does do is add moisturizing qualities to soap. Though it's thick and sticky straight out of the bottle, it is easily absorbed by the skin.
What fat makes the best soap?
Butters (Shea, Cocoa, Mango) Butters like shea butter, cocoa butter, and mango butter tend to help make hard bars of soap with stable lather. Using them up to around 20% of a soap recipe is a good amount to shoot for, but they can be used in higher amounts.
What does coconut oil do to soap?
Coconut oil provides one of the most essential parts of soap, the cleansing abilities to wash away dirt and bacteria from the skin. It's a great substitute for the over used palm oil that is in most soap you can pick up from your supermarket or pharmacy.
What determines the quality of soap?
The main characteristics to look for in a quality soap include: Hardness. A quality bar of soap will have a dense, hard feel, and will not immediately begin to degenerate when wet. It should last a long time.
Does soft water make it harder to get soap off?
First, soap lathers better in soft water than in hard water, so it's easy to use too much. The more dissolved soap there is, the more water you need to rinse it away. Second, the ions in softened water lessen its ability to stick to the soap molecules, making it more difficult to rinse the cleanser off your body.
Why is my soap soft and crumbly?
Also, there are a few reasons why your soap could turn out soft and crumbly. One reason could be that you have too many soft oils and need more hard oils added to the recipe. Also, it could be an issue of not having enough lye for the amount of liquid added.
What does hard water do to soap?
Hard water reduces the cleaning capacity of soap. Soap lathers readily with soft water. Rainwater is naturally soft. In contrast, hard water does not produce a good lather, so it is more difficult to wash with soap in hard water. It is also not recommended for bathing, laundry, and laboratory purposes.
How do you know if your soap is lye heavy?
Normal pH is around 9-10. If the soap is 9-10 it will turn light green. If the soap is pH 11-14, it is lye heavy. The pH strip will turn a dark green or purple in that case.
What makes soap soft?
Speaking of “extra stuff” in your soap, let’s talk additives. Colorants and fragrance oils are the most common “additives” and they can make soap soft if too much is added. Dispersing powdered colorants in lightweight liquid oil is a great way to avoid chunks and streaks of color in the final bar.
Why is my soap soft?
Adding too much extra oil (like with dispersed colorants) can lead to a soft bar of soap.
How to use sodium lactate in soap?
If using a silicone or plastic mold for cold process soap, use sodium lactate. Actually, I recommend using sodium lactate for all your batches! It’s a liquid salt that can be added to cooled lye water at a rate of 1 teaspoon per pound of oils in cold process soap. It’s optional, but I use it in 99.9% of my recipes. It facilitates the hardening of soap, making umolding faster and a longer lasting bar in the shower. For example in the photo below, the soap on the left contains sodium lactate while the bar on the right does not. The bar without sodium lactate was softer, and did not unmold as cleanly. Click here to learn more about sodium lactate.
What is the average superfat in soap?
Oil that’s not turned into soap by the sodium hydroxide lye is called the “superfat.”. An average superfat is anywhere from about 1-7%.
How long does it take for soap to harden?
Soap can take anywhere from 1-15 days to harden in the mold, depending on a variety of factors. Two to three days in the mold is average. There are several factors that determine how long soap needs to harden. The first is the type of oils in your recipe.
How long does cold process soap take to cure?
Cold process soap requires patience. It needs several days to harden in the mold. Then, it needs to cure for 4-6 weeks to allow excess water to evaporate. Curing creates a firmer bar that lasts longer in the shower. All this waiting can be the hardest part of cold process soapmaking!
Why is superfat used in soap?
The terms “superfat” and “lye discount” can be used interchangeably. This is because in order to create a superfat, you use less lye in the recipe. Extra oil creates a more gentle bar, but it can also make the bar softer.
What do you do to make a harder bar of soap?
I’d love to know what you do! If you are a soapmaker and can offer advice for hardening soap, please do so in the comments!
What percentage of excess oil remains unsaponified in your soap?
What percentage of excess oil remains unsaponified in your soap? A higher amount produces a softer soap. If you are superfatting your soap at 8%, try 5% and see if that helps.
What oils are used in soap?
If your recipe is full of any other liquid oils such as rice bran, soybean, avocado, sunflower…etc., these will make a soft bar of soap. My typical mix of oils is something like this: Coconut oil – 34% (Hard) Olive oil – 34% (Hard) Avocado oil – 8% (Soft) Rice bran oil – 14% (Soft) Shea butter – 10% (Hard)
Is olive oil hard or soft?
There are two exceptions. Olive oil – Olive oil is initially soft upon unmolding but cures out rock hard.
Does soap harden at hotter temperatures?
Both of these ingredients can also be tricky to work with. You have to soap at hotter temperatures to make sure they don’t solidify in your mixing pot.
Does salt kill lather?
It is important to note that salt does kill lather in higher quantities. Have you ever made a salt bar? So if you want to experiment with adding salt in higher quantities, just know that you can lose some lather.
Does salt add hardness to soap?
Salt adds initial hardness to cold process soap. Here is an article from David at About.com about adding salt to soap. http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/tipstricks/qt/qtsalt.htm
What is soft soap made of?
Soft Soap: Soft soap is made using potassium hydroxide (KOH) rather than sodium hydroxide. In addition to being softer, this type of soap has a lower melting point. Most early soaps were made using potassium hydroxide obtained from wood ash and animal fats. Modern soft soaps are made using vegetable oils and other polyunsaturated triglycerides. These soaps are characterized by weaker intermolecular forces between the salts. They readily dissolve, yet also tend not to last as long.
What is the chemical reaction that makes soap?
One of the organic chemical reactions known to ancient man was the preparation of soaps through a reaction called saponification . Natural soaps are sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids, originally made by boiling lard or other animal fat together with lye or potash (potassium hydroxide).
What is the sap value of soap?
The sap value is calculated for potassium hydroxide, so for soap made using sodium hydroxide, its value must be divided by 1.403, which is the ratio between the KOH and NaOH molecular weights. Some oils, fats, and waxes are deemed to be unsaponifiable.
Why do long chain fatty acids have a low saponification value?
Long chain fatty acids have a low saponification value because they contain fewer carboxylic acid functional groups per molecule than short chain fatty acids.
How is glycerol recovered from saponification?
The water layer is drawn off the top of the mixture and the glycerol is recovered using vacuum distillation . The crude soap obtained from the saponification reaction contains sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and glycerol. These impurities are removed by boiling the crude soap curds in water and re-precipitating the soap with salt.
What causes a chalky discoloration in oil painting?
The reaction occurs when heavy metal salts, such as those in red lead, zinc white, and lead white, react with the fatty acids in the oil. The metal soaps produced by the reaction tend to migrate toward the surface of the painting, causing the surface to deform and producing a chalky discoloration called "bloom" or "efflorescence." While a chemical analysis may be able to identify saponification before it becomes apparent, once the process starts, there is no cure. The only effective restoration method is retouching.
What is the process of making soap?
The water layer is drawn off the top of the mixture and the glycerol is recovered using vacuum distillation .
What is the hardest butter to make?
If you’re looking for a vegan alternative you can also try soy wax, bayberry wax, or any other type of vegetable wax. You can also try Kokum butter , which is one of the hardest butters known to man. If using my basic recipe, about 3 ounces, melted and added to the oils will do nicely.
Why do you need to dissolve lye in water?
You need to dissolve lye in water in order to turn oils into soap. The amount of water you use will make a difference in the cure time and will also affect the outcome of the hardness of the DIY bar soap. Too much water will cause bars to be soft and take longer to cure.
Can you substitute oil for soap?
Oils in soaps have different qualities. And some oils can’t be substituted for others due to a specific SAP value. Simply put, the SAP value is the amount of lye needed to turn that oil into soap. There’s a lot more to the numbering system, but all you really need to know is that the numbers need to be close to each other in order to exchange them.
What is soft soap?
Soft oils are generally oils that are liquid at room temperature such as olive oil, castor oil, avocado, sunflower, safflower, sweet almond, rice bran…etc. As a general rule, soap made from a high percentage of these oils will be on the softer side. The only exceptions to this rule are olive oil and castor oil.
How long does it take for soap to unmold?
It can even be soft and crumbly, with the corners breaking off in the mold upon unmolding. If your soap does not go through gel phase, you might wait an extra 24-48 hours before unmolding. Soap that goes through gel phase is usually harder upon unmolding and can be unmolded after 24 hours of pouring. Formulation issues.
When doubling or halving a recipe, run it through a lye calc?
When doubling or halving a recipe, run it through a lye calc just to make sure the new recipe is correct.
How to store lye?
Store your lye in an airtight container.
What to do if you don't use enough lye?
If you did not use enough lye and are able to calculate the amount needed, you can re-batchand add the needed amount.
Can you freeze soap molds?
Simply leave them in the mold a day or two longer before un-molding and cutting. If you are using single cavity molds, you can try freezing them to harden and hopefully the soap will pop out easier.
Is soap hard after unmolding?
So although they are initially softer upon unmolding, especially if they don’t go through gel phase, they cure out to be a hard bar of soap. If your soap contains a high amount of liquid oils that do not turn hard (such as rice bran, sweet almond, jojoba oil…etc.) then your soap will stay pretty soft.
What is soap scum?
The magnesium stearate or calcium stearate is a waxy solid that you know as soap scum.
Why use a water softener?
If you do, you may have a water softener to help protect your plumbing from scale buildup, prevent soap scum, and lessen the amount of soap and detergent needed for cleaning.
Is hard water hard or soft?
Water softeners remove those ions by exchanging them for sodium or potassium ions. Two factors contribute to that slippery-when-wet feeling you get after soaping up with soft water. First, soap lathers better in soft water than in hard water, so it's easy to use too much.
Is it better to use hard water or soft water for soap?
First, soap lathers better in soft water than in hard water, so it's easy to use too much. The more dissolved soap there is, the more water you need to rinse it away. Second, the ions in softened water lessen its ability to stick to the soap molecules, making it more difficult to rinse the cleanser off your body.
What is hot process soap?
Hot process soap has a rustic look, giving it a homemade appearance. But if you prefer more refined bars, consider trying the cold process method. Also, compared to traditional, store-bought soap, DIY soap has a lighter scent. You can use more essential oil for a stronger smell, but this can be costly.
What is the difference between soap and oil?
About making this soap recipe. Soap, by definition, is fat or oil mixed with an alkali. The oil is from an animal or plant, while the alkali is a chemical called lye. In bar soapmaking, the lye is sodium hydroxide. Liquid soap requires potassium hydroxide. When oil and lye are combined and heated, the result is soap.
Why is water important in soap?
It’s used to make a lye solution, which is combined with oil. The water helps the oil and lye complete the saponification process. By the time the soap hardens, most of the water will have evaporated.
How to make lye solution for coconut oil?
As the coconut oil melts, prepare the lye solution. Slowly add the lye to the water. (Do not add water to lye — this is unsafe.) With a spatula, carefully stir the solution as you add the lye. It’ll become hot and release fumes, which is normal. Set aside the lye solution, and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
What is the chemical reaction that occurs when oil and lye are combined and heated?
When oil and lye are combined and heated, the result is soap. This chemical reaction is called saponification. Without lye, saponification isn’t possible, so lye is necessary to create soap.
What is the best fat for soap?
The best fat or oil depends on your preferences. Traditionally, soap was made with animal fat, but today, plant oils are widely used. Depending on your oil, the finished soap’s hardness and lather will vary. Examples of fats and oils used in soapmaking include: lard. tallow. olive oil. coconut oil. avocado oil.
How to make bar soap from scratch?
Bar soap for beginners. There are two methods for making bar soap from scratch: Hot process. In hot process soapmaking, external heat accelerates saponification. Most soaps can be used the next day, though it’s ideal to wait 1 week if you want a harder bar. Cold process.