What type of alcohol is used to make cold process soap?
When making both cold process and melt and pour soap, a spray bottle of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol is helpful.
How do you use isopropyl alcohol to make soap?
When making both cold process and melt and pour soap, a spray bottle of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol is helpful. Also known as rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol helps to prevent soda ash on cold process soap, and helps layers stick together when working with melt and pour.
What type of ethanol is used to make transparent soap?
Ethanol used to make transparent soap should be around 180 proof, or 90 percent alcohol. Ethanol is used in the process of making bars of hard soap. Ethanol helps the chemical reaction between the sodium hydroxide solution and the melted fatty oils.
Can you use hard alcohol as a liquid in soap?
Beer, wine and champagne all contain a smaller amount of alcohol than spirits (hard liquor). In general, I don’t recommend using hard alcohol as the liquid in your soap. It can be done, but it’s a very advanced technique. There is a lot of alcohol to boil out in hard liquor, and it will cause your soap to accelerate.
Can I use 91 isopropyl alcohol for soap making?
We can get 91% Isopropyl Alcohol here. Put it into a fine mist spray bottle. I spray my soap twice, once right after pouring and then again about 30 minutes later. That usually does the trick and prevents ash from forming.
Can you use alcohol in soap making?
Alcohol can be used for many purposes in soapmaking, making it necessary for any soap maker. Ethyl and isopropyl alcohol have different purposes and benefits. Ethyl alcohol is best for popping bubbles in melt-and-pour soaps and making transparent soaps.
What are the 3 main ingredients in soap?
If you only rinse them with water, they still feel greasy. However, if you add soap to the water, the grease washes away, and the result is clean dishes. There are 3 key ingredients in soap: oil or fat, lye and water.
Can I use whiskey to make soap?
Use a digital scale to weigh out the grated soap, shea butter, cocoa butter and whiskey and combine in a large pot over low heat on the stove. Mix occasionally until all ingredients are melted together then allow to simmer a bit longer to burn off all of the alcohol from the whiskey.
Why do we use ethanol in soap making?
Ethanol is used in the process of making bars of hard soap. Ethanol helps the chemical reaction between the sodium hydroxide solution and the melted fatty oils. It is most often used when making glycerin soap.
What is the formula for soap?
The formula for soap is C17H35COONa.
What is the most important ingredient in making soap?
Water is an essential ingredient. It's used to make a lye solution, which is combined with oil. The water helps the oil and lye complete the saponification process.
How do you harden soap fast?
Add some salt. Like sodium lactate, salt will help harden soap into very hard bars. Add about ½ teaspoon per pound of oil to the recipe. This recipe has 14.25 ounces of oils, so between ¼ and ½ teaspoon of salt will be enough.
Can you use alcohol in cold process soap?
Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, is a multi-purpose product that every maker needs in their collection. Spray it on top of cold process soap to prevent soda ash, spray it on melt and pour to pop bubbles and help layers stick, or use it to disperse micas.
Why is alcohol used in saponification?
Ethanol increases the catalyst solubility in the oil-ethyl ester phase, thus accelerating the saponification reaction.
Do you need rubbing alcohol for making soap?
When making both cold process and melt and pour soap, a spray bottle of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol is helpful. Also known as rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol helps to prevent soda ash on cold process soap, and helps layers stick together when working with melt and pour.
Do I need alcohol for melt and pour soap?
A spray bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol is a must when making melt and pour soap. A light spritz helps get rid of air bubbles after pouring. Spritzing alcohol immediately before pouring your top layer really helps “glue” the two layers together.
Should I Use Isopropyl or Ethyl Alcohol?
Both ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol are useful for the same purpose in soapmaking. Ethyl alcohol is food-grade alcohol, while isopropyl alcohol is non-ingestible. Both are useful for popping bubbles, reducing soda ash, and binding layers when pouring layered soaps.
When Should I Use Alcohol in Soapmaking?
Alcohol is a necessary ingredient in melt-and-pour soaps. If you are making hot process soaps or cold process soaps, you will not necessarily need alcohol, although alcohol can be used on hot or cold process soaps to reduce the appearance of soap ash and increase the amount of suds that you will get from your soap.
Conclusion
Alcohol can be used for many purposes in soapmaking, making it necessary for any soap maker. Ethyl and isopropyl alcohol have different purposes and benefits. Ethyl alcohol is best for popping bubbles in melt-and-pour soaps and making transparent soaps.
Why is isopropyl alcohol used in soap?
Isopropyl alcohol is used in soap as an antiseptic. It is also used to dissolve other ingredients in the soap, such as oils and fats.
What are the 3 main ingredients in soap?
The three main ingredients in soap are fat, water, and an alkali. The fat is from an animal or vegetable, the water is from distilled water, and the alkali is from potassium hydroxide.
Can I use ethyl alcohol in soap making?
Yes, you can use ethyl alcohol in soap making. It is a good solvent for extracting fragrances and other ingredients from plants. It can also be used to thin out soap when it is too thick.
What is glycerin soap made of?
Glycerin soap is made from a combination of fats and oils. The fats and oils are combined with lye to create a soap. Glycerin is a byproduct of the soap-making process.
How do you make pure glycerin soap?
To make pure glycerin soap, you need to start with a base of glycerin and add other ingredients to it. The other ingredients may include water, fragrance, colorants, or other add-ins.
What is the difference between lye soap and glycerin soap?
Lye soap is made with lye, water, and fat. Glycerin soap is made with glycerin, water, and fat.
What kind of rubbing alcohol do you use to make soap?
As there are many different types and brands of rubbing alcohol, and each one may be best suited for a different purpose. If you are looking to make soap, it is recommended that you use a rubbing alcohol that is high in purity and free of any added dyes or fragrances.
How much alcohol is used in soap making?
Proof is the unit of measurement used to identify the potency of alcohol; one alcohol percentage equals two proof. Ethanol used to make transparent soap should be around 180 proof, or 90 percent alcohol.
Why do soapmakers add ethanol to their soap?
Soapmakers add ethanol to hard soap batches to better mix the soapmaking materials during the saponification process. It is a vital additive for attaining the most clarity in transparent glycerin soap. Ethanol can be a dangerous soapmaking material, so some home soapmakers choose substitutes. Advertisement.
What is the benefit of using ethanol in soapmaking?
Benefits. Using ethanol in the soapmaking process generally creates soap with a see-through, glass-like look, especially with glycerin soap. The higher the proof of the alcohol, the more transparent the soap. Proof is the unit of measurement used to identify the potency of alcohol; one alcohol percentage equals two proof.
How many proofs of alcohol are in ethanol?
Proof is the unit of measurement used to identify the potency of alcohol; one alcohol percentage equals two proof. Ethanol used to make transparent soap should be around 180 proof, or 90 percent alcohol.
What is ethanol made of?
Ethanol is made from the fermentation of carbohydrates like potatoes and sugar.
Is ethanol dangerous to use in soap?
Ethanol is dangerous because it is explosive, emits vapors and sometimes burns with a nearly invisible flame. Soapmakers working with ethanol should keep ethanol away from an open flame like a gas stove at all times. Always keep a fire extinguisher and a spray bottle filled with water handy when working with ethanol.
Is ethanol denatured alcohol?
Considerations. Though some types of ethanol are drinkable, some ethanol is denatured to make it non-drinkable. Many soapmakers avoid denatured alcohol because it contains odorous or toxic additives that can affect the soap. Advertisement.
What liquid is used to make soap?
To prepare sodium hydroxide lye for soapmaking, it needs to be dissolved in some type of liquid. The dissolved lye solution is then emulsified with oils to create soap. Distilled water is usually the liquid of choice for dissolving lye. But, some soapers prefer to use other liquids such as milk, tea or alcoholic beverages.
What liquids are used in cold process soap?
One of the most popular types of alternative liquids for cold process soap is alcoholic beverages. This includes beer, wine and champagne. These liquids contain sugar, which give the soap a stable and fluffy lather. Alcoholic beverages can also give the soap color and are great from a marketing standpoint.
How to remove carbonation from alcohol?
The key to eliminating the alcohol and carbonation is to boil the liquid prior to using it for soap. This cooks off the alcohol, leaving behind a liquid that works better in cold process soap. Adding lye to alcohol or carbonated beverages can cause an eruption, so boiling the beverage is extremely important. If using a carbonated beverage, many soapers allow the beverage to go flat for several days then boil it to remove the alcohol. I’ve prepared my alcoholic liquid both ways, with similar results.
Why does soap have a deep color?
They contain sugar that becomes very hot when mixed with sodium hydroxide lye. This turns the liquid a deep color due to the sugars scorching and can cause an unpleasant aroma. In addition to sugar, alcoholic beverages contain.. .you guessed it! Alcohol.
How to keep alcohol from turning dark?
You can place the liquid in the fridge to thoroughly chill, or you can freeze it and add the lye flakes to the frozen liquid. The colder the liquid, the less the sugars in the liquid will scorch when the lye is added. Less scorching means the liquid will not turn as dark and won’t smell quite as much. But freezing the liquid prior to adding the lye won’t prevent it from discoloring entirely. Adding the lye to the cool liquid slowly also helps keep the soap temperature down and preserves a lighter color.
How hot should lye be to use in soap?
Photos by Lara Ferroni . After the lye is added to the liquids, allow it to cool to appropriate soaping temperatures (we like soaping around 100-130 °F). Once the solution is cool, it’s ready to use just like lye solution made with water. Keep in mind that the lye solution made with alcoholic beverages contain sugar.
Why boil cold process soap?
The key to using alcoholic beverages in cold process soap is to boil the liquid first to reduce the alcohol and carbonation.
What is the best spray for cold process soap?
When making both cold process and melt and pour soap, a spray bottle of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol is helpful. Also known as rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol helps to prevent soda ash on cold process soap, and helps layers stick together when working with melt and pour.
What is the difference between isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol?
The basic difference between the two is that ethyl alcohol is commonly used for consumption, while isopropyl alcohol is used for topical application. Isopropyl alcohol is not safe for consumption.
How to prevent soda ash?
Soda ash is a completely harmless cosmetic issue. Soda ash can be prevented by spraying the top of cold process soap with isopropyl alcohol within 10-15 minutes of pouring your fresh soap.
Can you use isopropyl alcohol in a melt and pour?
Spraying isopropyl alcohol in between melt and pour layers also helps the layers adhere. Rubbing alcohol can also be used to disperse oxides and clays to be used in melt and pour projects, like in the Charcoal and Rose Clay Melt and Pour. For cold process soap making, isopropyl alcohol is great for helping to prevent soda ash.
Is isopropyl alcohol safe to drink?
Isopropyl alcohol is not safe for consumption. Isopropyl alcohol (aka: rubbing alcohol) can be found in varying percentages, most commonly from 60%-99%. The percentage refers to the amount of isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) per volume. The remainder of the formula consists of water.
Is rubbing alcohol a spray bottle?
Now that your rubbing alcohol is in a spray bottle, let’s get crafting. Below are a collection of melt and pour tutorials in which rubbing alcohol is crucial due to the layers and embeds. If you are looking for other crafting options, rubbing alcohol plays a key role in creating liquid perfumes and room sprays.
What is soap and detergent?
Soaps and detergents are surface-active agents, or surfactants, meaning that they form organized structures at aqueous surfaces. The molecules organize into a film on top, which we recognize as bubbles, and into droplets called micelles in the interior. When soap or detergent is added to water, they don't actually dissolve—they form an emulsion. You can see this for yourself by adding, for example, one gram of MP soap to 200 mL of hot water. A soap/water emulsion is cloudy (because of the micelles), not transparent, with bubbles at the surface.
What is the difference between rubbing alcohol and ethanol?
This is actually a family of chemicals with some familiar members. Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, Everclear) is the one used in beverages. Isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol) is the one used for first aid.
Why does MP soap not bubble?
Even when these solutions are shaken, no bubbles form because the soap molecules do not form a film at the surface. So when you spritz alcohol onto bubbles at the surface of MP soap, the soap dissolves in the alcohol. The ordered film of soap molecules breaks up into individual molecules, and the bubbles disappear.
Is soap water a transparent solution?
A soap/water emulsion is cloudy (because of the micelles), not transparent, with bubbles at the surface. In contrast, soaps and detergents actually dissolve in ethanol and isopropanol. Rather than forming a cloudy emulsion with bubbles at the surface, a soap/alcohol solution is transparent, with no bubbles. The soap and detergent molecules do not ...
Is MP soap a fatty acid?
For chemical and regulatory purposes, soap is an alkali salt of a fatty acid. But MP “soap” is almost always a blend of soaps, solvents, and detergents.
Is cold process soap a CP soap?
Because the chemistry of Cold Process (CP) soap is delightfully complex, I have spent many happy hours devising experiments to answer questions and solve problems for those who make CP soap. Makers of Melt and Pour (MP) soap, however, face problems different from those I have investigated before. For example, while CP and MP soaps can be poured in layers, CP layers are usually at the same temperature and in the same state (liquid). But a hot, liquid MP layer is usually poured on top of a cold, solid MP layer, and because of these differences, the joint between layers may not be strong. Additionally, transparent soap is much more common in the MP world than it is in the CP one, and so bubbles and blemishes within a transparent layer must be minimized.
Basic candle-making supplies
Making candles and soaps at home doesn’t call for an arsenal of expensive supplies. Here’s a list of essentials candle-making materials you’ll need to create your own tapers, pillars and votives:
Types of candles
If you’re making candles, you may wonder what each type of candle is called. After all, candles come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. This list helps demystify the terminology:
Basic soap-making supplies
Making your own soap, like making your own candles, doesn’t require a lot of supplies. When making melt-and-pour soap, you can get by pretty inexpensively. Follow this list to know the important supplies for soapmaking..
Solving common appearance problems when making soap
Sometimes, your finished homemade soaps just don’t look right. Disappointment is natural, but chances are you can still use and enjoy soaps you’ve made. You’ll want to make your soaps to look their best, though, for gift-giving and for selling. Check out this list of common appearance problems and how to solve them.
What is transparent soap?
So what is transparent soap? Transparent soap is simply hot process soap that uses solvents (sugar, glycerin and alcohol) to dissolve the soap crystals that form allowing light to pass, therefore creating transparency.
How much alcohol is in glycerin?
Glycerin – 125 grams (25% of oils) Denatured Alcohol – 250 grams (50% of oils) Sugar – 125 grams (25% of oils) Water – 83 grams (to create sugar solution) Safety Warning: If you try this process be sure to have plenty of air circulation and avoid open flames because of the alcohol evaporation.
How to use sodium hydroxide?
Step 1 – Weigh the oils (castor, coconut, tallow & avocado) and glycerin into your crock pot and melt. (Do not add the stearic acid yet.) Step 2 – Weigh the lye and distilled water into two separate containers.
How long to let soap cook?
Step 9 – Let the soap cook for 2 hours. During this time the solvents will work on dissolving the soap crystals that form, creating a clear soap. No need to stir.
Can you cook soap in a crock pot?
You can cook your transparent soap in a crock pot. I used Jackie’s tip of using Press & Seal wrap to cover the crock pot to reduce water/alcohol evaporation. Warning! You do use alcohol in this process so be aware of open flames or anything that might ignite the fumes.
Can you use castor oil in soap?
All of the solvents added can soften a recipe that contains lots of soft oils. Include castor oil in your recipe. Castor oil is a bit of solvent so works well in transparent soap. I formulated my recipe using a 0% superfat, as unsaponfied oils can create cloudiness.
What is SDA 40b Alcohol for Perfumers?
Alcohol labeled SDA 40b contains up to 0.12 percent of a toxic chemical t-butyl alcohol. According to PubChem.com, Tert-Butanol or tert-butyl alcohol, is a tertiary alcohol that has a hydroxy group at position 2 making it isobutane substitute. The website continues to describe Tert-butyl alcohol as having a colorless oily liquid that "produces an irritating vapor".
How to choose safe alcohol for making perfume?
As much as 5% water is acceptable for perfume recipes. Ethanol products labeled "food grade" should be sourced for as a base alcohol that's known safe for application on the skin. Luckily, there are many options of " food grade ethanol ", available on the internet. The options available to professionals and hobbyists alike present a number of choices that can potentially affect the outcome of the final product. Continue reading to learn how to choose the right food grade alcohol for your next perfume recipe.
What is Perfumer Alcohol?
Perfumers alcohol is defined as a volatile carrying agent used to topically deliver essential oils and aromatic compounds on to the skin.
How to choose the right Perfumers Alcohol?
When choosing the right perfumers alcohol, first and foremost ensure that the alcohol in hand is safe for use on human skin and clothing. When searching for the right perfumers alcohol to buy, consider the 3 following questions about the choice you are making.
Is the additive tert-Butyl (SDA 40b) safe for perfumers alcohol?
Tert-Butyl alcohol, the toxic additive denaturant found in SDA 40b alcohol, is listed in Wikipedia as irritating to the skin or eyes. Considering that tert-butyl is "poorly absorbed through the skin but rapidly absorbed if inhaled or ingested" its recommended to avoid alcohols for perfumery that are denatured with tert-butyl.
What properties do I want in my perfume alcohol base?
When choosing the right perfumers alcohol to buy, there are two primary components to consider: the raw material and the proof.
Where do I buy the right (safe) alcohol for homemade perfume recipes?
Not all alcohols are created equal. You may already know there are many alcohols available for purchase. It's important to remember that "Ethanol is an alcohol, but not all alcohols are ethanol". This is key because only ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is food safe and that means wholly safe for consumption or absorption into the skin.
