What is the best ingredients to have a strong lather in cold process soap?

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dannyboy

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I've tried SLS (powder) but my batch becomes sticky. it is sticky even before I put lye. I can't seem to identify if theres a trace or not. it is really a struggle for me. I would greatly appreciate your expert opinion on this.
 
What is your recipe and what sort of bubbles do you hope to achieve? Are you trying to imitate a certain product?

To my knowledge (and I admit I don't know too much on the subject) the only ways to add bubbles are to use coconut or other short chain fatty acids, or to use some form of sugar. SLS is usually better saved for syndet bars (synthetic detergents) or other products like bath bombs. I will again say that I don't know too much about SLS but someone who knows more will hopefully chime in soon.
 
Hello Dannyboy!

We'd love to help, but it is impossible for us to be able to help troubleshoot without knowing more info. Can you tell us the full recipe and method you are using? I'm not sure I understand what is meant by this statement: "it is sticky even before I put lye". Something is not adding up. I'm not sure what type of soap you are trying to make?


IrishLass :)
 
What is your recipe and what sort of bubbles do you hope to achieve? Are you trying to imitate a certain product?

To my knowledge (and I admit I don't know too much on the subject) the only ways to add bubbles are to use coconut or other short chain fatty acids, or to use some form of sugar. SLS is usually better saved for syndet bars (synthetic detergents) or other products like bath bombs. I will again say that I don't know too much about SLS but someone who knows more will hopefully chime in soon.

Thank you for your opinion. My recipe is papaya soap. My main ingredients are papaya puree, titanium dioxide, sls, coconut oil. I am experimenting if SLS would give strong lather but it turned out to be a disaster. I would like to have a strong lather in my soap. Is CDEA better alternative than SLS?
 
Did you put SLS powder in oils? How much SLS did you use? Full recipe in oz or grams,please. So people can help you.
Are you trying a cold process soap and syndet (synthetic detergent) combo?
 
Hello Dannyboy!

We'd love to help, but it is impossible for us to be able to help troubleshoot without knowing more info. Can you tell us the full recipe and method you are using? I'm not sure I understand what is meant by this statement: "it is sticky even before I put lye". Something is not adding up. I'm not sure what type of soap you are trying to make?


IrishLass :)

Thank you for your opinion. My recipe is papaya soap. My main ingredients are papaya puree, titanium dioxide, sls, lye and coconut oil for my base. I am experimenting if SLS would give strong lather but it turned out to be a disaster because it is so sticky. I would like to have a strong lather in my soap. Is CDEA better alternative to SLS?
 
Did you put SLS powder in oils? How much SLS did you use? Full recipe in oz or grams,please. So people can help you.
Are you trying a cold process soap and syndet (synthetic detergent) combo?

sorry for my English and the incomplete description of what the issue is. I am just a newbie in soap making. I am trying to create a cold process soap. I put 18 percent SLS from the total liquid. for my 1 kg coconut oil, I put 11 oz of SLS.
 
sorry for my English and the incomplete description of what the issue is. I am just a newbie in soap making. I am trying to create a cold process soap. I put 18 percent SLS from the total liquid. for my 1 kg coconut oil, I put 11 oz of SLS.


It's alright don't be sorry. Lots of English as a second language speaker here. I'm one of those, too.
So you want a super bubble soap? Is that why you put SLS in?
Your first post said powder and now it is liquid. This is the part I don't understand. You dissolve SLS powder in your lye water, is that correct?

11oz weight SLS is quite a huge volume to put in 1 kg of soap. You already use coconut oil, and it will make a lot of lather/ bubble already. Normally people put syndet in low lather cold process soap like Castile ( 100% olive oil soap. ) do you like super max volume bubbling soap like in the movies? It will be so drying on your skin.
And dissolve SLS powder in water probably will foam a little bit. If you used stickblender to blend SLS and lye water and coconut oil, it could be a glop sticky batter like you described.
 
How much papay are you using? Since you are new to soap making, you should try a batch with just oils and lye, no papaya or SLS.

Coconut soap can be drying so make sure to use 20% superfat. This soap will lather a lot
 
Dannyboy -- have you ever made soap before? Meaning JUST coconut oil, sodium hydroxide, and water?

If you are a new soap maker, make just a simple soap first. Just coconut oil, sodium hydroxide, and water. Nothing more. See how it lathers without the papaya puree and SLS.

It sounds like you are trying to saponify SLS at the same time you are making soap, and that's not correct.

If you want to add SLS (a synthetic detergent) to the recipe, then do it after you know how to correctly make soap.
 
I am trying to understand so please bear with me, in case I seem to be off base. When you say a 'strong lather' I think you mean the thick lotion-lotion-like creamy lather, and not more bubbles. Am I understanding you correctly?

Another question I have is, how long has the soap cured before you began testing it for performance? And how much has it improved as it continues to cure? (In my experience, all soap improves as they continue to cure more.)

I have made papaya soap, but until I return home to check on how it lathers and look back at my notes, I simply don't recall how it performed. Obviously it wasn't one of my favorites or I would remember more about it.
 
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