A very hard bar?

[Nikkor]

I have some interest in making a hard bar of soap. I'm looking for a mildly cleansing soap with good conditioning, creamy lather but rock hard.

I have been playing around in Soapcalc and came up with a bar that meets those criteria and the hardness level is a whopping 63.

I have made a soap in the past that I'm happy with and it's hardness according to Soapcalc is 35. It's a pretty hard bar, especially if left to cure for 8 weeks but I can still "dent" it with my thumb if I push hard enough.

I'm curious if there is a downside to having too hard of a bar other than the injury sustained if dropping it on your foot in the shower.

If I'm happy with all the other numbers in Soapcalc (cleansing, creamy, etc) is a hardness of 63 going to be a problem?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Obsidian]

Hardness in itself won't be a issue but depending on what oils you've used to achieve it, you could get a brittle bar. A example would be high coco butter, it would be rock hard but brittle and could break if dropped.

 

[DeeAnna]

Lather -- too little or too much -- might be the biggest issue depending on the formulation.

You can't scrub off enough soap to get much lather from a physically hard and water-insoluble bar -- that would be a recipe high in palmitic and stearic fatty acids.

If you're using a lot of coconut or palm kernel oil instead to get the hardness number you want, you'll get a physically hard but highly water-soluble bar due to the high lauric and myristic acids in the soap. In that case, low lather won't be an issue -- in fact it might not last as long as you'd prefer.

Another hard formulation is 100% olive oil, even though the soapcalc numbers don't say it is especially hard. Salt bars are super hard. Sodium lactate can add some hardness according to other soapers (I haven't tried it).

 

[eucalypta]

Oh yeah!
It is possible to create such a hard bar, and still get decent properties.
As long as you create a balance between the oils.

I would definitely include castor, olive and tallow, if you don't want up too high on the cleaning part.

Im not afraid of brittleness; just a warning
A soap like this might move very fast, so be prepared.

BTW My soaps usually are around 45 qua hardness; plenty for me - they last forever. Keeping them dry in between uses makes a world of difference.

looking forward to see your soap!

 

[dixiedragon]

Lard is excellent. Hard bar, conditioning, and best of all lard is cheap!

My salt bar is super hard, but is definitely melting away much faster than my regular bars!

In my experience, soy and canola tend to make soft bars. A bar with olive oil will eventually get quite hard.