Bubbles!

[SugarandOats]

I love my soap recipe I've been super happy with it for a good time now but I would love more bubbles! How much sugar do you recommend adding or sugar water and add it after the lye solution is made?
sugar & oats

 

[Hazel]

I add 2% ppo. I used to add 4% ppo until I read where someone said too much sugar can make soap sticky. I wondered if this might explain some batches which were sticky when I took them out of the molds. So, I dropped the percentage and found it helped. However, your results might vary. The soaper who told me to base the sugar amount on the percentage of oils uses 5% ppo. I thought that seemed like a lot which is why I originally wimped out at using 4%. Anyway, she uses a higher percentage of hard oils in her recipes while I use a higher percentage of soft oils. This made me think the stickiness was based upon the oils used for a batch. I don't know if this is the reason since I can't prove it. It's just a theory I have.

I take enough water from what I've weighed out for the lye to dissolve the sugar. I warm the water in the microwave, dissolve the sugar and then add this solution after I've blended in the lye water.

There are different opinions about adding sugar to soap. Some people have posted it doesn't effect the lather, other people have said it does make a difference. I made the same recipe with and without sugar and thought the one with sugar had better lather. But this really is subjective. Another factor which might affect the outcome is the percentage of coconut oil. I use less CO than some soapers so the addition of sugar may not be apparent to someone who uses a higher percentage.

 

[Nightlilly]

I've been using 1TBSP of sugar PPO and I get a really nice lather, lots of bubbles. I usually measure out my water, add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved then add my lye with my water in an ice bath. There have been a couple of times when I've forgotten to add my sugar before my lye. When that happens, I put my sugar in a little bowl, add a tablespoon or so of water (not lye water) to the sugar and pop it in the microwave to melt. I add the resulting syrup a little at a time to my lye water and stir until it's all added.

 

[Miz Jenny]

I've been adding sugar to my batter since March and it makes a huge difference in lather. I add 2tbs per 5lb batch of soap. If I add shea or cocoa butters, I add more. Customers love lather and so does the hubster.



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[Dennis]

I add 1 Tbls sugar ppo directly to the lye water before adding the lye. When I've forgotten I just add the sugar to the lye and water and continue to stir. So far so good.

 

[SugarandOats]

Thx ladies will be doing this today

sugar & oats

 

[Hazel]

FYI - 2% sugar ppo equals 1 Tbl per ppo. I'm serious when I say I weigh almost everything.

The only additives I don't weigh are colorants and tussah silk.

 

[eyeroll]

Does the form of the sugar matter? Would you get different results adding brown sugar, honey or confectioners sugar instead of white granulated sugar?


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[Skatergirl46]

I have been using sugar in my batches and I do notice a difference in bubbles. I use 1.5T for a 4 pound batch. I also add it to my water and dissolve before adding the lye.