Can't figure

[ToniD]

Three months ago I tried a new recipe. My husband wa nted a harder soap with lots of lather. I used 33percent CO, 12 percent PKO and 55 percent tallow. I added 2 percent salt. It's nice and hard, but at my one month test, no lather. I mean virtually none. Two months ago, I tried without salt thinking that may have depressed the lather. There is more lather, hardly noticeable, but a bit there.


Why would that recipe yield low lather?

Made with 1/2 milk as liquid and 15 percent superfat

 

[IrishLass]

This is just my hunch, but I think that for the amount of CO/PKO in relation to the tallow amount in your overall formula, that the superfat may be set too high and is suppressing your bubbles. I would try something more radical. If it were me, I would either keep your oil amounts as is and lower the superfat to about 10%, or I'd keep the superfat where it is but increase the CO/PKO amount in relation to the tallow to something like this:

CO 45.5%
PKO 24.5%
Tallow 30%
15% superfat
1/2 milk as liquid

and I wouldn't add any salt.


IrishLass

 

[birchcoulee]

5% castor could help you out, it is probable the SF holding back the bubbles like irishlass said.

 

[new12soap]

Castor will increase your bubbles, and/or you can add sugar. 1-2 tsp PPO of plain old white granulated sugar completely dissolved in the water before you add your lye will make a surprising amount of bubbles. I think you can also just SB powdered sugar into your oils, but I haven't tried that.

 

[ToniD]

Thanks for you thoughts everyone. I'll try lowering the SF. I make a similar bar with a little less CO and sunflower instead of the PKO. It lathers really well. When DH wanted it harder, I guess I overcompensated with the sf in the formula change.