Beeswax and Lather

[Wessam]

Hi,

I have tried twice last week to add beeswax to my soap to increase the hardness. They are now curing so I cannot test them. I am planning to make more soaping this week, but i heard that beeswax decreases the lather in the soap. My soap already contains castor oil that helps forming lather, I don't want to waste more soap untill those tewo batches have cured. So can anyone confirm this information or shall i continue using beeswax?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Do you need to make more soap before those are cured? You can test it yourself with your own recipe and see

 

[Saponista]

You could do a little test on the not properly cured soap and see how much that lathers. I think the gent is right though and you really need to wait until that is cured before you make more of the same. In the interim can't you go back to a recipe that you know definitely works for you?

 

[penelopejane]

Or you could use salt to increase the hardness of the soap.

 

[ngian]

Or you could use salt to increase the hardness of the soap.

... along with less water and more palmitic & stearic acids in the recipe.

Beeswax is a wax and remains wax after saponification that doesn't clean or produce any lather.

 

[LoveOscar]

The title is beeswax and leather. Are you trying to make a saddle soap?

 

[dixiedragon]

I love love love beeswax at 5%. I feel like it actually improves lather a bit. I use yellow beeswax, not white, so maybe there is a bit of honey in there?

My recipe:
5% castor
5% beeswax
5% sunflower
40% lard
20% coconut
25% olive

 

[Obsidian]

I make a recipe very similar to susie with 5% beeswax and I really like it. I would use it more often but the yellow wax I use darkens the soap too much. Need to get some white to try.

I wouldn't use more than 5% though, that max amount before it really starts messing with lather. Even at 5%, I can see a tiny amount of big bubble reduction but it makes the lather creamier. It can also leave a bit of film on the skin that some people might not like.

If you are using the wax just for hardness, there are probably better options for you.

 

[DeeAnna]

"... I use yellow beeswax, not white, so maybe there is a bit of honey in there?..."

There shouldn't be any but a tiny trace of honey in beeswax. Beeswax is yellow mostly from the propolis (plant resins) that are collected by the bees. They use propolis like putty to seal cracks in their hive and for other purposes. Propolis in varying amounts is found throughout a beehive, including traces on the comb. New beeswax is a very pale yellow but older beeswax can be dark gold to brown.

White beeswax has been bleached to lighten the color. Beeswax can be bleached in the sun, but chemicals are often used.

 

[IrishLass]

I've only used beeswax twice so far- @ 3% using one of my regular formulas- and it did decrease my normal lather just a tad. I used the natural yellow beeswax pastilles from Peak's (they smell awesome!). Even though my lather decreased a little, the soap still came out lovely and bubbly enough to satisfy my lather cravings.

You can cut a small guest-size bar from your curing soap and use it to test the lather over the weeks of cure. Just make sure there's no zap first.

Also- don't make any final judgments on the lather until at least 4 to 6 weeks of cure have gone by (the lathering abilities will gradually improve as it cures).


IrishLass

 

[Wessam]

Guys.. I tested a bar of the soap that contained the beeswax...the soap is too hard for "its age" and the lather is as rich as usual... thanx everyone for sharing your experience