Hardness and Cutting

[Dean]

"...commercial vegan soap has a hardness of 56. Just an FYI...."

Annnnd why should anyone be impressed by this? That 56 simply means is the soap is a high stearic, palmitic, lauric, and/or myristic soap. Something like 20% coconut, 80% palm will reach that goal easily. This number says nothing about whether the soap is decent as far as lather quality, mildness to the skin, or long lasting.

Commercial soap is typically flaked, force dried, mixed and/or milled, and then extruded or stamped into bars. It's physically harder than hand crafted soap as much for the way it's processed as for what the soap is made of.

I don’t think anyone should be impressed. It’s just info...neither impressive nor unimpressive. I’m also familiar with commercial process. Thanks.

 

[Hendejm]

I’ve been cutting my soap at around the 7 hour mark. I’ve waited longer and it was tough to get the 10 wires of the cutter through the soap...afraid I’d break a string. The soap is warm but that’s ok because I don’t want to risk what you’ve experienced.

 

[penelopejane]

I can try again. I just haven’t been able to soap early enough in the day since im usually busy.

Been thinking bout getting individual bar molds. Since it just for me and its unlikely to become a businees, its prob easiest.



BTW...commercial vegan soap has a hardness of 56. Just an FYI.

I really think there is more to soap - handmade or commercial - than the actual hardness. Use 100% vinegar replacement for your water and you will get a hard bar. It’s not a nice bar but it’s hard.

Formulation is more than a science - it’s also the art of balancing hardness, lather, bubbliness and feel on the skin. The soap calc numbers aren’t the answer. It’s something to do with the feel of the soap on your skin after a good cure and personal preference.

Good luck with your search. It’s intersting. I think we’re all attempting to get to the same place - just by different ways because we all have different criteria about what is important in a soap.

 

[cmzaha]

I really think there is more to soap - handmade or commercial - than the actual hardness. Use 100% vinegar replacement for your water and you will get a hard bar. It’s not a nice bar but it’s hard.

Formulation is more than a science - it’s also the art of balancing hardness, lather, bubbliness and feel on the skin. The soap calc numbers aren’t the answer. It’s something to do with the feel of the soap on your skin after a good cure and personal preference.

Good luck with your search. It’s intersting. I think we’re all attempting to get to the same place - just by different ways because we all have different criteria about what is important in a soap.

Actually I have made many with 100% vinegar for the liquid and it makes a very nice bar of soap, and it works in both my vegan and non-vegan soaps. I like it enough that I do not use milks often anymore.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Dean - I first cut with a kitchen knife, and I recently bought a 'bench scraper'. With both I run the hot tap and warm the blade between cuts while wiping off any excess soap gunge. This helps immensely with the cutting.
But yes, I find the cavity moulds much easier with hard soap. When I did salt bars and very recently Zany's salt water castille I used cavity moulds because I was afraid they would be too hard to cut. My favourite cavity moulds look like this: https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/6-c...VFqyWCh1jqQFOEAQYAyABEgKUDPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[penelopejane]

Actually I have made many with 100% vinegar for the liquid and it makes a very nice bar of soap, and it works in both my vegan and non-vegan soaps. I like it enough that I do not use milks often anymore.

Yes I knew you did. That just goes to show different personal preferences I think although it could be because it doesn't work as well with olive oil, which you don't use and I do, not sure. For me, 100% vinegar just gives a different feel that is not like soap.
My family all said they didn't like it at 100% water replacement or at the rate to make 2% SA.
25% does nothing.
50% vinegar doesn't make a noticeable difference.
Maybe I should try 75%

 

[Dean]

Dean - I first cut with a kitchen knife, and I recently bought a 'bench scraper'. With both I run the hot tap and warm the blade between cuts while wiping off any excess soap gunge. This helps immensely with the cutting.
But yes, I find the cavity moulds much easier with hard soap. When I did salt bars and very recently Zany's salt water castille I used cavity moulds because I was afraid they would be too hard to cut. My favourite cavity moulds look like this: https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/6-c...VFqyWCh1jqQFOEAQYAyABEgKUDPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Loaf molds! I didnt kno they could make petfect bars with rounded edges. Wish I bought that mold intead of mine.

 

[SoapSap]

What does using vinegar bring to the party?

 

[DeeAnna]

Adding vinegar to soap mainly adds physical hardness. Vinegar reacts with NaOH to make sodium acetate, which is a salt as chemists define salts, and it's the sodium acetate that does the hardening. There may be secondary effects, but PenelopeJane, Carolyn, and others who have used vinegar in soap will have to explain those details.

Here's an article I wrote about vinegar in soap: https://classicbells.com/soap/aceticAcid.html

 

[penelopejane]

Loaf molds! I didnt kno they could make petfect bars with rounded edges. Wish I bought that mold intead of mine.

That mold is available in Oz for $5 from Kmart in the cooking section. You might be able to find something similar in the US.