How to increase lather in glycerin M&P soap?

[TheCandleGuy]

I have been experimenting with soap making and I bought some Stephenson clear glycerin soap base. I've been experimenting for a couple of months, but I am not at all more than a little experienced. By itself the Stephenson's base is great. It lathers great and as expected. I do put some oils in my mix and I know that fats decrease the lather, but I really like the results of the oils I use when using the soap, but I'm disappointed in the lather.

Is there a way to counter act the decrease in lather? I use about 1 to 2 Tbsp of oils blend per pound of base. (Including fragrance.) I suspect that reducing the fat would be detrimental to what I like about the soap I make. I read a suggestion that I could add a tiny bit of sugar to the soap to increase lather, but I wondered if that would work for me, and whether that would spoil on the shelf over time?

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[lsg]

You can try adding a little Cocamidopropyl betaine to the melted soap or try using high sudsing M&P base to begin with

 

[lisamaliga]

Sugar will work as will wine.

 

[CaraBou]

Sugar will work as will wine.

Ahhh! So now I have a reason to open another bottle! And to start exploring the world of melt & pour. I finally bought some base and color blocks but haven't yet visualized a design to strive for. Gotta put my beret on.

So with wine, do you have to boil it down first or is it good to go straight from the bottle? And I'm guessing white wine would be best unless you're working with dark colors?

 

[lsg]

Sugar will work as will wine.

We are talking about additions to a M&P base that is already made.

 

[lisamaliga]

Yes, wine works fine in a premade/melt & pour base! I use up to 1 Tablespoon per base, The white won't add any color but the red, cabernet, merlot, sangria, etc. will. In fact, sometimes the red will turn purple instead of burgundy. That's how I got into making & selling wine soap--using wine as a natural colorant. Then I discovered the extra lather.

CaraBou -- No boiling down at all! Just add after soap base is melted, then add any fragrance or EO.

Photo of cabernet wine soap:

 

[LilyJo]

The lather question is one I have been pondering for a while but the wine solution is a new and FAB suggestion! With NYE just around the corner I will so be trying this one!

 

[TheCandleGuy]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Does wine or sugar affect the shelf life of soap?

 

[SunRiseArts]

Melt and pour is not meant to have any oil added. If you add anything, should be no more than a tablespoon per pound!

Melt and pour is made with oils already

Sugar will always attract ants. and other critters I personally would not ever add sugar to soap, unless is on the saponification process which you can only do with cold or hot process method.

And yes, MP could last a year and ever longer if you only add color and fragrance. Fragrance may diminish over time. But if you add other things, shelf life is dramatically diminish. Additives fade, change color, etc. Specially something that if food that has an expiration date, should be considered when adding to soap!

Hope that helps.

 

[cmzaha]

Reheating m&p to many times will also affect lather

 

[TheCandleGuy]

Well after a scientific experiment I can say that neither white/castor sugar, brown sugar or coconut oil made any significant difference in lather. They were basically just putting off a lotion-like output. (Which is probably great for skin, but still.)

I made a bunch of bars. I made a control, with no additives. A control with my oil (less than a Tbsp per pound) and then the oil bars with brown sugar, castor sugar, coconut oil, and combinations of those. None of them lathered at all, except the one that was just pure melt and pour. It might the be the kinds of oils I was using, or the amount, but it was clear that it's just not likely to get lather from melt-and-pour with added oils.

Thanks for all your advice

 

[cmzaha]

Melt and Pour is really not designed to add in butters or oils. Sugar is not going to help an already made base. If you add in any extra oils it need to be in very tiny amounts.

 

[SunRiseArts]

There is only one thing I think you can do. You may need to test it first though.
Stephenson brand sells a melt and pour shaving soap base. If you add an ounce or so to the other soap base you are using, it may help with the lather.