Newbie LS ?

[pamielynn]

Just started my foray into liquid soap this weekend. I am using Irish Lass' (I believe it's hers, please excuse me if I'm wrong) directions for the glycerin method - the one where you mix up the paste and let it sit overnight.

I got that part. All is going great there. Second try at the paste was perfect.

I took the paste and diluted it at the .75 of paste weight with water and an addition of 3% SL. It came out thick like molasses, but beautiful and clear.

BUT, I'm wondering if I'm confused about "dilution". Do you do this dilution (say the 75% water to paste) and then let that sit up and cure for a bit, then come back and thin it to what your intended application needs - say foamer bottle?

-OR- is that 75% water to paste supposed to be your one and only dilution?

I have been searching here and on the dish and there seems to be so many variations on this theme that my head is swimming. TIA!

 

[houseofwool]

Both are dilutions. The molasses consistency is great for pump bottle. But if you wish to use it in a foaming pumper, then it needs to be diluted further.

 

[pamielynn]

So you're saying, just one dilution. Pick your consistency and do it in one shot.

Does anybody "cure" their LS? I cure HP, but it's usually not drying, even right out of the pot. My tests are all coming out "drying" - but I don't know if that's just me. DH says it doesn't feel drying, but he has thick ol' man hands

 

[IrishLass]

Hey Pam! You can thank 3bees~1flower over at the Dish for this recipe and dilution ratio. I just tweaked the method a little and added in some SL.

I just do one dilution for this recipe and call it done (except for adding FO and PS80 later to my diluted soap, which thins it out some, but not too much for my tastes, thankfully).

If you are going to use foamer bottles, you'll definitely want to add extra water to the finished soap due to the thickness, as HouseofWool said. I'm not sure how much extra water is needed, though, since I've only ever used pump bottles with mine.

As far as curing it goes, I'm fine with using mine right away (as long as it doesn't zap me), but, yes- it does get a milder over the weeks. If you still find it too drying after a few weeks, you can always try adding a little extra oil to it (maybe .5% to 1% as per the weight of your diluted soap portion) along with an equal amount of PS80 to emulsify it, and see how you like it (just stir it right in- no need to heat it or anything).

IrishLass

 

[pamielynn]

Irish Lass,
Thank you for getting back to me! I went back, and, to my second try at the paste, did the 75% dilution with SL (I so love that stuff ) and it's much more workable than the first paste - that one must just not be as good. That's a good thickness for pump bottles, I think. So your process (or 3bees - as it were) seems to be working. YAY!
But I've been looking over old posts on here and the dish and, to me it sounded like folks were using two different terms for dilution - as in a "first round" and then later coming back to dilute again a few weeks later. Information overload, I guess so I appreciate you clearing it up for me.

I've still got to work on my formula - I used the "basic" recipe, but added some avocado to replace some olive and it is SUPER drying on my hands and not good enough bubbles for me. I'm sensitive to coconut and castor (of course) so I think I'm going to try some babassu in place of the coconut. Plus, now that I've got a workable fluid here, I think I'll set it aside and see if it gets any milder for me.

But you get another big shoutout for posting your process in such a detailed way - I would have never understood the "Lawerence Welk" stage without that description I never tried LS before because I totally didn't get the "lye excess" part on paper, and chickened out, lol.

 

[DeeAnna]

Pamielynn -- I don't dilute my paste all at once because paste takes up less space in my cupboard. Also I use the paste directly for general cleaning -- it's great that way -- so it's nice to have some undiluted paste around for that. Susie puts paste in a twist-up tube (like a large lip balm tube) and keeps it in her purse for washing her hands. She also uses it as a spot treatment in the laundry.

When I do dilute a chunk of the paste, I weigh some out and add the appropriate amount of water and sodium lactate. I will leave the covered jar on the counter and shake or stir it every once in awhile. The soap is slow to dilute that way, but I'm not usually in a hurry. If I want a small amount of more diluted soap for a foamer bottle, I'll just take some of the already diluted soap and add more water. If I needed a lot of foamer soap, I'd probably just start with paste and dilute it to the foamer consistency in one operation.

Irish Lass -- I know Carrie is the source of the recipe and method at the Dish, and I respect her contribution. But it's YOU who took the time to share it here and to write your lovely tutorial that has been so helpful to so many. So, at least in my mind, it's the "Irish Lass liquid soap"

 

[Seawolfe]

I missed something. What's the SL for? I have some 100% plain CO dish soap paste, would it help that?

 

[IrishLass]

I missed something. What's the SL for? I have some 100% plain CO dish soap, would it help that?

Seawolfe, I use SL @ 3% of my paste weight to help the paste soften up and dilute/dissolve in a more timely, less fussy manner. Works like a charm.

IrishLass

 

[Seawolfe]

Seawolfe, I use SL @ 3% of my paste weight to help the paste soften up and dilute/dissolve in a more timely, less fussy manner. Works like a charm.

IrishLass

oooh thankee. That is indeed good to know!