Saturated % and Hardness

[Dean]

What % of saturated oils in a recipie is required to produce a bar that does not bend when its reduced in size from use?

 

[OldHippie]

What % of saturated oils in a recipie is required to produce a bar that does not bend when its reduced in size from use?

I think that the soap bending that you describe has more to do with absorbed moisture. Set it aside, and let it dry. Does it still bend?

 

[Lin19687]

Do you mean when you have widdled it down to an 1/8 inch thick from use ?

 

[Dean]

Do you mean when you have widdled it down to an 1/8 inch thick from use ?

Yeah. I remember store bought soap being razor thin and not bending.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Yeah. I remember store bought soap being razor thin and not bending.

I know exactly what you mean about those soaps not bending, almost turned into sharp razorblades! But store bought soaps are milled and squished together using hydrolic presses, so no regular handmade soap will get that hard I think?

Although... I have to say I have gotten really close to that when using up my saltbars, those are not bending at all, but break/snap in half when they are almost used up and is just a coupple of milimeters thick. That was with continuous use every day, and no long drying periods.

 

[SaltedFig]

Commercial soaps are made using a different process to the one we use in our soaps. Usually there is a lot less glycerin in a commercial soap. Just that will make a difference to how much water your soap absorbs, and how pliable it is towards the end of it's life.

The way the soap crystals are aligned in a commercial soap is significantly different to what we have in our cold or hot process soaps. Milled soaps can start to have a similar structure, but the glycerin is still in the soap.

To decrease malleability (in anything) you can increase brittleness. So you are on the right track, in a way, because the hard fats often make a more brittle soap. Some additives will also make the soap more brittle - salt is a good one.

Edited to add ... MySoapyHeart, looks like I was typing at the same time as you!

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

I had bendy comercial soaps haha. I remember because those made it so much easier to stick to the new bar (yes, i am one of those that stick the last of the old soap on to the new soap). And yes, the only CP soaps I’ve made that dont bend are the salt bars and the 100% coconut bars.

 

[Lin19687]

I guess you would have to find the "hardness" number to where this would work.

But honestly, as others pointed out about handmade vs commercial, you are talking apples/oranges/


My Harness is roughly 75,50,26,45 for a total of 54. It is a hard bar and doesn't start to get that bendy till it is about 1/8th inch thick. Which I think it pretty good, then it breaks as it curves in the hand.

 

[DeeAnna]

What SaltedFig said. Speaking in general, most commercial soap is mixed, extruded, and either cut to size during extrusion (rectangular bars) or pressed into molds (curvy bars). All that mixing and pressing acts to harden the bar. Less commonly, the soap is milled and then pressed into molds which makes the soap even harder. Most commercial soap has very little glycerin and less superfat.

 

[Dean]

Thx all.

Didnt consider the glycerin. I noticed my bars seem to absorb water when small and used al lot. Must be the glycerin. They bend at least at 1/3 inch and will mush towards end of use.

Added lil CO bk in and increased stearic/palmitic so hopefully it will help. Don’t want to go above 35% on the stearic/palmitic cuz its been said to dampen lather.

Im experimenting with higher SF with shea to see if it will allow me to tolerate a lil CO but dont want the high SF to soften the bar. Added 10% shea after HP. Do u think SF with a butter after HP (as opposed to SF with liquid oil or SFing CP) will counter the softening effect of high SF?

Recipie

 

[psfred]

Soft bars of home-made soap are pretty much par for the course -- there is more glycerine and water in them to start with, so they absorb more water and end up softer.

I don't see that as a problem, it just means they lather up faster to me. My soap seems to last as long as commercial soap does in actual use (takes me around a month to use a bar up completely). But then I'm not usually bothered by small things like soft bars of soap when they get small.

 

[DeeAnna]

The only time soap in my bath gets mushy is if a bar sits in water for a long time. Even a frail 1/8" thick sliver will not mush if it is able to dry between uses. Bendy, yes, but by that time, it's ready to be stuck to a new bar of soap so nothing is wasted.

For soap decks, I buy those little scrubby pads that ladies crochet from nylon net. A scrubby goes under each bar of soap, and they work really well. And they let me actually use pretty dishes from my grandmother that would otherwise just be dust catchers.

 

[Obsidian]

My soaps don't get bendy or mushy. I use 50% lard and they dry on a rubber coated wire shower rack.