Shaving Cream

[Dean]

Store bought shaving cream is drying out my face so I made a nice homemade version this am. Whipped approximately equal parts liquid soap paste, liquid oil and hydrosol with a little EO for scent. Enough oil and hydrosol was added just so that it was barely pourable. Will see if it will stay emulsified without an emulsifier.

Since hydrosol is distilled and the soap is alkaline, the cream doesn't need a preservative, correct?

Is there a "natural" vegan additive that will enhance slip?

 

[DeeAnna]

Hydrosols can and do go bad without preservatives. That's why many contain alcohol or are supposed to be stored in the refrigerator. Many liquid soapers, including me, do not dilute liquid soap with anything other than distilled water to minimize the sources of food in the product. Once you add a food source -- sugars, other carbohydrates, extra fat -- the chance of microbial growth is much more likely.

Another point to think about is the more water in a liquid soap, the less likely the soap itself will be able to fully preserve itself. It's certainly your option to not use preservative, but I personally would be uncomfortable without it in this product.

You're diluting the paste 1:1 with hydrosol, which essentially means you've made a typical diluted liquid soap. And then you're adding another 1 part of fat. The general rule of thumb for making liquid soap is to keep the superfat under about 3% based on the fat weight. More than that is likely to separate out of the diluted liquid soap. You've added a 33% superfat based on total product weight (so over 33% based on fat weight). Put this way, do you think your superfat is likely to stay mixed with the rest of the product? I'm not saying you won't have success, but based on my experience with liquid soap and separation, I confess I'm skeptical.

I'll be curious to see what you learn from this experiment.

 

[Dean]

Hydrosols can and do go bad without preservatives. That's why many contain alcohol or are supposed to be stored in the refrigerator. Many liquid soapers, including me, do not dilute liquid soap with anything other than distilled water to minimize the sources of food in the product. Once you add a food source -- sugars, other carbohydrates, extra fat -- the chance of microbial growth is much more likely.

Another point to think about is the more water in a liquid soap, the less likely the soap itself will be able to fully preserve itself. It's certainly your option to not use preservative, but I personally would be uncomfortable without it in this product.

You're diluting the paste 1:1 with hydrosol, which essentially means you've made a typical diluted liquid soap. And then you're adding another 1 part of fat. The general rule of thumb for making liquid soap is to keep the superfat under about 3% based on the fat weight. More than that is likely to separate out of the diluted liquid soap. You've added a 33% superfat based on total product weight (so over 33% based on fat weight). Put this way, do you think your superfat is likely to stay mixed with the rest of the product? I'm not saying you won't have success, but based on my experience with liquid soap and separation, I confess I'm skeptical.

I'll be curious to see what you learn from this experiment.

Thanks for the thoughtful response.

“Put this way, do you think your superfat is likely to stay mixed with the rest of the product?”

It shouldnt but I read on SFM that soap is an emulsifier at 1:1:1 so I thought Id give it a try for fun. Its deflated by 1/2 but not seperated yet. I’ll keep u posted on lessons learned at the School of Hard Knocks.

 

[DeeAnna]

...I read on SFM that soap is an emulsifier at 1:1:1...

I'm curious to know more about the origins of this bit of advice. Got a link?

Soap does emulsify, meaning it bonds with fats as well as with water. That's how it can remove grease from skin, dishes, and clothes.

Emulsifiers come in different flavors, however -- some bond more strongly with fats (hydrophobic) and some bond better with water. Lotions and other emulsions contain two or more emulsifiers for this reason. If you only use one, the emulsion won't remain chemically stable over a reasonable time.

Soap is a hydrophilic (water loving) emulsifier, and we normally use it in a way that plays to this strength -- lots of water, a little bit of fat.

If you add a lot of fat to the mixture with the idea that "hey, soap is an emulsifier, so we should be able to add all the fat we want", you are essentially asking the soap to bond with lots of fat in proportion to water. That's not its strength.

That's why I'm skeptical that your mixture is going to be a stable emulsion.

 

[Dean]

I'm curious to know more about the origins of this bit of advice. Got a link?

I can't find the thread but I think I remember who said it.

I'll be curious to see what you learn from this experiment.

That it works! After a day the cream deflates by half and becomes partially liquid on the bottom. If I whip it again, it will fluff back up, deflate by half and remain stable (no liquid)...at least so far.

It doesn't stink so it seems like it hasn't turned. I noticed other preparations w/o preservatives or refrigeration smell off after a couple days.

I like it a lot better than store bought shaving cream. It provides a nice glide and doesn't dry my face out or feel greasy. Kinda amazing considering there is no stearic, lauric or myristic in it.

I've ordered bentonite. It will be interesting to see how that affects the stability and glide. Clay is suppose to have some emulsion properties too. Although, I have emulsifier on order too.

Now my next challenge is figuring out how to get the cream into something that I can squeeze it out of. Thoughts anyone?

 

[DeeAnna]

Upon second thought, this post is not necessary. Post deleted