So what causes/contributes to 'draggy' soap?

[Primrose]

I do apologize I tried searching and i'm sure its been discussed before but I couldn't find anything

 

[SunRiseArts]

What do you mean by draggy?

 

[Primrose]

If you try to rub the bar all over your body, it kinda sticks to your skin a bit and drags along it rather than slipping smoothly.

Does that make sense?

I notice it every now and then with some of my soaps but to be honest I haven't paid enough attention yet to see if its a certain recipe etc

 

[CaraBou]

Depending on your oil balance, it could be from high percentages of castor or butters. Can you look up your recipes?

 

[SunRiseArts]

mmm I never had that problem. What is your recipe?

 

[Primrose]

I'll have to pay more attention to the ones that I experience it with. I never go over 5% castor.

I do know that I felt it in the 100% coconut oil 20% sf batch I made, but I don't particularly like that style of soap anyway.

I gave a friend a few bars of 75% olive oil, 20% coconut oil and 5% castor oil with lemongrass EO at 3% and she said it felt dragging but I didn't feel it with the same batch

Most of my other recipes are variably 50% lard/tallow/both, 25% olive oil, 20% coconut oil, 5% castor oil. I'll have a play with them in the shower and see if I can pin it down to one of the recipes

 

[SunRiseArts]

I am not sure what the experts here will say, but I would bet your first recipe is the culprit.

If you add some either lard or palm oil, perhaps you solve your problem. The trinity of oils are olive, coconut, and palm. When you make a soap high in olive and coconut, it tends to go mushy in my personal experience.

Personally I never soap at more than 3% superfat, because I do not like soap that feels oily.

 

[Primrose]

I don't think its the bastile causing it in most cases, because I haven't made that recipe again except that once

 

[Primrose]

Im sure I've felt it occasionally when using a bar that contains tallow or lard or both

 

[SaltedFig]

The first few uses of a new soap, and also the first use or two after the soap has been unused for a while, can feel draggy.

Ash can feel draggy, but the feeling usually goes away after you've used it a few times (as you get into the actual soap).

Waxes definitely make a draggy soap. High stearic can be a bit draggy (depending on the rest of the recipe).

 

[Obsidian]

high cocoa butter ca also feel draggy, not sure about the other butters. I've not felt it in lard soap ever.

 

[soapmaker]

I know exactly what you mean. I agree with salted fig. For me it is starting a new bar of soap. It goes away after a few uses.

 

[jcandleattic]

New soaps seem to do that to me, however, if I use a high percent of butters or clays it can continue to happen throughout the bar.

However, I now rarely experience that phenomenon at all because I use a body pouf. Never have a drag or slip. And I will never (unless it can't be helped) not wash without a body pouf. I personally just feel much cleaner when using one.

 

[Koric]

I get this with the first use of most of my soaps. But it quickly fades with use and never seems to come back.

 

[Saffron]

How new was the soap you gave your friend? Sometimes newly cured soaps can be a bit draggy but get better with age.
A high percentage of beeswax can also cause draginess - but I see you don't have beeswax in that recipe, so just ignore

 

[Primrose]

The soap I gave my friend was cured about 12 weeks so should be ok

I didn't get a chance to do a 'drag check' last night so will report back when I do!

Perhaps it is just when I'm starting the bar as you've said. Is there any way to avoid that?

 

[SaltedFig]

The soap I gave my friend was cured about 12 weeks so should be ok

I didn't get a chance to do a 'drag check' last night so will report back when I do!

Perhaps it is just when I'm starting the bar as you've said. Is there any way to avoid that?

A quick pre-use lather up of your cured soap in warm water before the first use removes the coating. You will know when you get to the soap (this is usually very quick), because the lather starts then.

For bars you are giving to people, you can do the wash with gloves on and finish using a soft cloth to polish, which makes the bars look nice too.

 

[cmzaha]

I find high OO soaps to be sticky/draggy. LOL, I complain that mine are to slippery. I do find palm will not be as slippy as a lard/tallow soap

 

[lenarenee]

Do you by chance have very hard water?

 

[Primrose]

I don't think so ... how would I tell?