walkinwounded
Well-Known Member
What does everyone prefer to harden a bar of soap, why?
I'm thinking CP.
I'm thinking CP.
Sodium Lactate vs. Stearic Acid
- Thread starter walkinwounded
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
I use salt instead of lactate, which is difficult for me to find.
By the way, I also did a small experiment with psyllium. Interesting to try.
Stearic acid has the hassle of needing to heat the oils. But it's easy to formulate (you can enter it in the lye calculator), and it gives you sexy bubbles ! Also, it seems to speed trace, and I am a slow swirler
For salt, I don't know how much to add. There is no salt calculator which tells you how much to add to bring the hardness from 25 to 35. From what I see, most people use 1-2 t/ppo, but different recipes need different amounts. And too much kills the lather. The big advantage is that you can add it after soap is done, to "fix" a softie (I mean by pickling it).
Anyway, my conclusion sofar is using both: 1-2 t salt and if it's not hard enough, I also add stearic acid. Or simply tweak the recipe (many oils like palm or coconut make a hard soap).
By the way, I also did a small experiment with psyllium. Interesting to try.
Stearic acid has the hassle of needing to heat the oils. But it's easy to formulate (you can enter it in the lye calculator), and it gives you sexy bubbles ! Also, it seems to speed trace, and I am a slow swirler
For salt, I don't know how much to add. There is no salt calculator which tells you how much to add to bring the hardness from 25 to 35. From what I see, most people use 1-2 t/ppo, but different recipes need different amounts. And too much kills the lather. The big advantage is that you can add it after soap is done, to "fix" a softie (I mean by pickling it).
Anyway, my conclusion sofar is using both: 1-2 t salt and if it's not hard enough, I also add stearic acid. Or simply tweak the recipe (many oils like palm or coconut make a hard soap).
judymoody
Well-Known Member
I use cocoa butter.
soapbuddy
Well-Known Member
Too much stearic can make your soap seize. I use sodium lactate in every batch.
walkinwounded
Well-Known Member
Soapbuddy, do you find a difference in how the soap feels and acts (sudz, bubbles, lather) between the stearic acid and sodium lactate?
soapbuddy
Well-Known Member
The stearic seems to add more stable bubbles. The SL just makes a harder bar.walkinwounded said:
Bubbles Galore
Well-Known Member
I use SL in (nearly) every batch. :wink:
Soaplady22
Well-Known Member
I use sodium lactate also -- but I use a combination of hard oils to give me the firm base to begin with.
I've not found salt to do much - or anything - unless I'm adding so much it's a salt bar.
I asked Dr Dunn (Caveman Chemist) about it and he says that the role of salt in hardening soap is no longer relevant; that it was once used because soaps were made with potassium-based caustics (wood ash lye) and the addition of salt allowed some of the potassium soaps (soft) to convert to sodium soaps (hard).
Now that we use sodium hydroxide it's obviously not playing that role, and really no role at all.
I asked Dr Dunn (Caveman Chemist) about it and he says that the role of salt in hardening soap is no longer relevant; that it was once used because soaps were made with potassium-based caustics (wood ash lye) and the addition of salt allowed some of the potassium soaps (soft) to convert to sodium soaps (hard).
Now that we use sodium hydroxide it's obviously not playing that role, and really no role at all.
One thing about Stearic is that it can reduce your conditioning properties and make the soap a little more drying. It does definitely increase the denseness of the lather.
walkinwounded
Well-Known Member
Lindy said:
Lindy,
Thats what I kinda found with the stearic acid, it was more drying, but was not entirely sure this was the case, so it nice to hear that it was not my imagination. I also read that sodium lactate is a Humectant, a substance that absorbs or helps another substance retain moisture. So by the sounds of everyone else, sodium lactate has the upper hand. Granted stearic acid creates a more stable, creamier lather.
Hmm, never crossed my mind that it might be drying. Probably because the 3 recipes where I used it resulted in a nice conditioning bar.
However, I find harder soaps more drying, simply because of the hardness. In the sense that if you rub a soap brick into your skin, you will end with a drier skin.
I also found out today that bubbly is the opposite of creamy
However, I find harder soaps more drying, simply because of the hardness. In the sense that if you rub a soap brick into your skin, you will end with a drier skin.
To me it seems it aims for bubbly rather than creamy, and the WSP calculator seems to agree.
I also found out today that bubbly is the opposite of creamy
walkinwounded
Well-Known Member
Fragola said:To me it seems it aims for bubbly rather than creamy, and the WSP calculator seems to agree.
I also found out today that bubbly is the opposite of creamy
Fragola, you are absolutely right, I also found out lately that they are very different, and I meant to say it produced more stable bubbles rather then creamier.
I found if I'm using Stearic then I up my SF to keep it conditioning.... sometimes I'll add glycerin to it as well with the stearic....
Interesting! What happened when using psyllium? I have a lot on hand, since I use it to regulate my stomach.
I do suspect psyllium would soak up lye water like a sponge, so that the finished soap would have micro sponges of lye encapsuled here and there. But maybe that's not the case?
This post is from 2011 and many of the posters haven't been her in a long time. Fragola hasn't been here since 2012.
ChrisVerdiCuck
New Member
I like to use 1 percent stearic acid just to form my bar up
