Made shaving soap and it has amazing lather but the bars are very sticky. Tried again using less castor oil but they are sticky too. Has anyone else had this problem? I used Amy Warren's recipe.
Sticky shaving soap
- Thread starter Lynn55
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
What's the recipe?
6.4oz coconut oil
16 oz stearic acid
3.2 Shea
3.2 palm oil
1.6 hemp oil
1.6 castor oil
12.2 water
1.8 sodium hydroxide
4.2 potassium hydroxide
3.2 glycerin
.8 fragrance
16 oz stearic acid
3.2 Shea
3.2 palm oil
1.6 hemp oil
1.6 castor oil
12.2 water
1.8 sodium hydroxide
4.2 potassium hydroxide
3.2 glycerin
.8 fragrance
I suspect the glycerin - it seems to be quite a lot. I'm assuming this is hot process though, which I know nothing about. Someone will hopefully chip in with some more info soon
I'll try cutting down on the glycerin. The castor oil felt sticky and glycerin didn't so I just assumed that was the problem. I did think that was a lot of glycerin but didn't see any one else with this problem to know the cause. Thanks for your help.
You mention the bars being sticky, but not the shave. How is the shave?
With a high amount of KOH, shaving soap is going to be very pliable and slightly sticky feeling, almost like it's not "done." A few of the commercial brands (Stirling is one) are this way, and if I didn't experience it from them I'd probably assume my home made batches were off. Makes it easier to mold into a container or cup when you get a bare puck. I'm not sure what you're definition of sticky is, so maybe there is an issue, but have you ever purchased a puck from someone like Stirling to compare to?
With a high amount of KOH, shaving soap is going to be very pliable and slightly sticky feeling, almost like it's not "done." A few of the commercial brands (Stirling is one) are this way, and if I didn't experience it from them I'd probably assume my home made batches were off. Makes it easier to mold into a container or cup when you get a bare puck. I'm not sure what you're definition of sticky is, so maybe there is an issue, but have you ever purchased a puck from someone like Stirling to compare to?
They felt sticky to touch. I was worried they wouldn't sell that way. Hubby said shave was great and didn't leave him sticky. On my third batch I cut the glycerin and they didn't feel so sticky but lather was better on the first batch when I used the full amount. Nice to know I don't have to throw 3 batches of soap away. Thank you so much!!!
user 49910
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2021
- Messages
- 311
- Reaction score
- 606
Your recipe looks fine to me. As @Johnez stated, any soap with a KOH as a main or majority lye will produce a sticky soap. If you want to experience a sticky soap paste, try making a liquid soap sometime. Prior to dilution it is as tacky as Tanglefoot!
It looks like you're using about a 30% NaOH level. Most shaving soap pucks work best at around 40% NaOH. That is the level I use and yes... they're still slightly tacky but not nearly as sticky as yours probably are. Next time try a ratio of 60% KOH and 40% NaOH and see how the soap turns out. Also, with a 40% NaOH level you can let the pucks/bars air dry for a about a week or so and the tackiness virtually is gone as the puck/bar will skin over slightly. Again @Johnez can attest to this.
BTW, I sent @Johnez a sample of my first shave soap a few months back and he thought it was diddly-dee-doodly-dee-light-full as Ned Flanders would say.
Your recipe looks fine to me. As @Johnez stated, any soap with a KOH as a main or majority lye will produce a sticky soap. If you want to experience a sticky soap paste, try making a liquid soap sometime. Prior to dilution it is as tacky as Tanglefoot!
It looks like you're using about a 30% NaOH level. Most shaving soap pucks work best at around 40% NaOH. That is the level I use and yes... they're still slightly tacky but not nearly as sticky as yours probably are. Next time try a ratio of 60% KOH and 40% NaOH and see how the soap turns out. Also, with a 40% NaOH level you can let the pucks/bars air dry for a about a week or so and the tackiness virtually is gone as the puck/bar will skin over slightly. Again @Johnez can attest to this.
BTW, I sent @Johnez a sample of my first shave soap a few months back and he thought it was diddly-dee-doodly-dee-light-full as Ned Flanders would say.
I'll try the 60/40 for batch#4. Gonna get this right sooner or later. Thanks for your help!Your recipe looks fine to me. As @Johnez stated, any soap with a KOH as a main or majority lye will produce a sticky soap. If you want to experience a sticky soap paste, try making a liquid soap sometime. Prior to dilution it is as tacky as Tanglefoot!
It looks like you're using about a 30% NaOH level. Most shaving soap pucks work best at around 40% NaOH. That is the level I use and yes... they're still slightly tacky but not nearly as sticky as yours probably are. Next time try a ratio of 60% KOH and 40% NaOH and see how the soap turns out. Also, with a 40% NaOH level you can let the pucks/bars air dry for a about a week or so and the tackiness virtually is gone as the puck/bar will skin over slightly. Again @Johnez can attest to this.
BTW, I sent @Johnez a sample of my first shave soap a few months back and he thought it was diddly-dee-doodly-dee-light-full as Ned Flanders would say.
user 49910
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2021
- Messages
- 311
- Reaction score
- 606
No problem, that's what this forum is for. I wish you success in your shaving soap adventures, for me I've gone down the rabbit hole with these soaps!
Batch #4 is great. Your suggestion to try 60/40 worked great and no more sticky soap. YAY!! Thank You!
mel_silvis
Member
It looks fine for me, thanks! Husband got sensitive skin and he stopped using electric shavers(crap like this)
So it's the time
Cheers
On this point, when using a free fatty acid instead of a triglyceride (the stearic acid instead of a "normal" oil) the soap will have less glycerine - there is no glycerine released by the saponification, because the stearic acid isn't joined to any. To compensate, you have to add in the glycerine at around 15% of the weight of the free fatty acid (if I recall). So 3.2 would be higher than that, but shaving soap never plays by the usual rules so I have no problems accepting that it isn't an issue.
3.2 oz would be 10% of the batch size, which is kind of a "default" percentage for glycerin. It's been maddening trying to find a guideline for glycerin as very few seem to take into account the missing glycerin from stearic acid.
Adding glycerin at 11.38% of stearic acid weight would be the way to go if I understand DeeAnna correctly:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/glycerin-in-shave-soap.51793/post-489791
But that would only replace the missing glycerin. In short I think glycerin in OP's recipe is fine. If I would've remembered back when they posted I'd have asked them to check documentation on their stearic acid.
Last edited:
