Tapioca starch

[nframe]

I see that soapmakers sometimes add tapioca starch to their soap. I know that tapioca starch is useful in creams and lotions to make them less greasy but what benefit does it bring to CP soap?

 

[WeaversPort]

I'd guess that it would be similar to adding corn starch, perhaps it adds a difference in lather feel or a extra silliness. I'm guessing though, I've not played with it as an ingredient.

 

[lsg]

I am guessing that whoever used it was trying to anchor the fragrance.

 

[IrishLass]

I've been thinking of adding some rice starch to a batch one of these days, mainly because I happened upon a soap while on vacation with rice starch in it that had a lovely, silky feel to it.


IrishLass

 

[WeaversPort]

I've been thinking of adding some rice starch to a batch one of these days, mainly because I happened upon a soap while on vacation with rice starch in it that had a lovely, silky feel to it.


IrishLass

Would the starch also anchor fragrance? Like clay does?

 

[IrishLass]

I'm not the best one to answer that since I have no personal experience with adding starches as anchors. All I know about it is from the anecdotal experiences I've read of other soapers, which results are mixed at best.


IrishLass

 

[Saponista]

I use it to bind my fragrance - I use natrasorb which is modified to hold oils so I mix the fragrance other it before adding to my soap. It made a significant impact on how long my fragrance held in the bars.

 

[Dahila]

Saponista, do you mix natrasorb with fragrance oil or essential oil then add it to oils? I have so much natrasorb. Would it be like paste? What is the proportion of natrasorb to FO? If you not mind me asking

 

[techiemeka]

I use it to bind citrus scents. It does add a bit of an extra slip to the suds.

 

[Saponista]

I like some free fragrance in my soap as well so I use about 1/3 fragrance weight of tapioca starch Dahlia, it forms a watery paste. I add most fragrances at trace.

 

[nframe]

Thank you all for your input.

 

[SoapPoopette]

I've been using rice flour and there is a richer feel in the lather.

 

[nframe]

I've been using rice flour and there is a richer feel in the lather.

Is rice flour the same as rice starch (quoted in post no. 4)?

 

[SoapPoopette]

I think they are the same.

 

[nframe]

I think they are the same.

Thank you.

 

[DeeAnna]

Rice starch and rice flour are not the same thing. You cannot substitute one for the other!

Rice FLOUR is the entire grain of rice that has been finely ground. Either brown or white rice can be used to make rice flour. It is the rice equivalent of corn (maize) flour or wheat flour.

Rice STARCH is just the starchy part of the rice grain. This is the rice version of corn (maize) starch, tapioca starch, etc. Corn starch comes only from the center part of the corn kernel, so I imagine (but don't know) that rice starch is likewise.

 

[nframe]

So, which one is better for use in soap?