What soapy thing have you done today?

[The_Phoenix]

Instead of leaving a comment, you can also bookmark a post for future reference. The bookmark icon on my screen is just to the right of the post number (top right corner of the post you are tagging).

The nice thing about bookmarking is that you can also put in a word tag to help you find it later. For instance, when I was formulating a high-Shea bar, I found posts with Shea recipes, bookmarked them, and added the tag Shea Bar or something like that. Sometimes I’ll put the person’s name on it, too, since maybe I’ll be looking for so-and-so’s shampoo bar.

It is a super helpful feature for those of us who want to try all the things.

This is so helpful! I was looking for a thread about a FO company and couldn’t find the darn thing.

 

[amd]

Testing various sugars to gauge bubbles boost. Added mica to each to keep account of which is which. Molasses, honey, light corn syrup, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and aloe Vera juice (which isn’t a sugar but I want to compare it as a control).

@dibbles recently did an experiment similar to this with sugar, sorbitol, aloe vera juice (avj)... and I don't remember her other additives. I believe in her findings were that avj alone out performed sugar, and avj + sugar was winner winner chicken dinner. I only mention this because you noted that avj was your control. I don't think it's going to be a good control for your experiment. I think a soap made with no additives just water will give you a more consistent base to compare all results against.

 

[The_Phoenix]

@dibbles recently did an experiment similar to this with sugar, sorbitol, aloe vera juice (avj)... and I don't remember her other additives. I believe in her findings were that avj alone out performed sugar, and avj + sugar was winner winner chicken dinner. I only mention this because you noted that avj was your control. I don't think it's going to be a good control for your experiment. I think a soap made with no additives just water will give you a more consistent base to compare all results against.

I’m also making one with nothing today.

I use both AVJ and some sort of sugar in all of my soaps. What I want to determine is the characteristics of the bubbles compared to the others. I have a hunch which source will give me the bubbles I want. Mostly, I’m doing it for fun and curiosity.

 

[AliOop]

I’m also making one with nothing today.

I use both AVJ and some sort of sugar in all of my soaps. What I want to determine is the characteristics of the bubbles compared to the others. I have a hunch which source will give me the bubbles I want. Mostly, I’m doing it for fun and curiosity.

My experiments have been informal, but for my recipe, sorbitol alone is the standout winner by far. AVJ is wonderful as well, but I don't notice much difference when it is added to a soap that has sorbitol, nor do I need any more bubbles than sorbitol gives me.

However, AVJ has much better label appeal, and sugar sounds less scary than sorbitol, so if I were selling to a crunchy crowd, I'd probably use AVJ + sugar. My 2¢

 

[The_Phoenix]

My experiments have been informal, but for my recipe, sorbitol alone is the standout winner by far. AVJ is wonderful as well, but I don't notice much difference when it is added to a soap that has sorbitol, nor do I need any more bubbles than sorbitol gives me.

However, AVJ has much better label appeal, and sugar sounds less scary than sorbitol, so if I were selling to a crunchy crowd, I'd probably use AVJ + sugar. My 2¢

Yup. Sorbitol produces really big bubbles and quickly. Powdered sugar makes tight but weak bubbles. It’s been a while since I’ve soaped with honey and I don’t remember the exact impact on bubbles. We consume a lot of honey and it’s more expensive than the others, and a pain to work with, so I leave the honey as a food item.

I’ve never soaped with light corn syrup or molasses. The molasses accelerated trace which I had expected. The granulated sugar took a long time to come to trace in my slow moving recipe.

It’s still a fun experiment! I want to experience for myself definitively the difference of each, side by side.

 

[AliOop]

Yup. Sorbitol produces really big bubbles and quickly. Powdered sugar makes tight but weak bubbles. It’s been a while since I’ve soaped with honey and I don’t remember the exact impact on bubbles. We consume a lot of honey and it’s more expensive than the others, and a pain to work with, so I leave the honey as a gone consumable.

I’ve never soaped with light corn syrup or molasses. The molasses accelerated trace which I had expected. The granulated sugar took a long time to come to trace in my slow moving recipe.

It’s still a fun experiment! I want to experience for myself definitively the difference of each, side by side.

It's very fun, and I do believe the results are recipe-dependent, so it is worth doing your own work with your own recipe.

My experience was that molasses was a total heater, even more so than honey. It also made the bars dark brown. But the bubbles were good, and it left a faint sweet scent in the bars. I happen to have more molasses than I'll ever use unless I soap with it (Amazon ordering accident), so... I soap with it.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Imho BEER' is a fantastic sugar bubble enhancer!
How Sweet It Is

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

For All My USA Soaping Friends Wishing You A Wonder Safe Memorial Weekend Celebration' We Honor All Who Has Served' So We Can Be Free.
God Bless & God Bless America l...

 

[SPowers]

I unmolded a Beeswax & Honey soap today - just waiting to cut it. I thought I'd try a 'sort of' OPW just for practise so I measured out 3 pots and added white to one and gold/bronze to the second for a subtle difference. It didn't really work - the batter got really thick on me so it was more of a plop, plop technique. This morning I could see the subtle differences in colour so anxious to see the cut.

 

[The_Phoenix]

Imho BEER' is a fantastic sugar bubble enhancer!
How Sweet It Is

I make plenty of beer soap but the preparation is a deterrent for everyday soaping. My beer soaps are more of a specialty soap. I’m determining which sugar additive makes the best bubbles at the lowest price point with the least amount of effort.

@AliOop I recall you saying once or twice that you had experienced overheating (and possibly a volcano?) with molasses. I think it would be fun to make a batch with molasses and I’m expecting the bubbles to be decent. We shall see!

I also have dark corn syrup. Want to try that today.

 

[The_Phoenix]

For All My USA Soaping Friends Wishing You A Wonder Safe Memorial Weekend Celebration' We Honor All Who Has Served' So We Can Be Free.
God Bless & God Bless America l...

You as well!!

I’m just curious. Does your keyboard capitalize every first letter? For whatever reason, I have a hard time reading some of your posts because of that. Weird, huh? Maybe my brain is wonky.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

I make plenty of beer soap but the preparation is a deterrent for everyday soaping. My beer soaps are more of a specialty soap. I’m determining which sugar additive makes the best bubbles at the lowest price point with the least amount of effort.

@AliOop I recall you saying once or twice that you had experienced overheating (and possibly a volcano?) with molasses. I think it would be fun to make a batch with molasses and I’m expecting the bubbles to be decent. We shall see!

I also have dark corn syrup. Want to try that today.

Yes Molasses & Honey acerbates acceleration fast. But good bubbles. I haven't tried corn syrup' that will be interesting .
Update: Oops I Thought This Mssage Was For Me "Mercy Mercy Me".

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

@Thank Ü... .
It's me' I do have a habit of that. Maybe I shouldn't, I can understand why it would be hard to read.
Working on that starting now. .

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Today I'm gonna work on making "Oat-Milk" complements of @ResolvableOwl on directions . Then i'll make oatmeal soap w/ colloidal oatmeal & oat milk.
It's gonna be hard leaving it free of scent or color' but i'm gonna be strong & fight the urges on my conviction & have it as natural as possible, I'll post pictures when done.

Update:
I really liked how this soap turned out it's creamy' smooth with soft gentle bubbles. It's my first soap I didn't add any Scent' Colors & Animal Fat's, striving for as natural and pure as possible while being Vegan friendly. I used lots of Oat Milk tripled filtered & Colloidal Oatmeal for a smooth feeling that is non scratchy for sensitive skin along w/ Cocoa Butter' Palm Oil' Coconut Oil' Safflower Oil' Avocado Oil, Castor Oil' Distilled Water' Sodium Gluconate to keep it free of possible DOS. Last but not least' I named it to fit its profile' Introducing: NAKED

Final Update Naked
I never would of dreamed of a "Soap Naked Of All Scent' Color & Additives Being So "La- luxurious". .

 

[ResolvableOwl]

“Title Case” is an Annoying Habit that Someone with a Mother Tongue that Capitalises More Words than Most Other Languages Finds Doubly Weird, and Particularly Annoying when it Is Expected from Various Style Guides (Chicago Manual of Style, e. g.). I Had No Idea That I Would Some Day Have to Know the Distinction Between “Open” and “Closed” Word Classes when I Started Learning English in School (and I Wonder How Many Native Speakers Do).

Thank Ü

Don't tell me you've hit the “Ü” key by accident or by habit

I was in town today. My soapy thing was to decide if I should restock my nearly exhausted stash of stearic concentrates with canola wax or palm stearin candles…

Hard to guess, of course I decided for both
The red palm oil is already partially planned into two projects, but I also have learned to enjoy it for cooking (West African kitchen is quite alien to me, but what I've tried so far is totally worth digging deeper!).
Whoever came on the brilliant idea to put palm “oil” (why isn't it called “palm butter”?) into a bottle with such a tiny cap has never looked at a thermometer outside the tropics. I'll “CPOP” + cast into honey glasses (put it into the warm oven until molten, but not too hot, otherwise the bottle will deform/shrink and splash its orange-red contents everywhere, at least I was told so by “a good friend” who didn't like to clean the mess in the oven afterwards ).

 

[AliOop]

@AliOop I recall you saying once or twice that you had experienced overheating (and possibly a volcano?) with molasses. I think it would be fun to make a batch with molasses and I’m expecting the bubbles to be decent. We shall see!

I also have dark corn syrup. Want to try that today.

I will be very interested to see your molasses and corn syrup experiments! If it goes well, some older corn syrup in the kitchen may get moved into my soap cabinet mysteriously disappear.

 

[Ladka]

I shreaded a large-ish piece of my own made soap my daughter returned after it has been heavily used by her boys and broken in two. Added a bit of water, warmed a bit several times, with stirring, and got what seemed to me like whipped soap with lumps in it. Placed the mass into a small container, decorated with tiny pieces of coloured soap and let it cool. I hope it doesn't shrink too much.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I just learned the hard way that there are two types of red palm oil: the pure one and “zomi”. The regular type is essentially pure fat, and melts into a clear, dark red liquid.
The zomi type has 1% salt added, and also contains sediments that, without further investigation, appear to be traces of palm fruit pulp. It has an orange-brown colour and stays somewhat turbid even when fully molten.

(Needless to say that I aimed for the clear variant, but bought opaque “zomi” instead. Guess I'll have to try out some more recipes from Nigeria and Ghana in the next time…)

 

[The_Emerald_Chicken]

This evening's batch: Cucumber Melon (BB). I don't like the FO and am glad to have used it up. It did behave quite well, even decellerated trace a little. Micas used were Mermaid Blue and Kelly Green (also from BB).

Spoiler: there's a mini drop swirl inside

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

“Title Case” is an Annoying Habit that Someone with a Mother Tongue that Capitalises More Words than Most Other Languages Finds Doubly Weird, and Particularly Annoying when it Is Expected from Various Style Guides (Chicago Manual of Style, e. g.). I Had No Idea That I Would Some Day Have to Know the Distinction Between “Open” and “Closed” Word Classes when I Started Learning English in School (and I Wonder How Many Native Speakers Do).

Don't tell me you've hit the “Ü” key by accident or by habit

I was in town today. My soapy thing was to decide if I should restock my nearly exhausted stash of stearic concentrates with canola wax or palm stearin candles…
View attachment 57917
Hard to guess, of course I decided for both
The red palm oil is already partially planned into two projects, but I also have learned to enjoy it for cooking (West African kitchen is quite alien to me, but what I've tried so far is totally worth digging deeper!).
Whoever came on the brilliant idea to put palm “oil” (why isn't it called “palm butter”?) into a bottle with such a tiny cap has never looked at a thermometer outside the tropics. I'll “CPOP” + cast into honey glasses (put it into the warm oven until molten, but not too hot, otherwise the bottle will deform/shrink and splash its orange-red contents everywhere, at least I was told so by “a good friend” who didn't like to clean the mess in the oven afterwards ).

Yes' yes while showing gratitude. .