Why use Borax in soapmaking?

[ilove2soap]

I found a hot process soap recipe online and it calls for 1 TBS of Borax to be stirred into the water before adding lye. Does anyone know what Borax would add to the soap? I made the soap with the Borax and it turned out really nice with very fluid pour. Just wondered about the Borax-it seems like it may be harsh to skin. Any thoughts?

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

it neutralizes the lye in Liquid soaps and thickens it
I am unsure why they would have you add it before the lye :?
I hope for some great answers to pop up

 

[new12soap]

Borax is an alkaline, how does it neutralize lye?

I have not used it in soap, but I have seen it in recipes. I believe it acts as a water softener when the soap is used. Perhaps as you discovered it also helps keep it smooth! Borax is considered to be pretty gentle so I wouldn't worry about such a small amount (depending on your batch size, of course).

 

[Hazel]

If it's for bar soap, it is to help prevent soap scum if you have hard water. (Don't hold me to this but I think someone mentioned a small amount also helps to harden bars.) Borax is a deodorizer and helps to remove stains. I just used some borax in a laundry soap I made this weekend.

eta: It really isn't a neutralizer for liquid soap because it has a pH of 9. It's a pH buffer. There was a discussion about this awhile back. Just enter borax in the search keyword box and it will bring up previous discussions.

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

sorry then for the wrong information I did get my info on using Borax from the Failor Method of liquid soap making I wonder why she says to use it as a neutralizing item

 

[Hazel]

Don't worry about it. We're all here to learn and one of the purposes of the forum is to help correct misinformation. I don't know why Catherine Failor said it is a neutralizer. I also used to believe it because so many LS tutorials stated it was a neutralizer. It wasn't until I started researching LS that I found the info about the alkalinity of borax, searched further and found posts on how it wasn't a neutralizer. However, you're correct about it helping to thicken LS. But I've found my LS batches were quite thick without borax so it isn't really necessary. You can just dilute with less water if you want your batches to be thick.

Here's a link where agriffin discusses borax Neutralizing and Superfatting. She mentions citric acid makes for a thinner soap but mine is quite thick and I diluted the paste with more water than she recommends in her tutorial.

@ilove2soap

I'm sorry for getting off topic.

 

[new12soap]

sorry then for the wrong information I did get my info on using Borax from the Failor Method of liquid soap making I wonder why she says to use it as a neutralizing item

Naw, no worries! Until you and Hazel mentioned it, never occured to me the OP may have been talking about liquid soap not bar soap. I have seen bar soap recipes that use it, especially laundry soap. I went back and read the post again, it says HP method but not whether it is bar soap or liquid.

I don't have any experience with liquid soap, but I have heard others refer to borax as a neutralizer, and I think the way it is described in Failor's book is somewhat confusing. Anyway, as Hazel said, we are all here to learn!

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

I think she is talking about bar soap

I think I am to blame for a side tracking

 

[Hazel]

I think I am to blame for a side tracking

Goody! We'll all blame you then. It's all your fault!

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

lol I am a duck it rolls right off 8) hehe

 

[ilove2soap]

Hey all! Thanks for the responses. I was asking about using Borax in bar soap. I found some info about using it in liquid soap by doing a search of the CP forum (mostly about Borax and neutrality in liquid soap) but couldn't find out much about the effect in bar soap. I have never tried to make liquid soap so that part wasn't as applicable to me. My family and I tend toward dry skin so I was worried about making a soap that might be too harsh to the skin (I have only ever used Borax before in the laundry and thought it must be pretty stout in order to clean dirty clothes ).