venus78

I'm just testing other soaps ph level and trying to lower my soaps ph from about 9-10 to about 8, and since lush is very well known i was just curious of what their soaps ph are.

Hi all,

I was just wondering if anybody knows what the ph level of Lush soaps are?

Thanks

Can I ask how you are testing the PH? Are you using litmus strips or phenol?

Soap is notoriously hard to test the PH of… you can get missreadings very easily. The truth is not all pH strips are created equal when it comes to testing soap. Some are inaccurate by as much as 2-3 units because the surfactant nature of soap can interfere with the indicator dyes used to make the strips. laboratory grade plastic test strips are more accurate than paper test strips for testing soap, but some require more time than others… as much as a minute. To test what I’ve typically done is take a bar and shred it, create a “paste” in some distilled water, and test with that. You can still get false readings, however. In some tests I’ll get 7-8, in others I’ll get 9-10.5, on the same bar of soap. Im sure it depends on the persons skin but 10 is perfectly acceptable.

Higher pH values generally mean better cleaning of greasy and/or oily soils. If you use phenolphthalein, it will be colorless in the super mild range, faint pink in the handmade soap range, and deep pink in the laundry(or cleaning) soap/too harsh for skin range.

I use ph paper strips to check for ph level, but as you said they're not very accurate.

Hi all,

I was wondering if there is a way to lower PH in cp soaps.

my soaps ph are about 8, I know it's fine and normal for cp

soaps but still... it's much better to have more gentle soap

I just read about adding citric acid lowers PH in cp soaps,

any comments if it's true and if so how to add it to the soap?

thanks

ok thanks

most people I see complain about their very dry skin and ask for a soap that moisturizes strongly (it's dry where I live)

can anybody suggest a recipe for very dry skin?

I can't use avacado oil, shea butter which I know are very moisturising,

I can use cocoa butter, olive oil, almond oil, castor oil, hazelnut oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil.

thanks

Ok, will do it. Thanks

I was wondering about how much sf I can do safely with my recipe, I think the only short life oils Im using are almond and sunflower in total of 15% both,

do you think it's ok or I'd better substitute them with longer shelf life oils?

super fat

Hi all,

lately I've been soaping with 25% water discount instead of the usual 38% and I'm happy with the result.

just wondering that should I still do 5% sf or I'd better sf more, like 6%

which do you think is better?

I' prefer more than 5% sf, the less lye the better, I'm just afraid of DOS with higher sf

here's my recipe:

sweet almond 5%

castor 5%

coconut 25%

cocoa butter 15%

olive oil 40%

sunflower oil 10%

water discount 25%

Thanks:smiley2:

I don't gell any of my goat's milk CP's and put them in the freezer, not the fridge.

How long do you leave it in the freezer Chris? and how long after that do you cut it?

I'm afraid if I insulate better volcano reaction happens due to the use of honey. when I put it in the fridge I though I already prevented gelling. should I leave it longer in the fridge to prevent gel?

Hi everyone,

I made a batch of carrot honey chamomile soap yesterday, put it in the fridge for about 12 hrs and cut

it about 4-5 hrs after I took it out of the fridge. It was fine when I cut it, but after a couple of hours I noticed

that the center of bars had gotten darker. It must have gone through partial gel phase. I've attached a photo.

I used fresh orange juice and 1.5 tbs raw diluted honey and added it at light trace.

It happens sometimes with my carrot honey chamomile soap and sometimes it doesn't.

Is it because I cut it too late? Can you please help me to avoid it next time, I'm always nervous when I make

this batch and afraid of these dark circles :?

Thanks,

Venus

Ok. Will do. Thanks a lot Rob

Hi everybody,

I want to add ROE to avoid DOS and rancidity.

does anyone know how to add it?

Should I add it at trace like other additives or add it to my soft oils before mixing my oils with lye?

Thanks,

Venus

I personally do not like salt bars made with anything other than 90% coconut oil and 10% castor. I tried one with cocoa butter and it dragged across my skin. Oh and I make goat milk salt bars.

How much do you superfat? do you use 1:1 ratio of sea salt to oils?

ok, thanks. I'll substitute olive oil for cocoa butter.

Make about 3/4 of the recipe the salt will only add about 1/4 volume to the batch. If using 100% Salt I would leave the water at 38%

Barbara

What if I'm using salt 80% of the oils weight, should I still discount water 38%?

ok. Thanks for your help.

Hi,

I'm going to make a batch of salt bar and here's what I'm going to do after reading some posts:

coconut 80%

castor 5%

cocoa butter 15%

sf 10%

water discount: should it be 20% or the usual 38% ?

I'm going to add sea salt the same weight as the oils at trace, put it in the mold and let it harden without insulating.

cut it as soon as it gets hard, about an hour after putting it in the mold.

I'll make half of the usual recipe for the mold since it's half oil half salt, but double the eo.

Do they need to cure 4 weeks like soap bars too?

I appreciate your comments.

Does anybody know an advanced cp soapmaking online course that gives certificate?

Thanks,

Venus

Hi,

I just made my last few batches with castor and almond oil (5% each)which I purchased about 12 months ago. I'm now wondering if they had expired althought I kept them in the fridge the whole time.

I bought all the other oils I used recently so they are fine.

Do you think my soaps will go rancid and get DOS in a few months?

I just can't thinking about it and I though to post this and get your comments.

Thanks, I always get great help from you guys.

Venus

Ok. Thanks for your help.

Thanks everyone for your help.I am now a little confused about when to add honey. I've read a few different ways. some say they add it to lye water, some add it to the oils, some at trace. Which one is better?

I wish there was a way I could find out if it's DOS or not. I really don't know what I should do with them!! if they're safe to use or not.