Rebeccca Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Hello! I am not interested in making soap but would like to buy some. My family likes Dr. Bronner liquid soap, for example. Is this really different from solid bars of castile soap?Also, I basically want to buy soap that won't clog my drains and that is made of "good" ingredients. Solid and/or liquid. Is there a place where I can find a "short list" of ingredients that are good and another list of ingredients to avoid? I know that all hand-made soap is not equal. There are some places I am interested in buying from but don't know what to look for. For example, It sounds like olive oil is a good ingredient...Does olive oil (or any "good" ingredients) clog drains any more or less than commercial soaps? If this is not an appropriate place to ask this question, please re-direct me and/or delete this post...I've been following the fragrance discussions (for candle-making) and am impressed by the expertise shared there so thought that this would be a more reliable source than google. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Any correctly made handmade soap is "good". I've been making my own soap for over 13 years now and have never had one clogged drain due to my soap. I can't speak to the bonner's liquid soap as I've never used it. As far as if liquid is as good as bar soap, it's more of a preference and not one being better than the other. Same with which ingredients/oils to use. It really is more of a preference and not one being better than the other. My suggestion would be to read up in the General Soap Making section, there is a lot of great information there. Here is a good start - http://www.craftserver.com/topic/59022-new-cp-soapers-reference-thread/ Also maybe get a couple of good soapmaking books and read up on those. They were a GREAT help to me when first starting out. Just remember that no matter where you get a recipe, ALWAYS run it through a lye calculator and not take the written word on the lye amounts being correct. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I use Dr. Bronner's unscented and it's straight castile (olive oil). Most likely what you will buy in a bar that's marked castile will be the same. If you're looking just to buy and not make,I'd suggest going to a local farmer's market or craft fair because most likely somewone will be selling homemade soap there. Pick their brain and buy a few bars and seehow they compare. I don't make soap anymore but still buy homemade along with my Bronner's liquid. I find the bars that have other moisturizing oil additives are betterfor my skin, but it will be a matter of preference for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Dr Bronners liquid 'Castile' is a blend of coconut oil, hemp and olive oil. The thin viscosity tells me there's not a lot of olive in there, and that it is greatly diluted with water. Pure olive oil liquid soap can be as thick as soft soap brand in the pump, or thin like water depending on how much water was added to dilute, or sometimes which fragrances were used. Coconut oil liquid soap is usually very thin in consistency. A blend can make a big difference.As said in a post above, any hand made soap can be good, it comes down to personal preference of the entire blend, not just a single oil. Olive oil bar soap, for instance, with no other oils can be considered very mild, but has lather qualities that repulse some people. Coconut oil only can be very cleansing, or can make some people very happy. A blend of the two with or without other oils gains a nice synergy.I would suggest trying as many as you can to see what you like. Craft shows in your area will likely have plenty to choose from without having to pay shipping. You'll soon discover qualities you love and can narrow your search easily. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Warning, the following information may invoke certain fears, prejudices and negative advertising that occasionally prevent people from getting reasonable answers. Soap itself can't clog your drain because it washes away with the water. However, it can combine with calcium in hard water to form soap scum that doesn't wash away and can contribute to drain clogging. One way to avoid the problem is to eliminate the soap. There are gels and cleansing bars that contain non-soap detergents that don't produce soap scum, so these would help alleviate clogs and rings. Looking for commercial or handcrafted soap that has EDTA in the ingredients might help. This is a harmless chelating agent that grabs minerals to prevent them from reacting. It has the multiple benefits of helping prevent rancidity in soap, helping soap lather in hard water, and hopefully decreasing the formation of soap scum to some extent. Water treatment options could also help solve soap scum and clogging issues. For the ones that leave salt in your water, soap made with more coconut oil (sometimes listed as sodium or potassium cocoate) can help with lather. There are no bad ingredients in this discussion. Nothing will hurt you. It's a matter of preference and what works best in your circumstances. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebeccca Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 Thank you, Jcandleattic, kandlekrazy, TallTayl, and topofmurrayhill! It seems that I am overthinking this a bit . Great information and advice for me...and shopping local craft shows sounds like fun and maybe there would be a good variety to choose from! Thanks again, everyone, I really appreciate your thoughtful answers! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 [hijack]EDTA is a super additive for hard water. It allows for mega bubbles in many simple soap formulas. Too bad the "all natural" crowd has eschewed such simple additives and forced them out of favor. And it sure can help delay rancidity![/ hijack] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 What exactly is EDTA? Am I the only one that doesn't know what it is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 What exactly is EDTA? Am I the only one that doesn't know what it is? tetrasodium EDTA is a chelator that helps bind metal and other ions. In hard water it helps makes your soap more bubbly and cuts soap scum. In soap it helps stave off rancidity a while longer than soap without it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) What exactly is EDTA? Am I the only one that doesn't know what it is? You can get it for instance from Lotioncrafter. To elaborate on TallTayl's info, it helps to stabilize soap for the same reason that you would use distilled water or not cure it on a metal rack. Certain metal ions trigger oxidation of the soap, so a chelator like tetrasodium EDTA grabs stray metal ions and prevents them from doing their mischief. Using a chelator in conjunction with an antioxidant can almost totally stabilize color. A few of the best combos are ROE + EDTA and BHT + sodium citrate. Edited June 13, 2015 by topofmurrayhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 When you say 'stabilize color' are you talking about soap colorants like micas, or oxides, or ultramarines, etc., that won't morph, fade, or change color during saponification if you use one of those combos you mentioned? I would love my orange to stay orange instead of turning a brick color or pinkish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 When you say 'stabilize color' are you talking about soap colorants like micas, or oxides, or ultramarines, etc., that won't morph, fade, or change color during saponification if you use one of those combos you mentioned? I would love my orange to stay orange instead of turning a brick color or pinkish. Nope, just keeps the soap from turning orange over time due to oxidation, or developing DOS. More about chelators and antioxidants here (including which work the best in CP soap): http://cavemanchemistry.com/DreadedOrangeSpot-Dunn.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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