TallTayl Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I love reading about wives tales and myths. What i love more is testing and busting myths. Push the envelope, i say.A couple years ago i hosted the first of two Lather Lovers Swaps. People joined to help make and test 25 additives to a simple soap recipe.The soap formula was50% olive oil25% palm oil25% coconut oil8% superfatA photo of the samples taken by Kenna Cote of Modern Soapmaking still makes the rounds on facebook soaping groups, but the videos tell the real story.Here is a link to my YouTube channel with all 25+ additives and combos of a couple additives so you can see for yourself how a pinch of something or a sub of something for water can make a big difference.https://youtube.com/channel/UCKVy3uhd_1jhgyNHoYrE-NAMake sure to hit the Videos link at the top to see a list of all the videos numbered from 1-26 if you want to see more than the 3-4 youtube pulls in the quick query. Sink Test Quickie Links:1 & 1A) No adds or subs (basic recipe: control bars one at 5% SF and one at 8% sf) ~1a Sink Test Video Control Sink Video2) Sodium Lactate .25 oz/ppo ~ Sink Test Video3) Sugar (granular) 1 TBSP/ppo ~Sink Test Video4) Honey 1 TBSP/ppo Sink Test Video5) Silk ~ N/A6) Rosin - Sink Test Video7) Bentonite Clay Sink Test Video8) Tetrasodium EDTA Sink Test Video9) Goats' Milk subbed for all the water (used powdered) ~Sink Test Video10) Aloe juice subbed for all the water ~Sink Test Video11 & 11a) Coconut Milk subbed for all the water SD note:(canned AND powdered) 11 Sink Test Video 11a Sink Test Video12) Beer 12 oz subbed for an equal amount of the water Sink Test Video13) Powdered - Replaced with Fresh Goat Milk ~ Sink Test Video14) Evaporated Milk (the stuff in the cans) ~ Sink Test Video15) Powdered Sugar (1 TBS PPO Used)~Sink Test Video16) Kaolin Sink Test Video17) Cetyl Alcohol ~ Sink Test Video18) Beeswax (not necessarily a lather enhancer, but some claim it changes/decreases the lathering properties.)19) Oat Milk Sink Test Video20) Yogurt ~ Sink Test Video21) Sorbitol ~ Sink Test Video22) Sodium Citrate ~ Sink Test Video23) PKO sub for Coconut-Voluntary Sink Test Video24) Kefir ~ Sink Test Video25) Sodium Citrate and Sorbitol ~ Sink Test Video 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chefmom Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 That's a great experiment!! Thank you for the link. I have read over and over from other soapers that "superfat" doesn't matter in hot process, it's not enough of a percentage to make a difference etc etc. I urge everyone to give it a try for themselves. I have done the tests for myself by making one big basic master batch with many different oils and butters as a superfat with very different results. Never say never...not until you do the test yourself even if its just to see for sure. I do wish I would have photographed them at the time tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 Superfat oil, or superfat %?Superfat % DOES make a difference. Check out the two controls in the videos. The 5% lathered noticeably more than the 8%. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I discovered on my own that a lower % can make a difference in lather. Sooooo..... unless I want a higher superfat for a particular recipe I stick with the basic 5% for many of my soaps. When I first started I used to do 7-8% superfat. After trying all kinds of things like different oil combinations and additives I simply lowered the superfat and voila!! More suds and lather. Nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Dizzle Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 What was your favorite ones of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chefmom Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Over the years I've played with many superfat percentages. It seems like the family prefers the 5% and I'm in the 10-20% depending on summer or winter. When I did my superfat oils/fats added after the cook I did the recipe at 3% superfat in soapcalc and then added 5% in the oil I was testing, for a total of 8%. My favorite superfat addition is cocoa butter. To me it is the most noticeably different and makes a very simple soap seem luxurious and my skin LOVES cocoa butter. However I am seeing the soaps develop what I think is bloom in storage. It's not soda ash, because its hot process soap. But every time I add cocoa butter after the cook I am seeing the crystals just like when chocolate loses its temper in storage or when it's been handled poorly. I've worked with chocolate for many years and it looks just the same to me. It's just an aesthetic thing, there is no change in the performance of the soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 By bloom do you mean ash? I had noticed when I used to make M&P with added cocoa butter that after a while the soaps would develop a kind of hard ashy outer casing. If I started washing with the soap the outer layer would slough off leaving only the good soap. Is this what you mean? I too love cocoa butter in my soap. It makes a luxurious bar of soap. Unfortunately it also makes my skin break out so I only use it in a couple of recipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 What was your favorite ones of these? One of what? BTW-- what part of Louisiana are you from? I used to live in Baton Rouge and went to LSU. They used to keep a tiger in a cage on campus because LSU was the home of the tigers. That poor poor tiger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chefmom Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 By bloom do you mean ash? I had noticed when I used to make M&P with added cocoa butter that after a while the soaps would develop a kind of hard ashy outer casing. If I started washing with the soap the outer layer would slough off leaving only the good soap. Is this what you mean? I too love cocoa butter in my soap. It makes a luxurious bar of soap. Unfortunately it also makes my skin break out so I only use it in a couple of recipes. No, it's not ash. I've never seen any ash on my hot process soaps, but I've had it here and there on my cold processed ones. I first noticed it on a nettle soap that I formulated for a girl with whole body eczema who liked my nettle infused balm and asked for a soap. I made this soap, same recipe with no bloom, then she tried another of my soaps with cocoa butter and asked if cocoa butter could be added to this recipe. Well..bam...these crystal looking things (reminds me of a cross between crystals in pottery glaze and the chocolate bloom when I look at it real close) appeared while it was curing. I have always used the cocoa butter soaps in no color soaps, so I never noticed them. They don't really come off, but I do know the very first use of the soap the lather is a little weak, it seems to need a "warm up" round and after the lather is its usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 That filmy stuff looks very familiar. Its like frosting on soy or chocolate. Cocoa butter can get that frosting. Must be something in the M&P I made that accelerated the frosting to an ashy like coating. But just like yours, once you wash off that outer layer the soap is just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I think it's called bloom. Chocolate and beeswax both get it, so will your cocoa butter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Thanks Chris. I didn't know what to call it but I have seen it on my M&P soap before but much worse-- like a full coating of the stuff when the soap is several weeks/months old. But only with the cocoa butter. It looks weird but doesn't hurt the soap after you wash it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 I got bloom on 100% coconut oil soap scented with a discoloring fragrance. Appeared after a few months. Kept coming back after polishing too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Dizzle Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 One of what? BTW-- what part of Louisiana are you from? I used to live in Baton Rouge and went to LSU. They used to keep a tiger in a cage on campus because LSU was the home of the tigers. That poor poor tiger! I was asking what the favorite bar of those 25 was. I live near Monroe, Louisiana and used to live in Monroe for many years. I'm pretty sure they still keep a tiger at LSU, but I'm not a big football fan and don't keep up with them. If the Saints make it to the Superbowl or even the 2nd round of playoffs I would watch those games, but I have about 1% the interest as your average football fan! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I think one of my favorite of those tests is the PKO. Long time ago I remember reading somewhere where the best lather comes from a combo used of CO, PKO, and castor. I always liked how my soap lathered using all 3. I get more fluffy lather using PKO. I have found that a combo of 15% CO with 10% PKO and 5% castor makes rockin lather both fluffy and creamy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.