Tripling My Sugar

[Candybee]

In my earlier days of soaping I read about adding sugar to increase bublage. (thanks TT!)

Then a year ago a good soaper friend of mine said use 2 heaping tbs in my 3.5lb oil recipes. So I did. And my bublage increased.

 

Lately I've been reading on another soaper venue about some whopping amounts of sugar usage in their soapmaking.

 

So, I have been experimenting with 4tbs sugar in my 3.5lb oil recipes. Then I tried one of my triple sugar added soapies. Oh my! my! my! The bublage is super nice, bubbles faster in water, and is even creamier.

 

I have also noticed something unexpected. When I washed my hands with a piece of this soap they stayed moist and hydrated like I had just put on some glycerin or something. The feeling is very nice but something I had to get used to.

 

Some of the soapers are experimenting with 4tbs sugar PPO and say they really like it. However, much more above this number and the soap becomes spongy and stays that way.

 

There is a particular soaper that is experimenting with large amounts of honey. His soap is just finished so it hasn't had time to cure yet. Right now it is very soft so time will tell if his experiment works. But so far he claims it has fantastic bublage. But he has been using additives and measures to harden the soap so who knows, it might harden up. Will just have to wait for the results. But the soap looks fantastic and has a faint smell of honey.

[TallTayl]

sugar is a humectant, so it makes sense that your hands feel less dry after washing. Add too much sugar and soap can become sticky, and prone to not drying well between uses. 

 

The added bubbles can be attributed to a couple of things: the soap film stays wet longer, so the bubbles have a chance to stretch before bursting. And secondly, the soap wears faster, so more payout per use, if that makes sense. 

 

The trick becomes figuring out how how much is too much. Like castor, I find less is more. Just enough to help the bubbles form, but not so much that the soap attracts humidity and gets/stays squishy. 

[Jcandleattic]

The one time I added sugar to my soap, I added way too much and I ended up with an overheated weepy sticky mess. LOL Now I know to use less, but I just haven't tried it so far. 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Jcandleattic

[Candybee]

Well I am about about 1 tbs PPO. I think I will stick with that and not go 2-4 tbs PPO. But it was interesting to see the difference. But time will tell if the soap doesn't last as long. I had no problem with them re hardness. They are the same hardness as before.

[TallTayl]

They will still feel hard before packaging, just wear more quickly when exposed to water. The sugar interrupts the crystal matrix of the soap and can make the whole soap more water soluble.

[Candybee]

So far I am not seeing that in my test bar. It could be wearing more quickly but if it is I am not noticing any difference. Maybe you need to use more to start seeing it. But for now I think I will stick with 1tbs ppo. I also am thinking about the extra cost of adding more sugar to my soap. It adds up fast so I don't want to go over what I am using now.

 

But I gotta tell you the soap is really nice to use. So far I have only used it on my hands. I am taking a bar in the shower with me to see how it holds up and how it feels on my whole body. Sort of a litmus test for the soap.

[Scented]

I get that soap  is a wash off product and that we don't have to list ingredients, but we do and when diabetics see sugar on a label they put the bar down because the little amount of time soap is on the skin is still enough time to possibly pull some of that sugar into the system. 

That all said, it might be a paranoia part. I might still try an increase of sugar in a batch and see what it does. What I'd like is an even softer and velvety feeling of the suds.