ignitethesenses Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Which oils make a VERY soft bar of soap? So soft that it would dissolve really fast in water? But it would still have to be hard enough to cut and keep its form Thanks for putting up with all my weird questions lol I'm going to be ordering some supplies soon so I just need a general direction in what to look for, yk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Usually using alot of the exotic butters will yield a softer bar of soap. (i.e, shea, mango). The higher the percentages of the "soft" oils such as avocado,Almond, soybean oil, canola oil, will result in a softer bar. The thing is, using higher percentages of these softer oils, you get zilch for lather and the soap is soft and mushy, not real desireable traits for a bar of soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignitethesenses Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 Well...I guess I should explain what the soap is for - but nobody can call me crazy, ok? I want to make a cloth wipe concentrate. Little tiny pieces of soap will be added to a cup or so of water as needed, to use as a wipe solution for cloth wipes/cloth diapers. I wanted to make a castille soap because its so gentle, but olive would make a hard bar, right? I need something that would dissolve with a few minutes of vigorous shaking, and be gentle enough for a baby's bottom. But because of common nut allergies, I need to stay away from nut oils like almond, walnut, etc (exotic nuts aren't a big deal though...).I've been reading and reading about all the different properties of oils, and I'm learning a lot. But to start testing formulas, I don't want to end up with all the wrong oils ok ok, you can call me crazy...but only if you give a good tip too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 This is way outta my league but... wouldn't it be easier to make a liquid soap rather than a bar soap with nice qualities that would disolve quick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignitethesenses Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 It would be easier, but then you really have to worry about that water growing bacteria. It would be ideal if a person could mix up only enough to last a day so the water (distilled) is changed very often. And I don't want to use preservatives because I wouldn't feel comfortable spraying those chemicals right on the goods, yk?I'm trying to develop a very natural, hopefully organic (or as near as possible), line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignitethesenses Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 or did you mean a liquid soap to squirt into a bottle of water as opposed to a tiny piece of bar soap? That probably would be easier....if you have suggestions on how to go about that I'd love to hear it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 I think liquid soap is way harder to make than bar soap, but that's cuz you're usually fussing with how clear it is and there are a few more steps.For a soft soap, use lots of liquid oils, and just use more water than usual. Then it will take more time to cure out and it will stay softer longer. Olive oil would be the best, it dissolves the best in water (that's why castile is so gooey when wet). It gets really hard after months and months, but if you keep the amount of water high, it might be workable the way you want.You sure do interesting projects Sounds fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignitethesenses Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 Hmm, clarity doesn't really matter much....I guess where I'm stuck is the only instructions I've seen for liquid soap, is to shave soap, melt with added water - and with that I'd have to add germaben or something (right?). I will give olive oil a try It sounds like it would be perfect for what I'm trying to achieve. Any suggestions on figuring the extra water? For now I just use the soapcalc.com calculator... Would I need to figure a specific amount or could I just add whatever works?In addition to this, I'm also trying to create a wool wash bar and possibly liquid lanolin I'm having fun (even if my first batch may be a flop lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 I just tried 100% olive oil in soapcalc, and it looks like the standard water would be plenty to make it pretty soft. You don't want *too* much water - then your lye solution might be too dilute... If that's too hard, try adding another 5-10% water... Look through the iodine values on soapcalc - the larger the number, the "softer" the oil is. There's a book out about liquid soap making - what kind of oils to use, the use of potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide, how to neutralize the batch... lots of steps. I saw your lanolin posts, very creative ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 I try to keep my hard/soft butter and oils ratio around 50/50 or 60/40 so I won't have too soft of a bar and one that lathers well. Works for me. Your idea sounds very interesting. I used only cloth diapers on my girls and wash cloths as diaper wipes. They were allergic to diaper wipes and disposable diapers. I would have loved something like what you are trying to make. I much prefer the natural way of doing things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Lilac Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 How about making a HP but instead of diluting it to a liquid soap leave it as a paste then you can dilute it as you need it or just apply the paste onto your wipes. I have made this before and it works great and the paste last a long time. You will have to use potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide though.HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignitethesenses Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 I'm not sure potassium hydroxide is...although, I think one method (cold process) is more than enough for me to learn right now lolThanks for the tips everyone. I'm going to try the castile soap with the standard amount of water. I'm going to infuse the olive oil with herbs though...I'm ordering calendula, plaintain, burdock, chickweed, and marshmallow root Not sure which combo I'll use though. Olive oil works great for infusions right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Yup Yup Dang character limit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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