NamaNama Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 My goal is more lather. I have 2 lb m&p shea base, 12 oz. previously made m&p soap w/fo, coconut oil and goats milk. If I melt the previously made soap with the 2 lb base and add coconut oil and goats milk, (1) will I get more lather(2) can I just shave the already made soap into the base(3) how much coconut oil and goats milk would I use(4) how much additional fo would I have to use if any. Does this sound crazy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katshe Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 You cannot get more lather with m&p , the oils and lye have been saponified and there is no lye left to mix with oils to make more lather, as far as the milk, you also cannot add liquid to m&p it will cause it to sweat or something, you can add oil about 1 tb per lb i believe but it will decrease the lather.So my advise to you is to switch from the shea to goat milk base. Shea is more conditioning and has a creamy lather.fo about 1 tb, depends on how stron scent isEssential oils are less 1 tsp per lb of soap basecheck out whosalesuppliesplus.com under soap bases and each one has directions as to how much additives and such.Also, check with company you bought soap base from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 You cannot get more lather with m&p , the oils and lye have been saponified and there is no lye left to mix with oils to make more lather, as far as the milk, you also cannot add liquid to m&p it will cause it to sweat or something, you can add oil about 1 tb per lb i believe but it will decrease the lather.So my advise to you is to switch from the shea to goat milk base. Shea is more conditioning and has a creamy lather.fo about 1 tb, depends on how stron scent isEssential oils are less 1 tsp per lb of soap basecheck out whosalesuppliesplus.com under soap bases and each one has directions as to how much additives and such.Also, check with company you bought soap base from.I'm not sure where you get your information but your post is fairly inaccurate. Many of us MP makers here have successfully created ultra lathering MP soap by using additives! NamaNama:My goal is more lather. I have 2 lb m&p shea base, 12 oz. previously made m&p soap w/fo, coconut oil and goats milk. If I melt the previously made soap with the 2 lb base and add coconut oil and goats milk, (1) will I get more lather(2) can I just shave the already made soap into the base(3) how much coconut oil and goats milk would I use(4) how much additional fo would I have to use if any. Does this sound crazy?Your experiment doesn't sound crazy. You can absolutely get more lather with your soap. My best advice would be in addition to what you are already planning to add that you also add some glycerin and/or castor oil. The goat's milk will help your lather immensely, but you do need to understand that there is a difference between LATHER and BUBBLES. Lather with goat's milk is very creamy.. almost lotion-like, and luxurious. The glycerin and castor will help add bubbles to that already creamy lather. I would go with 2 Tablespoons of Coconut oil per pound of soap base. I use about 1/4 cup (sometimes more) of goat milk for my recipes that are 3 pounds of base, so you can adjust from that I suppose. It helps to remember that you should balance your liquid ingredients and your solid ingredients the best you can. You will have just over 2.5 pounds of soap there, so I'd go with 4 T coconut oil, 1/8 to 1/4 cup of goat milk, and around 4or5 T of glycerin. The coconut oil is 76 degree right? (solid at room temp?).FO is a personal preference, but it seems as though you don't need as much in soap making as you do in candle making. I typically use 1/2 FO pp of soap but can go up to 1 full oz if necesssary. It rarely is though.. the FO seems to shine through quite a bit stronger in soap than it does anything else for me. Good Luck to you.. and remember that MP soap is very forgiving! It's easy to keep re-doing until you achieve that balance that you are looking for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katshe Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 I was told on this sight and three other sites that it is impossible to add latherto m&p, I did try and no success...that is where I get my info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairieannie Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 It's definitely not impossible. But you have to be willing to experiment a little. Sounds like your mind is already made up though.. wow, HERE and THREE other sites told you that huh? Sheesh, I'm sure glad I didn't get that kind of info here when I first started messing with it or I'd have given up a long time ago! We just did a swap back in February called "Everything But the Kitchen Sink MP Swap" and it was all recipes that included at least 4 additives to MP base to see if we could come up with lathering wonderful bars of soap. It was a huge success! Lots of fun too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Annie, it makes perfect sense logically. I myself think that the added in MY soap brought down the lather from the unadulterated base.It was a lot of fun, and since my personal goal is a less drying MP with still adequate lather I got a lot out of the swap. But I did find that adding oils actually decreased the lather in mine as compared to my control.But everyone has different experiences so I say go with what works for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beau's mama Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 NamaNamaNope, not crazy at all. The beauty of M&P is that you can keep remelting & perfecting until you get it the way you like it.I've found that adding 1 TBS each of castor oil & handmade liquid soap pp of base helps keep my lather intact. These are my staples in every batch of soap I make.It's fun experimenting & discovering what combinations work.Let us know how it turns out!ETA: I was in the "kitchen sink" M&P swap PA's talking about. It really challanged me to experiment more. I made 4 different batches & each batch had 4 to 7 different combinations of oils & butters in them...haven't gotten a bad review yet regarding "no lather"...even had the "M&P Queen" tell me that one set was a "luxury lathering/bubbling" soap.Hmmm, maybe PA will do another one, this time upping the ingredients to 8 or more (hint hint)You cannot get more lather with m&p , the oils and lye have been saponified and there is no lye left to mix with oils to make more lather, as far as the milk, you also cannot add liquid to m&p it will cause it to sweat or something, you can add oil about 1 tb per lb i believe but it will decrease the lather.So my advise to you is to switch from the shea to goat milk base. Shea is more conditioning and has a creamy lather.fo about 1 tb, depends on how stron scent isEssential oils are less 1 tsp per lb of soap basecheck out whosalesuppliesplus.com under soap bases and each one has directions as to how much additives and such.Also, check with company you bought soap base from.Katshe, liquid (milk, d-water, etc) can be added to M&P. I do it all the time with great success, especially when remelting. As far as the sweating, that can be caused by any number of factors (climate, fo etc). Collectively, I don't think any of us M&Pers have pinpointed the sweating issue. I have yet to experience any sweating whether I wrap immediately or let the bars sit unwrapped for a few days. Could be simply where I live...who knows. I've added up to 7 different oils & butters to a 1# batch...not a lot of bubbles, but man-oh-man did I get a nice creamy lather! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NamaNama Posted May 22, 2007 Author Share Posted May 22, 2007 THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INFO!!! My coconut oil is the 76 degree one. I can't wait to play. Will have to buy some castor oil. You ladies are the best!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperi Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 If there is going to be a mp swap can I join please!I've also been able to add ingredients to mp and had more lather than normal. It all depends on where you get your bases from because some of them are crappy. I like the ones from peak candle supply but to each his own. The keyword with mp is experiment. That is why its so great. I've had a lot of fun adding additives and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwin Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I agree that you can get more lather from MP. I almost always add castor oil to my MP. It seems to increase the lather. I add 1 tbs per lb of soap. If I add other additives, I cut back abut in the castor. I have also found that rough MP sometimes lathers better than the smooth kind, but not always. What I mean is if you make a scrubby bar, like add some poppy seeds or even somthing more gentle like dried flower petals, and the texture may increase the lather. I don't know why, but that is just something that I have noticed. I am not crazy I promise...well maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beau's mama Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Darwin, you're not crazy..um...well...at least not about that I think the friction created by the scrubbie additive gets the lather going. I've noticed it w/ some powders, jojoba beads, & oatmeal, among others.Why do you cut back on the castor if you add more stuff? I generally stick to 1 TBS of castor pp, but the more stuff I add (mainly when I add a lot of butters) I tend to up the castor & PKO flakes. Don't know why, I just do :embarasse 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.