What if I superfat my liquid soap?

[kidsngarden]

And I don't mean at dilution - but super fat the recipe. I had read somewhere that superfatting makes for cloudy soap - I don't care about that. I want it not to be so drying!

any of you superfat your recipe a bit?

Bethany

[LindaColo]

I haven't just because I'm worried about the fats going rancid.

[lindsaycb]

I believe they don't even incorporate, right? I'd assume they'd be in the floating mess of goo on top.

[CareBear]

I superfat without problem, but I do make it with borax which is an emulsifier among other things (I think). Also I use a bit of PS80 (or is it 20???) mixed with the FO to keep it clear.

[Jcandleattic]

I think it also depends on how much you superfat. If I go about 4-5% then I get the oil slick on top and it will not incorporate AT ALL and it just a nasty mess. If I go to a 2-3% then it will incorporate but I'll have cloudy soap that doesn't really lather as well. But in all honesty, it's not much more moisturizing than my 0% superfatted LS that I get a clear LS with.

Now, just to clarify with my experience, I've only made 7 batches of LS so I am in no way any sort of expert at all, but wanted to let you know my experience in messing with LS.

[cbv1]

Those that superfat liquid soap, do you do it diluted while the soap is hot or do you superfat after it has cooled down? I was reading Catherine Failor's LS book and she mentions superfatting with sulfonated castor oil only because it is water soluble. The book says to superfat the diluted soap stock and my assumption is when it is hot. The last batch of LS soap I made felt a little drying to me so I would like to superfat the next batch.

[thecandlespastore]

Adding PS80 to the soap in my experience makes it feel different and it does keep the soap clear. I have sensitive skin and find my liquid soap nice and gentle even with no superfat.

Its all about experimenting, do a few different batches and see which you like best. Sometimes I don't care if it is clear either, so I add shea and castor to the recipe.

[GrandmaArial]

I am NOT an expert, only made about a dozen batches of LS so far. Right now I am experimenting sequestering agents as suggested in Failor’s book. I, too, find LS on the harsh side, and supper fatting (2 to 3% does help slightly but leaves the soap cloudy. My latest experiments have been with 0% superfat and sequestering agents (alcohol, sugar, glycerin, though I do not use the alcohol). Failor states that glycerin works best for softening the soap, though sugar works best for clarifying, my experience is that a 50/50 solution seems to make the LS least drying with the added benefit it helps to clarify nicely (lowering the cloud point to about 60F at 4%). The addition of borax helps even more, but be careful, too much borax will actually increase cloudiness. Borax also allows you to concentrate your LS solution which helps both with viscosity and lather (which you will need as the sequestering agents are lather killers).

But… to the question here, supperfatting. I have tried superfatting both before saponification and after dilution, no real difference in clarity. I have not tried sulfonated castor as sulfur is another chemical I react badly too. As for hot v cold, I have tried both, no real difference except cold takes longer to react, that’s all. About 90F seems, to me, to be an ideal temperature to play with the LS at. Easily achieved by simply putting your jar of soap in hot tap water and is warm enough you see what kind of reaction you will get relatively quickly.

This is nothing but my opinion and experiences, hope it can help a little.

[CareBear]

you are sensitive to sulfUR? I'm allergic to sulfA but have no issue with sulfur or sulfites (all 3 are very different)

[thecandlespastore]

I hate the way turkey red smells, and the one time I added it I swear I still smelled it even after adding fragrance.

[GrandmaArial]

you are sensitive to sulfUR? I'm allergic to sulfA but have no issue with sulfur or sulfites (all 3 are very different)

Yes, sulfur. I have no idea if I react to sulfas, I have never had them and if I have been tested for them I’ve forgotten. But as they contain a sulfur ion and I do react negatively to sulfur I think I will avoid it.

A number of years ago we visited with one of my sisters who had a well with heavy sulfur. The first week was just a discomfort from the horrible smell. And I am not exaggerating when I say it was horrible. The smell was impregnated in everything! I don’t know how they lived with it.

By the second week I was acutely ill and had puffed up like a balloon with gastro intestinal distress, a nasty rash (from bathing in it), lesions in my mouth and a headache that wouldn’t stop. My doctor treated my symptoms and told me to stay away from all things sulfur and eventually my symptoms abated. It was several years before I could even eat baked goods from the eggs in them (headache, gastrointestinal symptoms). My sensitivity to it has waned (as allergies are prone to do if contact is avoided) but I prefer to keep my exposure to it limited to things I really really like, like cake and fast food or processed food.