white soap drying

[ajna]

I bought some m&p white soap but it seems to be very drying. is there any thing i can add to the soap so it wont be so drying?

[Candybee]

Lots of things can be added! I add shea butter, castor oil, olive oil, etc. to my soap making. You can add as little as a tsp of a butter or oil to 1 lb of M&P base to increase the moisturizing effect. Or as much as 2 tbs. But start out with a smaller amount and then increase because if you add too much of anything it can kill the lather.

[ajna]

butter? like the ones you cook with?

[cindym]

no shea butter, mango, avacado is a good one. Castor is great with some olive oil.

[sunnii]

Where did you get your white soap base from ?

[ajna]

from lone star. i just bought a 2 lb brick to try because they had it on sale. i think ill try olive oil cause i dont have any butter on hand.

[sunnii]

That looks like it's SFIC soap base which I use and don't find drying at all.

I agree with the others, try adding some butters to it, but keep it at 1 tsp/pound to start and see if it improves

[Candybee]

butter? like the ones you cook with?

SHEA butter! Its great for moisturizing the skin and works beautifully in soap.

[Skiminims]

I read somewhere that you shouldn't add more than 2tbsp of oils per pound of M&P. Are you supposed to take in account of the oils already in the base, or is that 2tbsp of additional oils? What about butters such as shea and coco butter?

[prairieannie]

I read somewhere that you shouldn't add more than 2tbsp of oils per pound of M&P. Are you supposed to take in account of the oils already in the base, or is that 2tbsp of additional oils? What about butters such as shea and coco butter?

The 2 tbsp is in addition to what's already in the base. Butters are the same.. up to 2T per pound. I always try to balance hard oils and soft oils to keep the soap at a good consistency, so if I add 2 T of oil, I always counter with 2T of butters plus a good hardening agent (beeswax usually) to be safe!

The truth is that if you are using a good quality base, you can get creative and sometimes add more than the suggested amount of oils, butters, etc.. keep in mind that some things do tend to kill lather, so be sure that at least one of your additives is a lather boostser such as glycerin!

[ajna]

thanks guys, i added a little bit of olive oil the other day and the soap was a little bit better.maybe ill add a little more and see how that is.

also how should i wrap the soap? parchment paper? cello wrap? srink wrap?

[Candybee]

Don't use too much olive oil or your soap will come out slimy. I don't use more than 1 tsp of OO in my soap. It also makes the bar harder if you need that OO is good for that.

I use cello bags, soap boxes, and handmade soap bands for packaging my soaps. I like to try different types of packaging and get creative.

[Sister Kya]

i added a little bit of olive oil the other day and the soap was a little bit better.maybe ill add a little more and see how that is.

Some may be good, but more isn't always better. Any oils you add won't be saponified and run the risk of contributing to a softer bar or, worse, rancid soap. I find cosmetic butters work best for me.

how should i wrap the soap? parchment paper? cello wrap? srink wrap?

I keep my soap wrapped in plastic until I need it as moisture can make it weepy. Then I melt and pour it as I need it so it's always fresh and I can test each batch for a week or more before I decide how to tweak my recipe next time.