23/11/2022
*HOW TO MAKE YOUR BAR SOAP HARDER*
As a soap maker, I’m often asked, “How do you get your DIY bar soap so hard?” or “How can I make my soap last longer?”
1. *USE A WATER REDUCTION*
Lye needs to be dissolved in water in order to turn oils into soap. The amount of water you use will make a difference in the cure time and will also affect the outcome of the hardness of the bars.
Too much water will cause bars to be soft and take longer to cure. They will also lose a lot of weight during curing, possibly leaving a softer bar. If the recipe calls for 5.75 ounces of water, you can decrease it by around 10%, or use about 5.25 ounces. This will allow your bar to cure much harder.
2. *ADD SOME WAX*
A small amount of beeswax or Stearic acid added to the melted oils will help harden your soap. If you’re looking for a vegan alternative you can also try soy wax, bayberry wax or any other type of vegetable wax. You can also try Kokum butter, which is one of the hardest butters known to man.
If using my basic recipe, about 3 ounces, melted and added to the oils will do nicely. Don’t wait to add these at trace; they will only harden and lump up, not dispersing in the soap base at all.
3. *ADD SODIUM LACTATE*
Sodium lactate is a clear liquid that comes from the natural fermentation of sugars found in things like sugar cane and sugar beets. Used in an amount of about 1%, or roughly four tablespoons (2.25 ounces) for this recipe, sodium lactate will significantly harden your soap. This is especially recommended for individual molds that have an intricate design, as they can sometimes be very tricky to un-mold.
4. *INCREASE THE OLIVE OIL*
Oils in soaps have different qualities. And some oils can’t be substituted for others due to a specific SAP value. Simply put, the SAP value is the amount of lye needed to turn that oil into soap. There’s a lot more to the numbering system, but all you really need to know is that the numbers need to be close to each other in order to exchan
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