Lather Lovers Soap Swap - Part 1: Formulating the Experiment

Do you like lather? Ever wondered what you could add to give that little extra "oomph" to create bubbles so abundant that Hollywood scene setters will bang down your door to get them? Well, maybe that's a little extreme, but if you're interested in learning about a few options to possibly improve your formula, then read on...

18 accomplished soap makers got together at the Dish Forum to test various additives in a simple soap formula to compare and contrast the changes imparted on the lather. Participants are located across the United States and Canada giving us a nice cross section of water types to compare.

The Challenges:

• Test 1) 10 second sink test. The tester washes their hands for 10 seconds noting the lather.
• Test 2) 20 second sink test. The tester continues washing hands for an additional 10 seconds noting changes to the lather (building, breaking, bubble size and texture)
• Test 3) Shower Test: The tester takes a typical shower using the control and a sample. Lather and skin feel are noted.
• Test 4) the "Blob" test. A blob of lather is coaxed using a shower net pouf. The lather is observed for 10 minutes, and photographed at the beginning, middle and end of the time. This is to take stability of lather into consideration.

The Formula:
50% Olive Oil (Type A or Pomace, not EVOO)
25% Palm Oil
25% Coconut Oil

8% superfat
"Full water" using Distilled Water (or other liquid additive as noted in the list)

Using Soap Calc, here's how the formula stacked up:

We chose to each make a batch using 24 oz of oils. When cut to 1 oz "hotel" sized bars we were able to fit all of the samples in a padded flat rate mailer.

The Additives:
1) None: #1 is the control with no additives.
1a) None: This sample was made with a 5% superfat to note any differences in lather between SF levels.
2) Sodium Lactate added at .25 oz/PPO (per pound of oils)
3) Granulated Sugar added at 1 Tablespoon PPO
4) Honey added at 1 Tablespoon PPO
5) TBA later (silk)
6) Rosin
7) Bentonite Clay
8) Tetrasodium EDTA
9) Powdered Goat Milk reconstituted as the water
10) Alow Juice subbed for all the water
11) Canned Coconut Milk subbed for all the water
11a) Powdered Coconut Milk subbed for all the water
12) Beer substituted for all the water
13) Fresh Goat Milk subbed for all the water
14) Canned evaporated milk
15) Powdered Sugar added at 1 Tablespoon PPO
16) Kaolin Clay added at 1 Tablespoon PPO
17) Cetyl Alcohol
18) TBA (would have been beeswax)
19) Oat MIlk
20) Yogurt
21) Sorbitol
22) Sodium Citrate
23) Palm Kernel Oil subbed for the Coconut Oil
24) Kefir substituted for all the water
25) Sorbitol and Sodium Citrate

Over the next few weeks I'll go into detail about the additive (how it was added, any notes about difficulty with addition, etc.). I'll also share the photos and video of each as it is put through the series of tests.

At the end of the study you may discover a few surprises, as the group of testers surely did.

Some New Soap-Lebermuth Co-op

I have not posted soap pictures in a very, very long time. Recently I participated in a co-op purchase of Lebermuth fragrances and essential oils. I've been making six bar test batches with each as time permits. So far each and every fragrance has been very well behaved allowing for plenty of time for delicate, multicolor swirls. All of the swirls were done using the ITP (in The Pot) method. Take a look!

First, is Egyptian Dragon. This one was a surprise to me. I had never experienced the fragrance before, but took a chance. it's a soft, perfumy scent. The scent description from Lebermuth is, "Tantalizing warm blend of myrrh, dragons blood, patchouli; with floral notes of rose and jasmine, kissed with base notes of woodsy musk, make this blend a must have for your wonderful is line." This one is colored with Bamboo Charcoal and Colorona Bordeaux mica. As the soap ages it is beginning to darken to a tan. I'm hopeful it will still be beautiful once it finishes discoloring.

Next is White Musk. I love musk. Out of the bottle it is a light musk scent. It is beginning to bloom now that it has been introduced to the soap. "An intriguing, complex floral musk. Fresh floral top notes with ozone, citrus, apple, strawberry, muguet and blueberry. Mid notes of jasmine, rose, lilac, gardenia, carnation, camphor and peach. Base notes include mossy amber, musk, orange flower and powder." It too is starting to darken as it ages. The colorant is pearl white mica.

Third is Blue Musk. It is softly feminine musk. "A delicate, light, floral musk. Top notes of lily of the valley. Mid notes of jasmine. Musk and vanilla form the base. " It is light out of the bottle and in the soap. It's nice though, even at 1 oz per lb of oils. The colorant is Ultramarine Blue. So far no discoloration.

Fourth in this line up is Tuberose. This fragrance went viral with the buyers. One person mentioned the greatness of the FO and suddenly everyone had to have it. :) "The tuberose is traditionally a night blooming plant famous in Hawaii to create long-lasting leis. Complex, sweet, exotic and elegantly floral." It was a well behaved floral. I used 1 oz PPO and it is very strong. I will probably back down to .7 for the larger batch. It is colored with Pearl Green and Pearl Pink for the swirls and a bit of Titanium Dioxide in the base. The tuberose, I learned, is a very white flower with a blush of pink occasionally and green foliage.

Finally two versions of Lemongrass. The first is the plain and simple essential oil with no extra colorant. It is fresh and delightful all by itself. I have test blended the EO with lavender and geranium rose and really like this lemongrass. This soap fits very well in my Pure Essentials lineup.

Here's the other Lemongrass. This one I chose to add pulverized lemongrass herb. It took a surprisingly long time to turn the dried herb into a powder. So far I like the effect. I'll be watching carefully for any discoloration from the herb. I imagine it will impart some scrubbiness to the soap as it cures.





These will be available at SweetTeagans.com and on my Etsy store once they're fully cured. Give them at least four weeks.

Introducing Luxury Shampoo for (Wo)man's Best Friend

As I formulate surfactant based shampoos for people, my mind always wanders to adaptations I can make for our furry family members. If your dogs are like mine, they like to play in the mud, roll in 'stuff' and get doggone dirty. I could use some real, natural soap on them - and I have - but it doesn't leave their coats as nice as I like.

The pH of cold process soap is much too high for hair (human or dog). It opens the cuticle of the hair leaving it vulnerable to breakage. You 'could' rinse with apple cider vinegar to adjust the pH and close the hair shaft, but to be honest that's never worked as well as advertised. If you've ever tried that method you know what I mean.

After several formulations, I've settled on this plant based surfactant blend loaded with oat protein, Vitamin B5 Panthenol, and coat conditioners. I chose Oatmeal as the scent for the calm and gentle feeling people seem to get when they smell it.

Since the shampoo is a solid form, this is no watered down version of a deluxe shampoo. You're not paying extra for petroleum packaging and you're unlikely to spill it accidentally as most of us tend to do when bathing our dogs. You're also not paying to ship water. Each 3 oz bar of solid is the equivalent to 12-18 oz of traditional shampoo. That translates to dozens of baths.

To use the shampoo, simply wet the dog's coat, rub the bar over the dog's coat a couple of times, rub your hands through the coat to create luscious lather then rinse. You'll see lots of foamy bubbles, yet this shampoo rinses quickly and cleanly leaving a sparkling coat that is not left stripped of natural oils.

You could stop there, but I've created a partner to the dog spa day shampoo in the form of a solid conditioner. Just swipe the conditioner bar over the dog's back and rinse it out. As the rinse water runs down the coat it will add silky conditioners leaving the hair smooth and shiny. You won't want to stop petting your dog after this treatment. Mine don't seem to mind :)

This Dog Shampoo and Conditioner Duo is listed on SweetTeagans.com and at my Etsy Store. They will be packaged in natural muslin drawstring bags.

Sample versions of this duo have been donated to my County Animal Control as a gift to people who adopt a new dog this month.

Solid Bubble Bath Bars

Recently I've had a lot of requests to share my favorite bubble bar recipe. Today has been a wonderful day, so I'm in a sharing mood :)

I welcome you to use this formula as-is and even post it to your own site, as long as you give credit to me and post a link back to this blog. Deal? OK, here you go.

Shannon's Favorite Bubble Bar Formula:
Dry Phase:
SCI 4% (I'm experimenting with higher percentages of this)
SLSa 18% (Working to replace with Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate)
Cream of Tartar 26%
sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) 37%

Wet phase:
cocamidopropyl betaine 8%
coco silky cleanse (or DLS Mild or some other gentle liquid surfactant) 6%
fragrance 1%
color (I've used liquid lakes and mica. they both work fine) It only takes a teensy amt of color!

Step 1. pulverize the dry ingredients (like in a coffee grinder or food processor.) Be patient - the SCI may take a beating before it surrenders into powder. Make sure everything is well blended. I've recently discovered the Ninja Power Prep food processor and love it for this application!

Step 2. Using gloves, pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Work quickly to blend it all together well. Once the blend forms a dough and becomes less sticky, mold into your choice of shapes. Ice cube trays are about right for a single use bath size. You can make them into bars so the user has to break off a piece. It's up to you.

Step 3: Allow to dry for an hour or so before trying to unmold. They will not hold together well if unmolded too soon. Package them or use once they're nice and dry. I usually wait a couple of hours at least. I've stored them in the open in our main bathroom and they work just fine.

Notes: These will begin to puff up as you mold them. You can either leave them rustic, or smoosh them down into the mold to get them more dense. I like them dense so they take longer to dissolve under tub water. The texture of this blend should be similar to stale Circus Peanut candy (come on, you know what Circus Peanuts are )

This blend should produce lots of billowy foamy suds using a very small amount of bubble bar. My typical size for a 'single serving' is about 15 grams - roughly a tablespoon. That's how concentrated and powerful the synergy of the surfactant blend is.

I have softened well water and these bubble for a good long time. As the water cools let out some of the water, add more hot water to the tub and enjoy a recharge of SCI bubbles.

Have fun!-Shannon

Your Favorite Soap Swap

I just wrapped up hosting the "Second Annual Your Favorite Soap Swap" for the Dish Forum. The swap was limited to 20 participants, and allowed for Fragrance Oils, Essential Oils, CP/HP or M&P soap.

Participants were given several months to create and cure their favorites. Here's the Cast:


My own submission into this swap is the center soap in the last photo. It's my favorite at the moment: Avocado Oil. It contains Palm Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Distilled Water, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Cream, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Essential Oils (Geranium Rose, Orange, Lemongrass and Dark Patchouli), Vitamin E-Tocopherol, Green Chrome Oxide Pigment, Titanium Dioxide, Tussah Noil Silk.

I love how silky the lather feels with the avocado oil, cream and silk. I cannot wait to try out all of my friends' favorites.

Recipients should be receiving their return boxes starting Monday 4/25. I can hardly wait to hear their reactions to the many new gift soaps!

Is Your Home Naturally Clean?

Mine is. Or more accurately, it soon will be even more so.

Remember a month or so back when I wrote about my submission to the Home Cleaning Swap? Well, I received my return box yesterday filled with things to make my home more naturally clean.
Photo one contains:
- The Carpet "Re-freshener" you've already read about
- Four Theives Room Spray
- Aveda Madagascar Room Spray
- A Laundry Stain Stick
- Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Dishwasher Detergent

Photo 2 contains:
- Lavender Dryer Sachets with 'refill' of Lavender Essential Oil
- Glass Cleaner
- Scouring Powder
- Laundry Soap

Not pictured: Vinegar/Citrus Solid Surface Cleaner. This item didn't make the box, though I do have the formula and have been enjoying citrus cleaning power for several months.

I have already tried the Dishwasher Detergent and Dryer Sachets, and of course the carpet re-freshener :). My house is smelling divine without all of the nasty fumes from typical cleansers. Next up, tackling the toilet bowl.

If you'd like any of the ingredients or a starter recipe for your own cleaning products, please let me know in the comments section. I can blog a few recipes for you.

Oatmeal Cream Cookies

I must be on a sandwich cookie stint lately. I had a craving for oatmeal cookies that had to be fulfilled. What could possibly make them better? Why filling of course.


My usual oatmeal cookie is a thick, soft cookie. This version is a thin, crispy cookie that softens over time to make those pretender oatmeal sandwich cookies available at the mega marts a distant, not so pleasant memory (you know the ones I am writing about...).

This recipe comes to you from the blog How To Eat A Cupcake. Casssie, the author, has recently opened a bakery in Virginia that I will be certain to visit the next time I'm in the area.

Cookie Ingredients:
Oatmeal Cream Pies (from “The Amish Cook’s Baking Book”)
Makes about 24 pies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons boiling water

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside (or use parchment).
Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, flour, and baking powder.
Add to the creamed mixture.
Add the cinnamon and oats. Mix well.
In a small dish, add the baking soda to the boiling water, and then stir the mixture into the rest of the batter. Mix well.
Drop by the tablespoon (I did 2 tablespoons at first, then reduced to 1 tablespoon once I saw thesize) onto the baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake until the cookies are firm and just starting to turn golden around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes (I found 10 minutes to be far too long. 8.5 - 9 minutes were perfect. )
Cool the cookies on a wire rack or a plate.

Filling Ingredients:
I used the same filling as made for the Whoopie Pies a few days ago.
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons marshmallow fluff.
Mix well with hand mixer and spread on cooled cookies.