making water viscosity thicker safe for skin

If more water is needed, add 1/4 part water. If more water is needed, add 1/2 part warm water to the mixture. When this first portion of water is fully mixed into the paste, check the thickness and consistency. Later on, a whisk, spatula, or even a stick blender will be helpful. A potato masher works well to break up large lumps in the beginning. Mix the water and paste together as best you can. Keep good notes about how much water you use, so the dilution process will go faster the next time you use the same recipe.Īdd about 1 part warm water by weight to 2 parts soap paste. You will get better results if you use a more gradual method to dilute, especially when making a recipe new to you. If your soap is different from the author's soap in the water content or fatty acid profile, your soap may not dilute the same way. They often create the impression you can measure X amount of water in proportion to the paste, mix the whole amount of water with the paste, and end up with a perfect honey-thick soap every time. Many liquid soap making tutorials use the 'dilute to honey thick' method. Liquid soap normally thickens and sometimes becomes less clear when it cools.ĭilute to a honey-thick consistency for use in a squirt bottle or pump bottle by only adjusting the water content to get the desired viscosity - no additional thickener is used.ĭo not add all the dilution water at once. If you thicken the soap enough to suit you while it is warm, the soap will most likely be too thick at room temperature. Always evaluate the consistency of diluted soap at normal room temperature before deciding whether to dilute further. The added warmth speeds dilution, but you do need to pay more attention to the process.Ĭheck the thickness of the soap at room temperature. Other people want faster results so they use a hot water bath (bain marie), oven, or a crock pot. The tradeoff is the soap will need several hours to a day to fully dilute. This is a hands-off method that is energy efficient. I dilute my soap paste using warm water but I otherwise do not heat the soap. If you only have drinking water for dilution, it can be used, but be aware that minerals dissolved in drinking water may make the soap cloudy and reduce the lather. Filtered and boiled rainwater can be used in a pinch.

I recommend distilled or reverse osmosis water for best results. Use only water to dilute liquid soap, preferably distilled water or reverse osmosis water. Play it safe with your soap! Bacteria and fungi do not have to be visible to the human eye to cause infections or disease, as anyone who has had food poisoning will know. These sources of food greatly increase the risk of microbial growth in the soap. Never dilute liquid soap with honey, aloe, milk, beer, or other liquids that contain sugars, starches, or proteins. Avoid this problem by reformulating the recipe to lower the oleic acid to about 50%.Ī 100% olive oil (castile type) liquid soap is an example If the oleic acid content is a lot higher than 50%, the soap might be pourable for a short while after dilution, but it is likely to revert back to a non-pourable jelly, even after adding a lot of water. Liquid soap that is made with mostly coconut oil or all coconut oil is an example. If the oleic acid content is a lot lower than 50%, you will need to use Method 3b or 3c to thicken diluted soap made with this type of recipe. If you want your soap to be honey-thick by dilution alone (Method 1) or if you want to use salt for thickening (Method 3a), the soap should contain about 50% oleic acid. Add some types of fragrance to thicken diluted soap. Table salt (sodium chloride) or other sodium salts Dilute to a specific pure-soap content and then add a separate thickener to make the soap more viscous (syrupy). Dilute to a low pure-soap content for use in a foamer dispenser. Only the water content is adjusted to get the desired consistency.

Dilute to a honey-thick consistency for use in a squirt bottle or pump bottle. Many soapers use one of three approaches for diluting their soap. Classic Bells > Soapy stuff > Liquid soap diluting, thickening Liquid soap: Tips for diluting and thickening

Making water viscosity thicker safe for skin