# stearic acid



## Happytailzfarm (Jan 5, 2008)

Has anyone used stearic acid in their bar soap? And if so how did you use it and how did you like it. Is there anything I would need to know before using it? I know it makes for a harder bar. Also I know that it comes in flakes, do the flakes just disolve in the oils? Or??
Thanks
Aletha


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2008)

If you use stearic make sure you heat it with your oils and get it hot enough to melt it completely. Stir while your oils come down to soaping temp or you will get white flecks in your soap. I prefer to use butter and oils that are naturally high in stearic rather than adding stearic.

Christy


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2008)

I am of like mind of Christy, prefer to use oils that produce hard bars, seems a waste of money to put another ingredient in soap that can be done with the right combo of oils.. and good long cure..
Barbara


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Althea what were you thinking about using it for? Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

If memory serves stearic about 3-5 % is super fast acceleration especially if you have other high stearic oils. I've added it at 3% along with 5% cocoa butter with success in regular CP making sure everything was RT, but it seemed superfluous as the folks about have said.

I actually hot processed a shave soap with 26% stearic (stearic will help the lather hold for shaving supposedly), but there is no way I could CP something that high with stearic.


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## Happytailzfarm (Jan 5, 2008)

I already use coconut, lard and palm oil in my bars. On the soap calculator, what is the average harness level do you's get? Aletha


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I know this is blasphamy but do you know other than a lye calculator and some properites of oils and butters, I have never used this hardness softness moisturising calculator everyone talks about, and I honestly think it's bunk anyway! 

When I started making soap for real I had not idea about it, so I trailed and errored my way into my soap recipe, really 3 of them...that I use. I made soap, gave it away, sold some, gave folks a free bar for a critique. I have never ran my soap through this calculator and never will, and I also am not changing it.

Has anyone ever ran the Walmart recipe through? Vicki


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2008)

I really like soapcalc  I spend hours driving myself crazy in search of the holy grail of all soap recipes :lol I have played around with different recipes enough to see and feel the differences shown in the calc. It is a nice tool but not perfect. I have soaped combinations of oils that are so much better than the calc reads and also combos that should blow me away and I didn't like them at all.

The WalMart recipe comes out very well (reccomended range is in parenthesis)

6% Superfat
Hardness 41 (36-50)
Cleansing 19 (14-22)
Condition 45 (45-80)
Bubbly 19 (14-33)
Creamy 28 (16-35)

Christy


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Thanks Christy. I let the ADGA site drive me crazy  Vicki


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2008)

> I let the ADGA site drive me crazy Vicki


Yeah, there's that too :rofl

Christy


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## Happytailzfarm (Jan 5, 2008)

thanks everyone!


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2008)

Aletha, why are you wanting to make a harder bar if you are using these oils,,, those bars should get pretty hard in a couple of weeks just by drying out.. Superfatting too much can make a soft bar, as can a too high percentage in liquid oils in your recipe ... I use about 60 % hard oils in each recipe, with 40 in liquid oils, of course I also use lard which makes a very hard bar of soap... 
Sugar might be alittle easier for you, I personally have never tried it, but it is reported to make a harder bar and help produce lots of lather... Barbara


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I agree with Barbara about your oils, Aletha. you should have a pretty hard bar there. I've used sugar before, but I don't think it made that big of a difference. I too like 60% butters to 40% soft oils.

I do look at the soapcalc #'s. My basic lard recipe comes out similar to the Walmart recipe. My shea bars are softer and less bubbly.

But even after I look at the #'s I just do what I want anyway. :biggrin


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