Question to our professional soapmakers

[Lyrt]

What do these barbarous terms mean and what would their purpose be in a shaving soap?

sodium laurate
potassium laurate
hexyldecyl laurate

Thank you!

[Mama Bear]

laurates are surfactants, which means chemical detergents that boost lathering capability to a product. They are most commonly used in shampoos and commercial soaps. They can cause contact dermatitus and many have developed sensitivity to them over the years. These are used in shampoo because the ph balance of soap is 9 plus and can actually damage hair... if you have longer hair (more than 2") you are better off to use the shampoo with the SLS or SLSa in it and I have not found a way around this as my hair is too long to use soap on it. However, it when it is added to soap, it is only commercial soaps that use it as a cheap ingredient... it's better to use real soap on your body. It is considered a necessary evil due to folks love for lather, but home crafters know it and abhore it.

My shaving soap has plenty of lather without the addition of SLS...

[Lyrt]

Thank you very much, Sue. I asked because those ingredients appear in a supposedly high-end shaving soap: Acca Kappa 1869 (it is almond scented). I guess I’ll pass.

[MullersLaneFarm]

As Sue said, they are all surfactants

sodium laurate: Cold processed bar soaps using lathering oils high in the lauric fatty acid (like coconut and palm kernel) combined with Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH lye) produces natural sodium laurate.
http://www.surfactantassociates.com/Library/whatsurf/sld006.htm

potassium laurate : Likewise, liquid & cream soaps using lathering oils high in the lauric fatty acid combined with Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) produces naturally occuring potassium laurate

hexyldecyl is an ester of fatty acids and dicaroxylic acids

[Mama Bear]

It sounds to me like I may have put some wrong information here then Cyndi, I always have thought of these as being syn dets.... Naturally occuring is obviously not a synthetic detergent! I am going to read that information and learn something new today... I have hopefully not done any harm here... Thank you.

[Bill]

Great info... but at what stage do you add oregano? :scared003

[Mama Bear]

Bill, I am half Italian, there is a little 'spice' in all of my soaps.... :rofl :: :happy001 :shocked003

[qhsdoitall]

Great info... but at what stage do you add oregano? :scared003

Soap! not sopa. :)

[MullersLaneFarm]

I always thought they were syndets too, Sue. I still think what is used in commercial bars is probably syndets, but they do occur naturally in soap making - just like glycerin!

[MullersLaneFarm]

Great info... but at what stage do you add oregano? :scared003

I always keep a bottle of oregano EO around in the winter time to help the immune system. Just a drop in a glass of tomato juice, hmmmmmm! Paul (DH) takes a couple whiffs when he feels a cold coming on.

[Lyrt]

So, do these products suck or not?

[Mama Bear]

Lyrt, how would I know? You put a couple of ingredients up and asked us what they were..... :ashamed001

[Queen of Blades]

Lyrt, how would I know? You put a couple of ingredients up and asked us what they were..... :ashamed001

I'm pretty sure he is asking if these ingredients are bad for the skin.

[Mama Bear]

I'm pretty sure he is asking if these ingredients are bad for the skin.

I honestly don't know.. yesterday I would have said no way.. today I feel I need to do more homework on this, and I will.. Cyndi may have a better feel for this.

But to get an idea of if a product is potentially good or bad for the skin, you want and need to take a look at the entire list of ingredients..

[Lyrt]

I honestly don't know.. yesterday I would have said no way.. today I feel I need to do more homework on this, and I will.. Cyndi may have a better feel for this.

But to get an idea of if a product is potentially good or bad for the skin, you want and need to take a look at the entire list of ingredients..

Thank you very much. As JoAnna said, I was asking if these ingredients could be harmful or a sign of questionable quality when found in a shaving soap, specifically Acca Kappa's 1869 almond-scented shaving soap.

edit: I'm trying to find the complete ingredients list.

[Mama Bear]

Thank you very much. As JoAnna said, I was asking if these ingredients could be harmful or a sign of questionable quality when found in a shaving soap, specifically Acca Kappa's 1869 almond-scented shaving soap.

edit: I'm trying to find the complete ingredients list.

My question would be whether these are natural or synthetic... I am not sure I will be able to tell, but Cyndi might and I think it would depend on the entire list of ingredients. I am a bit at a loss here especially as Cyndi has just taught me something that I did not know and I need to look further into it.. I will try and do my homework on this tho Yukio.. do you have sensitive skin?

Bear Hugs.

[Lyrt]

Here's some homework for you. :D

http://www.shavemyface.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10494/IMG_3204.jpg

[Mama Bear]

Here's some homework for you. :D

http://www.shavemyface.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10494/IMG_3204.jpg

Oh Boy... lol I am going to defer to Cyndi on this one tho.... :rolleyes:

[TraderJoe]

Looks to me that is your typical tallow-based shaving soap, with a couple extra chemicals.

I'll venture to say that it isn't necessarily harmful, but personally I prefer homemade soaps.

[MullersLaneFarm]

Here's some homework for you. :D

http://www.shavemyface.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10494/IMG_3204.jpg


Sodium Palmate Soap made from Palm Oil
Sodium Palm Kernelate Soap made from Palm Kernel Oil
Sodium Laurate & Potassium Laurate In this context, I believe it is synthetic
Glycerin, well, glycerin!
Sodium Lactate gives a smoother pour of the ingredients into the mold and produces a harder bar of soap.

the rest are preservatives and coloring.

This is a commercially manufactured soap or one that someone re-processed? They are listing finished products as ingredients.

In the US, soap isn't required by law to have ingredients listed. A sample of ingredients in a homemade soap would look something like this:

Lardate, Palm Kernelate, Tallowate, Aqua, Lye (NaOH)

this lists raw ingredients.

There have been reports that some folks have sensitivity issues with sodium lactate.

[Lyrt]

Thank you for taking the time to thoroughly answer my question. I appreciate that. Yes, this is a commercially manufactured soap and it is made in Italy.