Experiment #2014-03-12a: liquid dish soap

A couple weeks ago, I made my first two batches of soap. The first batch turned out okay; the second, very watery and not so much. So with our supply dwindling fast, I decided to try it again and try to meet in the middle a bit.

The first recipe called for 0.25c grated castile soap, packed, which made for a difficult time dissolving in hot water. I guesstimated about one cup unpacked as a rough equivalent.

To make it slightly less solid, I increased the water from 1.25c to 1.5c, melted, and added the other ingredients in turn.

This experimental batch contained the following ingredients:

• 1.5c water
• 1c grated castile bar soap
• 1 tbsp washing soda
• 1 tbsp glycerine

1. Boil water, adding and stirring grated soap until dissolved.
2. Add washing soda and stir in.
3. Add glycerine and stir in.
4. Pour into a heat-resistant container (eg, mason jar) and let cool.

After an hour, the soap had an excellent viscosity exactly as I had hoped for. Unfortunately, the next morning, it had a Gak-like consistency.

And since then, it has become more solid -- still soft enough to scoop out with a dobie, but certainly not free-flowing. More water next time?

This version seems to do a reasonable job of cutting grease, so I think it is better than the previous two.