Making Hard Bar Soap

Here's information on making hard bar soap with lasting fragrance, good foam, and preventing rancidity:

1. Fragrance Longevity

To make the fragrance last longer in bar soap, consider using a fragrance fixative or an encapsulation service. An example is AromaLock™ (Fragrance Encapsulation Service), which helps encapsulate the fragrance into a powder form that adheres well and releases scent over time. Choosing fragrances specifically designed for soap or with good longevity properties is also important.

2. Soap Hardness and Foam

• Hardness: The hardness of bar soap primarily comes from the fatty acid composition of the oils used. Palm oil, being high in Palmitic Acid and Stearic Acid, contributes significantly to hardness. You can further increase hardness by adding Stearic Acid or Sodium Stearate to your formula. Sodium Stearate is commonly used as a hardening agent in stick products like deodorant, and it can help in bar soap as well. While Natural White Beeswax can add some hardness and skin conditioning properties, it has a lower melting point than other waxes and fatty acids commonly used for soap hardness and is not typically the primary hardening agent for a hard bar soap.
• Foam: To increase lather, you can incorporate additional foaming agents. Examples include Creamy Foamer™, BabyFoam™, IseFoam™, SulFoam™, or Powderly Foam™. These surfactants can boost foam volume and quality.

3. Preventing Rancidity

If using palm oil as a main ingredient, you can add an antioxidant to prevent it from going rancid (developing an off smell). Protec™ OX is recommended for this purpose as it helps protect ingredients from deterioration caused by oxidation.