What makes soap lather

Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Skin Care. Skin Cleansing. Skin Cleansing Products. What makes soap foam? See more pictures of unusual skin care ingredients. Is the sodium lauryl sulfate in my shampoo killing me? Field, Simon Q. September 1, Cite This!

Try Our Sudoku Puzzles! Things are about to get deep and nerdy so hold on tight! As you might already know, water is compounded of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. When these molecules are pulled together within water, they create a thin layer, which is surface tension. Surface tension is defined as a measure of the force necessary to stretch or break the surface of a liquid. Regarding soap, soap is a natural surfactant. A surfactant is used to reduce that surface tension of the water.

If there is not a surfactant, the water will continue to hold on to itself due to the water molecules being surrounded by and attracted to other water molecules. Therefore, to allow water to spread out over a surface, a surfactant is required. Soap molecules have two different ends: the hydrophilic end is the end that likes to stick to water, and the hydrophobic end likes to repel water.

As the soap molecule acts as a connecting bridge, the hydrophilic end attaches to a water molecule and the hydrophobic end attaches to either a dirt or oil molecule. Once soap is mixed with water, another chemical reaction occurs to create the lather. Upon mixing water and soap, thin sheets are created where a thin layer of water molecules is put in between two layers of soap molecules. As mentioned before, the hydrophilic and hydrophobic ends are placed accordingly in this position, with the hydrophilic ends pointed toward the water and the hydrophobic ends pointed toward the oil or dirt.

In order to create the lather, friction also must occur. By rubbing a bar of soap over wet skin or a cloth, this is the friction that is needed, which is also creating tiny air bubbles on the surface of the soap. Because hydrophobic ends are water repelling, they attach themselves to the air bubbles during this process.

Then, this creates a thin film with enclosed air that is trapped in between. This enclosed air is commonly called a soap bubble. In conclusion, the reason that soap can do this whole process and create a lather is because soap contains surfactants something that reduces the surface tension of a liquid that it is dissolved within. Soap must have some type of surfactant in it to perform properly.

Surfactants can reduce the surface area of water while also being compatible with both water and oil due to its properties. By reducing the surface area of water, this makes the water molecules more slippery, which in turn allows them to interact more with dirt and oil molecules.

While it is not a simple process, it is not overly complicated, and you can remember this next time you go to wash your hands. Now that you know how to maximize the lather in your all-natural soap, consider offering it for sale. Real soap with high lather properties are in demand. Once you have a product that works, and people know about it, it can be hard to keep up with demand! There is an article, on this site, that you can use to start selling your homemade soap right away.

What is saponification? Saponification is a chemical reaction that turns fat, or oils, into soap. It is the process of making soap from scratch using lye carefully measured and mixed with oil or How does soap get you clean? Well, the answer to this question is more complicated than you might think.

The truth is that all soaps, whether they are mild or strong and no matter if they are made Why Lather Matters in Soap Soap is something that we use every day, but we never really think about how it works. Try these… How to Increase Lather in Homemade Soap There are several ways to increase lather in handmade soap without resorting to the use of detergents and artificial chemicals. Some or the oils that contribute to better lather include the following, but for much different reasons: Lather Producers I have found most lather producers tend to be the harder oils or fats when at room temperature.

I asked around my community of soaper friends and we all agreed on the following, to varying degrees: Coconut Oil: Working with coconut oil is one of the best ways to increase lather in natural soap. Heads up! Note: Before we move on, it is important to note that the combination of oils is just as important when considering lather building properties. Lather Sustainer Sunflower Oil: Sunflower oil does not do much to enhance the size of lather.

Lather Enhancer Castor Oil: Use small amounts of castor oil in combination with other oils to promote lather. Avoid Too Much of Lather Reducing Oils Olive Oil: When olive oil is the primary ingredient with a bar that has coconut oil as its secondary ingredient, it usually lathers nicely. Add Sugar to Bubble Up Sugar helps increase lather and acts as a natural exfoliant. This will definitely need tightening before use. The first chainsaw I purchased was for storm-related, light-duty work at my home.

With no previous experience and without much forethought, I bought it during […]. Hardness, stability — palm, beef tallow, lard Lather — coconut, castor, palm kernel Moisturizing, conditioning — olive, canola, sunflower, soybean Luxury, super moisturizing — cocoa butter, shea butter, almond, hemp, jojoba.

Published on Jan 14,