Liquid Hand Soap Options

I did a quick search and came up with a couple of liquid soap options from folks here on The Shave Den, but I'm wondering if anyone knows of an artisan shaving soap makers that also produces liquid soap(s)?

Any help, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Craig

 

http://www.gmsoap.com/

Run by the parents of a really good guy I knew from that other shaving site. They also make tallow-based shaving soap for which I was a beta tester a few years back.

 

I know of two....1)-Block Soap, which has always been available in my supermarket, and ManHandsSoaps. I haven't used ManHands, but I may be tempted to buy one sometime.

 

I am a soapmaker myself, making liquid soap.

In case you would want to put a very small amount of work into it, you can very easily make liquid soap yourself. It is a fun hobby. All you need is a kitchen scale with good precision (measuring in gram because of higher precision), a cheap stick blender in plastic or preferable stainless steel (no plated zamak), some KOH lye, some oils and fragrance. KOH can be bought from most plumbers stores. It is also the only ingredient you need to handle with care. Make sure you use KOH and not NaOH, as NaOH is for solid soaps.

This is how it is done:

1. Use http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp to calculate the amount of oils, water and lye needed. Make sure you select KOH in the calculator
   
2. Measure up in a separate container water and KOH lye. The reaction between lye and water will cause some heat, which is why most people prefer to add KOH to water rather than the other way around. Let the KOH fully get dissolved.
3. Measure up the oils. With just olive oil, you get a mild soap.
   
4. Pour in the lye solution to the oils
5. Mix with a stick blender until it is thick enough to not separate anymore At this moment the surface will not go back to flat if you touch it with the blender, the trace is permanent. Some oils will be slower to "trace" than other. For olive oil, you need plenty of mixing. Don't get surprised if your stick blender needs a rest to prevent overheating. If you really have mixed much and you still see separation in form of small "grains", add some water until you are able to get a smooth and stable cream.
   
6. Bake in oven over night. 60°C is good. This will speed up the reaction, so you get to use the soap faster.
   
7. You now have a soap concentrate paste. Add more water until you have the right consistency and add some fragrance oils. This diluting process takes a few day, as the soap takes some time to dissolve despite being a paste.

When you use the soapcalc, you will find a superfat percentage there. Unlike many guides on Internet, I think you should have between 2-5% there. This will make a slightly cloudy soap, but you can be sure it is not having unreacted lye, which would be terrible for skin and eyes. Instead you have a bit too much oil, which is beneficial for the skin. This excess oil causes the soap to be a bit cloudy. Many guides tell you to have a negative percentage to get all oil to react and then neutralize the excess lye with an acid after.

The liquid soap I have sold most of (to friends and colleges) contains nothing else than water, olive oil, KOH and lavender essential oil.

 

This is awesome! Thank you for the guidance as I was seriously considering trying my hand at soap making, both liquid and solid. Really appreciate it.

 

Feel free to PM me with any question you have about soap making.

 

I'll do that. Again, thank you very much!