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Neutralizing Excess Lye in Bubble Bath Base
As more people discover the joys of making their own bubble bath at home, recipes for handmade bubble bath are becoming more widely available from a variety of sources. In books, by word-of-mouth, and on the Internet, people are sharing their own secret recipes, and trying those that they received from others.
Some people also choose to make their own liquid soap base for their bubble bath, particularly those who have experience with making other varieties of soap.
What many people don't realize, however, is that liquid bubble bath recipes are formulated with approximately ten percent excess lye.
This ensures that all of the oils in the recipe will be saponified, or reacted with the lye to form soap; it also means that, to avoid potentially serious chemical burns and other side effects, the excess lye must be neutralized before the liquid soap is combined with other ingredients to form bubble bath.
After you have made the liquid soap base and the saponification process is complete, put the mixture back in a crock-pot or double-boiler, and slowly heat it to approximately 180 degrees. While the soap heats, mix two ounces of boric acid with ten ounces of boiling water. (You can also use three ounces of boric acid in ten ounces of boiling water.)
Stir the boric acid solution very well, and try to keep it at roughly the same temperature as the liquid soap so that the two will mix well. Add the boric acid solution to the soap base in a ratio of 0.75 ounces of solution for each pound of soap base. If in doubt, or if you have partial pounds, err on the low side, as adding too much boric acid will make your liquid soap cloudy.
Once you have completed this step, test the pH of your soap to make sure that all of the excess lye has been neutralized. Water usually has a pH of around 7.0, but lye is a very alkaline substance, meaning its pH is closer to the maximum of 14.
If there is any unsaponified lye left in your liquid soap mixture, the soap will be alkaline, meaning it will have a pH of 10-14; soap is only safe to use on skin if its pH is between 7.0 (neutral) and 9.5 (slightly alkaline).
There are two ways to test the pH of your liquid bubble bath base; pH test strips, and a chemical called phenolphthalein. Test strips, like the ones you can get at pet stores for testing aquarium water, will have a color-coded key on the side of the package so that you can check the pH of the soap after dipping the strip in it.
To test your soap using these strips, measure out 100 ml of room-temperature water, and test its pH; it should be approximately 7.0, or it will alter the results of the test. If the water is at the proper pH, mix it with one gram of the soap mixture, then dip the strip into the blend. Match the strip's color to the key on the side of the package to determine your soap's alkalinity; make sure you follow the directions, as each strip is used slightly differently.
Phenolphthalein is a clear liquid that turns pink if it is mixed with an alkaline substance; if it stays clear, or turns very pale pink, then the soap is okay to use.
If it turns dark pink, then the soap is too alkaline for use on skin, but can be utilized as a laundry detergent or household cleaner.
http://bubblebathsecrets.com
About the Author
My name is Michael Vance and I've been I am a consummate Bubble Bath-making enthusiast and I've been creating beautiful homemade Bubble Baths for about 10 years.
To learn more about <a target="_new" href="http://bubblebathsecrets.com/neutralizing-the-excess-lye-in-homemade-bubble-bath-base/"> Neutralizing Excess Lye </a> in your bubble bath visit our website for further information <a target="_new" href="http://bubblebathsecrets.com/">Bubble Bath Secrets</a>
I got bitten by something and now i have a clear bubble?
SO two night ago I got bitten by something near my belly button near a wound i have from an operation I had, it looks like a mosquito bite but then a clear bubble grew on it. What could this be?
ps: it is itchy
You sure it is an insect bite? Could be from your surgical incision. You do not say how old the incision is.
It could be many things. If it is a mosquito bite, could be the mosquito did not insert it's needle fully into the new red skin causing a superficial fluid filled blister.
Since you have recently had an incision, would be wise to follow up with the physician, as this could potentially leave an unwanted scar or become infected.
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