Thickening castille soap shower gel

[Freya R]

Hi there!

I've been making hand wash/shower gel for a while now, that consists of half water half castille soap and some essential oils. Other than using a foaming pump, how can I make it thicker? Id love to learn how to make it an actual gel rather than water. I saw someone say use xanthium gum, however someone said it goes too thick. What's everyone's tips?

Thanks!

 

[Stellur]

Hi there!

I've been making hand wash/shower gel for a while now, that consists of half water half castille soap and some essential oils. Other than using a foaming pump, how can I make it thicker? Id love to learn how to make it an actual gel rather than water. I saw someone say use xanthium gum, however someone said it goes too thick. What's everyone's tips?

Thanks!

Yeah, xanthan gum works but it's easy to overdo, start with like 0.3 to 0.5% by weight and blend it slowly (stick blender helps), you can also look into guar gum or hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) for a more gel like texture without a slimy feel xanthan can sometimes give.
Pro tip: pre mix your gum with glycerin or a small amount of oil before adding to water to avoid clumping, hope that helps you

 

[Freya R]

That's great! Thank you! Do you add the glycerine to both? The Xanthum gum or guar gum depending on what you're using? Also what is the ratio to glycerine? Thanks!

 

[cutandcraft1022]

I worked on a similar project not too long ago and my first attempt turned out more like jelly than gel. I found out that if you premix the gum with a bit of glycerin beforehand, it really makes a difference. It helps to smooth it out and thickens it nicely without getting that gluey texture. It just requires a little trial and some patience