Drying Out Moisturizing Soap

Overview

In my project, I investigate the workability of soap. Workable soap is soft enough to easily slice, flexible enough to shape, and stretchy enough to bend without cracking. For three years, I have been fundraising for Make-a-Wish by making unique, moisturizing soaps. This year, I encountered the workability problem, which frustratingly prevented me from completing my designs. This workability problem first appeared when I repeatedly microwaved soap to develop a new design. I noticed that heated soap released steam, which was a clue that the soap was losing water. When I formed an element of my soap, the soap did not pour easily and cracked when I shaped the element. I poured tap water back into the melted soap and was excited to see that the added water restored the workability. I researched and verified that soap becomes dry or desiccated when reheated too much. The purpose of this project is to study soap workability with various hydration levels, including the original factory soap as my control, at room temperature. I melt a pot of my favorite moisturizing avocado base soap from Primal Elements soap company and make test samples. Then, I develop tests to help me understand workability. I use three tests: 1) a slicing test that uses a “Guillotine” style cutter to measure soap sliceability, 2) a “Pancake” test that measures soap flexibility, 3) a “Taco” test that measures soap cracking resistance. Based on my experience, my hypothesis is that higher hydration level in the soap will always result in better workability. I overcome challenges, including measurement inaccuracy and test setup problems. In the end, I confirm my hypothesis with charts and plots and find desiccation level of 5% from the factory formula to be acceptable. Results from this research might also be useful for making cosmetics, working with clay, and in cooking.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Materials Science (Junior Division) · Entry J-13-10

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