Borax – Borax is actually more of a buffer and not really a “neutralizer”. It brings down the PH of liquid soap because it has a lower PH itself. Borax is also great because it helps thicken your soap, it softens hard water and helps prevent congealing (that layer of soap on top).
Borax, or sodium borate, is an alkaline mineral salt that comes from boron. It's a white powder that's used in a range of products. Sodium borate is a pesticide, whitening and disinfecting agent, emulsifier, thickener, mold remover and odor neutralizer.
Since borax is part sodium and sodium naturally softens water, adding borax to laundry soap will help soften the water so your clothes are ultimately cleaner. It keeps the soap from lingering in your clothes. All soap, even natural soaps, can leave a residue on your laundry after you wash and rinse it.
This is because more liquid is being incorporated into the soap, which dilutes the soap too much. Before you thicken your soap this way, be sure to add your scent or essential oils first. Some oils will naturally thicken your soap for you, so the need for the salt solution is not needed.
Old, expired lye can cause consistency issues; and living in a humid environment can cause it to weaken even faster. Also check your water content. You may be using too much liquid if your soap isn't thickening.
Soak up liquid stains
Instead of hitting it with a dry cloth in an attempt to soak up the liquid, sprinkle borax on it and let it soak up for a few minutes before wiping up. You'll be amazed. Works well on carpet but hard surfaces, too. And while absorbing the offending liquid, it helps neutralize the odor too.
Clean Outdoor Furniture
Combine one teaspoon of dish soap, one teaspoon of Borax, and one quart of warm water in a spray bottle, then spray it all over the outdoor furniture. Rinse the solution off with your garden hose.
2) Saline Solution – the addition of good old iodised table salt will naturally thicken Castile Soap. The smallest amount is needed & there are no hard & fats rules. So, the best way to tackle it is to make a saline solution and add a tiny, tiny bit at a time to see what happens.
First, make sure to keep it away from children's reach. Second, avoid using it as a cosmetic product and handle it with care at all times. This usually means wearing a mask and gloves when using it. Finally, do NOT mix Borax with any boric acid products, such as pesticides.
As a side benefit, glycerin is a wonderful humectant for the skin and slightly thickens the final product. The only downside of using glycerin as your solvent in liquid soap is that KOH is poorly soluble in glycerin and the mixture must be heated on the stovetop.
Adding honey can increase lather in your soap significantly. Simply reducing the superfat in your soap recipe can also increase lather. Along the same lines as adding sugar, adding honey can increase the lather of your soap significantly.
Employing thickening agents. Thickening agents, such as NaCMC or HPMC, can be added to detergent formulations to increase viscosity. These agents work by forming a network structure within the liquid detergent, providing the necessary resistance to flow while maintaining cleaning performance.
Borax has long been recognized for its disinfectant and deodorizing properties. Mix a 1/2 cup of Borax into 1 gallon of hot water or undiluted vinegar and clean with this solution. For a fragrant smell, add a few sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary or lavender to the above recipe.
Regular bar soap can be grated and combined with Borax to create a very effective laundry detergent alternative. Here's how to do it: Using a butter knife, a spoon or even a cheese grater, grate about a cup of bar soap. Add the grated bar soap to ½ cup of borax and ½ cup of washing soda.
Borax can be substituted by a number of natural ingredients, including vinegar, baking soda and coffee grinds. Many people substitute out Borax because of its harmful qualities.
Borax can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if you ingest it by itself, and large amounts can lead to shock and kidney failure. It's banned in U.S. food products. It also can irritate your skin and eyes, and it can hurt your nose, throat, and lungs if you breathe it in.
Borax acts as a buffer and raises the pH of the water to a slightly basic solution, right around a pH of 8. Don't use Borax at the same time as vinegar or you'll just create a nice little acid-base reaction and make salt.
As long as the products are stored in properly sealed original containers, the storage life (shelf life) is theoretically indefinite since borates will not break down or decompose.
The most common foaming agents used in personal care are chemicals sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), sodium lauryl sulfate (sometimes referred to as sodium dodecyl sulfate or SLS) and coco-glucoside.
#2: Contains Too Much Water
Still, of course, too much water can spoil the consistency by leaving you with a runny soap that slips between your fingers when you go to wash your hands, and in turn, dilutes the soap to the point that you need to use a lot more than you want to each time you go to clean your dishes.
Use Stearic Acid
Stearic acid is a great addition to soap recipes if you'd like to create an extra firm bar of soap. It's usually used as a thickening agent in lotion. It's a vegetable derived waxy substance that can be used at a 0.5% of your oils in cold process soap.