When making your own DIY beauty or cleaning products, you're usually working with water, diluted Castile Soap, or a combination of both. These ingredients naturally have a low viscosity, meaning they can feel quite thin and runny.
Using a few simple techniques, you can turn almost any water-based solution into a thicker, gel-like consistency.
A thicker product can be easier to dispense, helps cleaners cling to surfaces for longer, improves the feel of hand wash and dish liquid, and allows you to create gels and cleaning pastes that stay where you apply them instead of running straight off.
Thickening with xanthan gum and glycerine
To thicken any product that contains water, xanthan gum is the best option. This is great for product such as hand wash, dish liquid and cleaning gels where a thicker gel consistency is preferred.
Xanthan gum works by binding to water molecules and increasing viscosity. It doesn't make the cleaner stronger or more effective. It simply changes the texture and behaviour of the product.
Because xanthan gum hydrates very quickly, it has a tendency to form clumps when added directly to water. That's where glycerine comes in.
Mixing xanthan gum with glycerine first creates a smooth paste that allows the xanthan gum to disperse evenly throughout the solution. This prevents clumping and creates a smoother final product.
Glycerine also improves the feel and texture of the finished product, making it particularly useful in hand wash, dish liquid and beauty recipes.
How to use xanthan gum and glycerine
- Add your xanthan gum and glycerine to the container/bowl first, mixing until a smooth paste forms.
- Then add your water-based solution while stirring until you get close to the consistency you are after, as the xanthan gum will continue to thicken over the next hour
Always start with less xanthan gum than you think you need. It is surprisingly effective in very small amounts.
How much to use
- Light thickening: 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum per litre
- Gel consistency: 1/2 - 1 teaspoon xanthan gum per litre
You just need enough glycerine to cover the xanthan hum, usually 1 tablespoon is enough.
A trick for thickening Castile Soap
This method only works with if you’re using pure, undiluted Castile Soap made mainly with olive oil. A small saline solution (salt dissolved in water) can naturally thicken it, by interacting with the soap molecules to increase viscosity.
A word of caution: thickening is a delicate balance, add the saline slowly! Too much can break the mixture down and make it runnier than before. Once the soap is diluted with water, this method no longer works, and you’ll need to use xanthan gum and glycerine instead.