Teach Soap

You guys probably won't believe this, but most houses here don't have hot water in the kitchen. When I do dishes, I carry in a bucket from the bathroom shower tap. (No bathtub either, bummer. )

I have 2 questions today:

1) We are about 200 yards from the beach and have hard water. Being a tourist town, many of the younger set like to bathe directly in the sea. (Being a pirate, I would like to take advantage of this with a coconut soap. ) Does the soap have to be 100% coconut with 20% SF, or could I add another oil, such as olive oil, and still get lather in sea water?

2) Also, we have a fleet of artesanal fishermen here, and they process the fish in sheds on the beach. (I have a coffee soap planned to show them - I hate fishy-smelling hands.) They use a hard fresh water (public utility) in the fish sheds, but cold only.

I am wondering if there is an additive that will help soap lather better in COLD hard water. Also, I use a lard/tallow blend with coconut & olive, sometimes rice bran oil. I have added 2T borax to the recipe, but have yet to test that batch. Meanwhile, I just run to the bathroom to wash my hands...

Any advice would be appreciated!

From my understanding, your best bet is 100% coconut oil. I know a lot of soapers add some sugar to help boost bubbles, but I'm not sure if that will help in salt water. Something else that might be helpful is a wash cloth or a brush. I get a LOT more lather off of my salt bar when I scrub it with a brush or a wash cloth. My salt bar is 100% coconut oil, 20% superfat, then I added an amount of salt equal to the coconut oil, so that's the closest I've come to dealing with salt water. Palm kernel oil (not palm oil), is often a good substitute for coconut oil, but one soaper made a similar bar - 100% palm kernel, 20% superfat, equal weight of salt - and said it was like trying to wash with a piece of plastic. NO lather at ALL. So I think it's something special in the coconut oil that makes it lather in salt water.

Coconut milk can boost lather. The kind in the can, not the kind in the carton. I don't know if that's because of the coconut oil in the milk, or something else in the milk.

100% coconut with a 20% superfat will lather in cold water.

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks for the tips, gals! I did a soap with 90% coconut & 10% olive, with 2 tblsp. sugar "por las dudas," and got a great bar that lathers brilliantly in cold and in the sea!

Now I can't wait for a "beach day" so I can go down & get some algae (to eat & to make a new soap)... Next go-round, I will be shooting for an ocean scented algae bar, using a pinch of indigo for a swirl. Hope my dolphin mold arrives soon!

Looks to be a great tourist season coming up.

Adding coffee grounds would be helpful for removing odor.

I made a salt bar with lavender, and the lavender scent goes very well with the salt scent.

I make a 100% coconut with a 20% superfat for customers with hard water or ocean water.

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I made myself a recipe with high coconut and castor oil added to my olive,lard and tallow. It hasn't finished curing yet but when I tried it the lather was very good in cold and medium hard water. Not sure what it'll do in very hard water. Castor oil added to your coconut will give you way more bubbles.