Teach Soap

Soap Greetings from a newbie, I am getting excited as I start this process and wanted some help and some opinions as I start this journey. I have read countless threads, looked at the videos, etc for CP. Make no bones about it, this is my first batch of CP. I have pretty much come up with this recipe on my own, so all the help in the world will be GREATLY appreciated if you feel it needs to be tweaked.

I have two reasons for starting this process. 1) I have really dry skin and want to create a bar that I can fall in love with and use over and over again by tweaking the essential oils and exfoliants/additives, etc......just need to start with a GOOD baseline of oils. 2) I need to create a 2nd recipe for my husband with total opposite skin that is severely OILY to the point that I need to use some detox clays and find a good baseline set of oils to use for him as well, enough so that I can use soapcalc.net again and just tweak a few things like the clays and additives for him as well. Below is my first attempt at a recipe. I am confused about the one thing.

How do you know it will be enough to fit into a 2lb, 4lb or 5lb mold? What indicates that on soapcalc.net ? How do I change it to make sure I am making enough batter for my desired yield as an end result........shew my head is swimming with information.

Here is the recipe:

SoapCalc © Recipe Name: Print Recipe
Total oil weight 2
Water as percent of oil weight 38 %
Super Fat/Discount 7 %
Lye Concentration 27.314 %
Water : Lye Ratio 2.661:1

Sat : Unsat Ratio 37 : 63
Iodine 64
INS 150
Fragrance Ratio 0
Fragrance Weight 0 Oz
Ingredient Pounds Ounces Grams
Water 0.76 12.16 344.73
Lye - NaOH 0.286 4.57 129.545
# √ Oil/Fat % Pounds Ounces Grams
1 Olive Oil 65 1.3 20.8 589.67
2 Shea Butter 15 0.3 4.8 136.078
3 Coconut Oil, 20 0.4 6.4 181.437
Totals 100 2 32 907.184

****Coconut Oil is fractionated in this recipe**** does this matter???????

Soap Bar Quality Your Recipe
Hardness 36
Cleansing 19
Conditioning 61
Bubbly 19
Creamy 18
Iodine 64
INS 150

Now with all this posted here is my next question. I LOVE Lavender. When do I add it, how much do I add and can I add anything else that fit my fancy? I love oatmeal, brazilian sea salts, etc......when do they get added and do I change the SF levels when adding different things like this? AND How much lavender do I add? I would like to call this bar, "All Jacked Up On Lavender", that is how much I love lavender and love the smell of it............if that makes sense.........am I getting carried away yet?

Fractionated coconut is very soft and will create soft soap. You need the regular coconut.
Lye calc uses only oils and butters. Any additives like oatmeal are added separately and don't need to account for the superfat. For Lavender, I would start with 0.7 oz. per lb. of soap.

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

Hi Natalie! You maybe surprised and find that the same bar will work for both of you.

Like Soapbuddy said, you need to use regular coconut oil instead of fractionated.
2# of oils will give you enough soap for a 2# mold plus some extra for a single bar mold or plastic container.
If this is your first time making soap, just stick with a plain bar - no additives. Once you get a feel for the process then you can start adding things.
Add your fragrances and other additives at trace. The amount of scent you can add varies by the fragrance or essential oil. . Some can only be used in small amounts and others can be safely used at a much higher rate.Brambleberry has a fragrance calculator that's very helpful for determining how much to use. http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragr ... lator.aspx

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thank you

Here's the next question .....

What degree of Coconut Oil do I use? Does it matter? I am assuming 96 degree...

In reference to the separate bars, right now the hubby is currently using a bar that is primarily made up of Palm, Palm Kernal and Shea with activated charcoal powder in it ~ he loves the bar, but I would LOVE to be able to create him an exclusive bar that he can cleanse with, shampoo with and detox with......if that makes sense and he loves lavender and tea tree combo.

I will primarily be working with only 2 recipes as I will not be selling soap ~ just family consumption.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thanks Linda, I will go back and redo my calculations......I appreciate everyone looking over this recipe for me

Happy to help! We're looking forward to seeing your creations.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I like to get 72 degree coconut oil, because it melts on your skin easily - so you can use any random leftover blobs or the stuff stuck on the bottom of the lid as lotion!

I use the 92 degree because I live in the hot desert.

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

SUPPLIES ORDERED Super excited, onto more reading.......I am really looking forward to this. However, I might reconfigured the recipe, AGAIN :/

Oh you'll keep tweaking alright. Soaping is an addiction! Btw, the problem with molds is that we refer to a batch by its oil weight but the mold size is given for the total weight of the batter, not just oils. I guesstimate by assuming about 50% more soap batter than oil weight ( so 120oz of oils will give me about 180 oz of soap batter). This is not exact and I experimented with my molds to get it right. It greatly depends on your water discount. You can always estimate by adding up the weight of your ingredients, including oils, lye, water/milk, fragrance/essential oils, and additives. Have fun!

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Linda

I learn so much when I can't leave well enough alone!

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Linda

I learn so much when I can't leave well enough alone!

Bawahaha, I just spit my wine out all over my soap recipe.....I just love this forum! Not to mention, I find myself foolishly coming back..hr after hr checking and reading updates. This is INSANE in my soaping membrane!

BTW, BB box will be here next week.........first batch will be a go next Friday, I'm hoping!!! Yikes.....lets start playing around. This batch needs to be perfect! As its for this momma right here

On a serious note, I LOVE Lavender EO 40/42.... I use it in all my own bath bombs, do you think it would be okay to use it in my first batch of soap? Just 1 EO??? What do ya'll think??

I know your first batch should be unscented and uncolored but I did my first batch with lavender EO and purple colorent (It just too hard to make your first one so plain )

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Anna Rose @-}--
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