Teach Soap

I have a soap making book which says to only use Shea butter in small amounts and no more than 5%. Why is this and what would happen to my soap if I used it at 10%. In my recipe at 10% through SoapCalc the hardness is 37, cleaning 20, conditioning 60, bubbly 25, creamy 21, Iodine 61 so all figures are in the acceptable range. Lauric is 14 with Myristic 6. Thanks for any info.

Well one thing you learn fast when soap making, and that is that there is a large amount of contradictory information out there, of course you also learn that there are few hard and fast rules. But, shea butter does contain a large percentage of ingredients that are unsaponifiable, meaning that they do not react with the lye, they remain in the soap to nourish your skin. Generally it is recommended that you do mot use it at more than 20% of your total oils, but as little as 1 and 2/3 tablespoons per 5 pounds of oils are beneficial for superfatting. So your 10% should be fine, but I would not use a high lye discount then, as the two combined would probably be too much and may give you DOS or too soft a soap.

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

I've done shea butter as high as 20% and the soap came out fine. It's not something I would do with all my soaps due to price. Some books need to be taken with a grain of salt.

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

Thank you both for your comments and I will continue with my 10% now with confidence.

I do a soap with 35% Olive, 30% coconut, 30% palm and 5% shea butter that comes out really nice. I use 35% water and superfat at 7%. It makes a nice hard bar that even with all the coconut, doesn't feel drying. I've also used shea butter at 15% in a couple of soaps without a problem. I love shea butter in soap!

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

If I may revitalize this thread...

I made a soap about 48 hours ago with 10% shea and its still too soft to cut. Eeeep! I'm a little worried. Will it harden up? It's a gorgeous soap so I'm crossing fingers and toes....

(I'll have to dbl check my recipe but it was about 50% OO and 30% CO plus a little castor and sweet almond. Additives: EOs for scent and approx 1 tsp/ppo of clay.)

Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

Hi Karri

My soaps made with Shea butter are always on the soft side to start with but harden up nicely over time. I always leave mine for 6 weeks and really hard at that stage. Usually leave to cut a good 24 hours and sometimes longer depending on the weather etc. I'm sure your's will be fine so don't panic. Let us know how they turn out.

Hi Karri! Did you let your soap gel? (I know from your other comments that you didn't gel your milk soaps) If not it will stay soft longer. I gel my soaps and can usually cut them soon after they cool completely - even the shea butter & avocado oil ones.

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

Hey guys!

Okay, so I cut the soap this morning which is approx 2.5 days since I poured and about 1.5 since unmolding and they seem okay. PHEW!

And yeah, good thing to know about the shea. I was really panicking for a number of reasons re this soap. It started getting a bit lumpy on me when I was mixing it (must have been the shea?) and then I also let it get to too heavy a trace before adding my clays. So I was stirring forever because I didn't want lumps and bumps! Plus I used a "standard" olive oil this time instead of extra virgin and discovered the best before date was June 2011. The oil doesn't look cloudy or anything so I'm sure it's fine but geez!

Anyway, I think it turned out great. I'm calling this one "Girlie Girl" soap Scented with lavender/spearmint/geranium eo. Cut it this morning. Here are some pics:

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I soap therefore I am.

Those came out well! Sometime what you need is just a little more time.

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

Thanks Irena! And yes, you're so right ... patience is a virtue in soap making, yes?

Linda - oops, I forgot to answer your question: yes, I let the soap gel. Or at least I'm assuming it gelled. I used wooden molds with the lids on (but no towels).

Tammy - I superfatted at 5% and used 35% water (that's what I entered into SoapCalc). Do you think these numbers are okay given I used 10% shea? I can't stand the though of early rancidity or DOS in this lovely batch! LOL.

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I soap therefore I am.

5% superfat doesn't normally give you DOS unless you used some old oils.

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

Karri that is so pretty. I really like the swirly tops and the name!

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

That soap turned out so beautiful! Love the swirly top

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

Thanks you guys!

That swirly top was sorta one of those unplanned experiments that worked in my favor (Oh and bamboo skewers are perfect for this!)

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I soap therefore I am.