Teach Soap

I found this CP soap from a Farmers Market in St. Louis. I love it. It's what I am wanting to make. All I know is what is in it.

water, lye, olive oil, coconut, soy and shea butter.

It lathers wonderfully and is really soft. This is the recipe that I have been making from my Soap Class I took.

water, lye, olive oil, coconut and palm oil.

If I am wanting to make the first recipe, how would I know how much of each for a 10 bar batch? Plus what is soy? Is it Vegetable Oil?

I still have to wait 2 more weeks before I know how my bars turn out to see if the lather is comparable.

Any Help I could get would be much appreciated.

soy is an oil that comes from the soy bean. i am not sure about ratios. i am new also.

I looked at the back of a Vegetable Oil container and it said Soybean Oil as the only ingrediate. That's why I question if it was Vegetable Oil.

'Vegetable oil' is such a vague term, it includes any oil made from any plant, but you could use any that specify 100% soya oil (soy and soya are the same thing). The list clearly isn't in order of percentage in the soap, so it is really impossible for us to figure out the recipe. There are literally thousands of possibilities.

The best idea is to make lots of small batches with different oils until you find a recipe that you really like!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

For your first recipe, I would not make a 10 lb batch. Recalc your recipe for 2 lb instead.

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

"water, lye, olive oil, coconut, soy and shea butter."
I'm guessing that these are not listed in largest to smallest amounts since water and lye are listed at the start.
This is what I would try first:
Coconut oil - 20% (more than that and some people find it drying)
Shea Butter - 10%
Soy - 15%
Olive - 55%
Superfat - 7%
According to Soapcalc.net, this will be mildly cleansing, very conditioning and have a creamy lather. If you wanted a more bubbly lather, you could sub in 5% castor for the some of the olive or soy.

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

It does have a very creamy lather. That's probably the best way to describe it. Creamy.

Thanks for the help!

You're welcome! Please let us know how it turns out.

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

Best of luck... I like Linda's numbers she gave you. I can usually get about 8-9 bars from a 2# (32 oz) of oil batch so maybe you can start there. What mold\s are you planning on using? With 2# of oil I usually get about 47 to 54 oz total batter.... will depend on how much water I choose to use.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

My teacher called the recipe a 10 bar recipe. It's close to 3 lbs. I am able to get 7 bars. I think if I get some type of better cutting system than me eye balling it, I can get 8 bars. Right now they are about an inch thick. I am still trying to figure out what is a good thickness and size for the bars.

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

I think that is how I am only getting 7 bars. Mine are 2.5 x 4.125. Maybe I will have my box made to 3.5. I think that might be a better size.

Thanks!

The most common size for soap is the 2.5" x 3.5" (same dimensions as standard playing cards) x 1" thick. I prefer mine a bit thicker than 1" and slightly smaller in width. I would buy a few different sizes of soap bars from your favorite farmer's market vendors or health food store and see which ones you like the very best.

It will help you a lot to find the bar size you love before you buy your molds and cutters. It's an individual thing and it's pricey to figure it out after you've already bought equipment. Don't ask me how I know that. LOL