Teach Soap

I just made a few shaving bar recipes that I wrote myself, all using varying amounts of coconut, palm, olive, castor, shea butter, and cocoa butter, with 5& superfat. I also substituted 20% of the water for aloe vera and had a worrisome result. Each loaf was impossibly hard after 24 hours. They were all very difficult to cut and actually cracked, with crunks coming off. Any thoughts as to what happened?

Off the top of my head, there could have been three issues. First, I also added a teaspoon of bentonite clay directly to the lye water before mixing. I usually let my clay sit in additional water for a while when I use clay for production. Second, this is the first time I've worked with aloe vera. Could that have caused the problem? Third, these all went to a very heavy trace before I poured them.

Thanks!

It was probably a combination of all the hard oils and the clay.

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

The oils you posted, even with added clay will not make for a good shaving soap. You need stable, long lasting lather that will last with at least three passes. It took me a year to come up with a recipe that my wet shaving customers love. I don't use clay as it can clog up the razor.

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

Thanks for your help. What oils did you end up using to stabilize your lather?

You need oils that are high in stearic acid. Or you can use stearic acid as one of your oils.

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