Teach Soap

I want to make a shaving soap for personal use. I'm a "brush-and-soap-in-the-shower" kind of guy. Can't remember the last time I used shaving cream out of a can. I buy shaving soap from soap vendors online and from people here (covertly of course ) . Then it dawned on me; wait a minute .....I make soap. Why can't I do this just for myself? I picked up some bentonite pellets from a friend of mine who works with the stuff. Question: How much mass ppo of bentonite should I use and when do I add it ? I plan to pulverize the pellets into semi-fine powder before adding. I also plan to add about 1% vitamin e at trace.

Any recommendations from the experts? Please??

I'm no expert, but I have made a couple of batches. I added 1 Tbl of clay ppo. I add it to my oils and mix well before I add the lye/water. I have found that it traces fast. Hope this helps. I've gotten posiive feedback.

_________________
Diana
Butter Babies Soap
bbsoap.com

Pellets? I've never seen bentonite pellets. Is it just clay, or is there something else added? I wonder if you can grind it small enough? My clay is a superfine powder.

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

Thanks for the tip Diana 3249. I'll try it and see what happens. I'm just going to make a small batch. Wish me luck!

Yes, Soapbuddy; it's pellets and it is 100% bentonite. It comes in many forms from dust to blocks the size of a brick. There are pebbles, powder, clay, bricks and pellets....depending on what you want to use it for. My friend uses it to close oil exploration wells to prevent water from going down into a well after the drilling stops. They activate it with water and it swells up like a sponge. When it dries it becomes watertight. It's really fascinating stuff.

Thanks for the help.

When I make soaps with clay I use 1 level Tbsp per pound of oils. The clay is pulverized to a very very fine powder ( which is how I buy it ). This seems to provide good slip for the razor without being to much clay.

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

you can generally find the powder at home brewing stores, too - it gets used for filtering wines for clarity. pretty pricey there, but if you only want a small amount to play with that's a decent source. some health food stores carry it as a supplement, as well, since some folks stir a spoonful into a glass of water and drink the solution for internal cleansing.

for shaving soap, i use a lot of the fine powder - 1 oz per pound of oils. try throwing some silk in there, too. and use a recipe with a decent amount of stearic for lasting foam.

_________________
http://www.magichandsworkshop.com
http://www.magichands.etsy.com
http://www.magichandsworkshop.blogspot.com