Teach Soap

Do you think my first original recipe (at the top of this post) is lye heavy? Or do you think the superfatting was already built into that original recipe that I got from Bramble Berry?

The couple of batches that I've made with that original recipe are still curing so I haven't used any yet. After one week I did cut a small piece and washed my hands with it to make sure I hadn't put too much colorant in it. My hands didn't turn blue and the lather wasn't blue so I'm hoping I didn't over-do the color. My hands seemed a little dry though but I wasn't sure if that was because the soap hadn't cured yet.

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

I did use some local cocoa butter from a local source when I did this recipe... I have read that the scent could come through but mine did not. Now I have purchased a larger quanity. I actually prefer mango butter and yesterday while at a friends she was discussing my soaps and she said that the one I made with cocoa and mango butter was the very best....guess I found one of my set formulas! The only reason I stay with 5% superfat is to try to keep the lather level as high as I can. This really is a balancing act not to mention everyone's skin can be alittle different. Maybe I will go 6% (middle of the road) and see what that gives me... I feel a batch coming on!
You should try soap calc - calculator, it is soooo helpful to have. And yes you could just divide by 3 but I would run it thru a calculator just to be safe. Don't fear too much, they do all of the work for you.

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

If I use a higher percentage of olive oil, will I need to add sodium lactate to make sure the soap is not too hard? Where can I buy sodium lactate? I have only placed a few orders for soap supplies and those orders were placed through Bramble Berry. I didn't see sodium lactate on the Bramble Berry web site.

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

Oops . . . I meant to ask if I needed to use sodium lactate to make sure the bar was hard enough (not too hard). I thought someone on this forum had mentioned they used sodium lactate in most of their soap, so I wondered if it was something I might need.

I use sodium lactate in every batch because I don't gel. It makes my soap harder faster. In your case I don't think Sodium lactate is needed Midnightstorm

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

Thank you! That's exactly what I was wondering.

I have another question for you. I read somewhere that it may take soapers months or even years to "perfect their basic recipe". I am already finding out that soaping is challenging, but I am curious as to how it could take years for someone to perfect a recipe. Is it because there are so many variables as to what kinds of oils can be used and then you have to perfect the exact amounts that should be used? That makes soaping sound extremely difficult to me.

I am ready to try my new recipe today. I went to the lye calculator and, unless I've done something wrong, they amount of lye was slightly different than the measurement listed above. For 7% superfatting, the calculator said 3.594oz of lye; not 3.29oz. Have I done something wrong? Or was the 3.29 oz a typo?

Here's the new recipe I'm getting ready to make unless someone tells me I've used the Bramble Berry Lye Calculator incorrectly:

Coconut Oil (Fractioned) 6.00oz 25.0%
Olive Oil 12.00oz 50.0%
Palm Oil 6.00oz 25.0%
7% Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Amount 3.594oz
Ounces of liquid recommended 7.92oz

Fractionated coconut will make your soap VERY soft. You need regular coconut.

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

Oops . . . I didn't realize there were two kinds of coconut oil on the lye calculator page. I think my coconut oil is just the regular kind.

I also realized my kitchen scale doesn't have two numbers to the right of the decimal point - it only has one. Does that mean my scale is not accurate enough and that I need another one?

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

Oh, that's a neat rule of thumb. How in the world did you ever learn that???

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

I'm so glad I can learn from everyone on this forum and that I won't have to re-invent the wheel.

Thanks!