Teach Soap

ask soap makers to share their favorite CP recipe? People seem very protective and that's OK. There are just sooo many recipes in books and online. I don't think I have found "The one" yet. Anyone willing to share?

i have noticed that for people who doing soap is their business, they are more protective of their recipe. its their lively hood and they have worked hard to come up with a formula that their customers love, so to pass it around for everyone to use might effect their business and then people are taking credit for their hard work. thats the way i look at it. my first recipe that i ever did was one i made myself, ive never used one out of a book. i spent a lot of time researching oils and their properties. and played on the soap calc a lot too. if you really dig deap into oils you can put together your own great recipe.

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ASH

This is my business. My formula stays with me. If you need a soap recipe, I would suggest Kathy Miller soap. http://www.millersoap.com/soapallveg.html

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

I guess it doesn't hurt to ask, but to expect that someone will offer one is another issue, and yes, it is a giant faux paux imho. As SoapBaby says, this is a business for many of us, and as such, we have studied and put a lot of time and effort into developing our recipes. Recipes that we guard and protect because they are our business and our income.

I am like SoapBaby, I have never used another persons recipe, be it from a book or on line. And I am like SoapBuddy, my recipes are mine and I don't ever offer them to anyone. But, I am happy to offer whatever other assistance I can, and I believe that everyone on here feels the same (about helping), in fact I know that SB feels the same, as she answers almost every question on this forum.

As you state, there are plenty of recipes on line and in books for people to practice with. Those recipes make great teaching/learning batches, and were put out there for just that purpose. And, unless you want to sell your soap, it is perfectly fine to keep using those recipes as long as you don't want to attempt your own.

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

Tammy

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

Wow! I guess it is a sensitive subject. I have spent hours, days, weeks...studying and it is a lot to learn. A science really. So am I to assume the recipes given in the recommended soap books and websites are not their best ones? I will continue to learn the facts about different oils and what they offer. It's the % of each that has me confused. No harm, no foul:)

I wouldnt say that they are not their best ones, I do think they try hard to offer ones that are good quality with minimal confusion, at least in the beginning ones. There are millions of combinations that would end in a a perfect bar of soap. So a lot of it is your personal choice and what you believe is best. Some of it is a science, but some of it is just artistry. It does take a basic understanding, but once you have that, making your own recipe is just a matter of trial and error. I think it helps your understanding to practicing running the recipes you find in books and from the "big name" websites through the calculator and then seeing what happens when you alter percentages. Even a 1% change can alter more than 1 category on the calculator. I find that part the fun part, and began with a notebook of probably 100 recipes easy. Every time I thought I was finished, I would think of something else and recalculate, then have better numbers with taht one.

Please dont take what we said the wrong way. It isnt really a sensitive subject, you just got an answer to your question . The percentages is where each recipe differs and why we can make a thousand different recipes from the same oils! To know what the maximum recommended amount of an oil is, try this reference http://www.colebrothers.com/soap/oils.html But know that there are no absolutes, and other sites may disagree. In fact, there are several recipes that work, that really shouldn't by the generally accepted rules. In fact, Ann Marie has a "break the rules soap" recipe on the Teach Soap site. Of course, castille and salt soap are also rule breakers, and there are others too, but if you get the "generally accepted" rules down first, then you can better break the rules.

We are all here to help you, and each other through this journey. So anything you want/need help with, dont hesitate to ask. The worst that can happen is that you either wont get an answer, or you will get too many different answers

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

Tammy

I have a special recipe that I don't share with anyone. But...that being said, I do have a couple of good easy recipes that I do share with anyone who asks for one. I tell people its like asking someone for the super secret family bbq sauce recipe--I'm from the south and people seem to understand the concept of it. I put the ingredients on each bar and they are welcome to experiment with those things to their hearts content. It's amazing how 5-6 simple ingredients can come out a hundred different ways.

Thanks all. I love this forum and everyone is SO helpful. I need to learn patience. I generally want it done yesterday

Enchante, been there, done that! I started out with a recipe from a book, not so good. Then went to the Miller site and used the basic vegie reciepe. At least that got me started in the right direction. The experimentation after that has been a blast. I still do not have one go to formula, but am working on it. I have also had almost everything go wrong that can, but thats not bad either - great learning experience. So do I share receipes? No, I'm not sure mine are what you are looking for and who knows by not experimenting you may not discover what could be one of your greatest moments in your lifetime.

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

My first batches were made from recipes in Alicia Grosso's Everything Soapmaking Book. They were perfect for first-timers and turned out really well. I still love her olive and coconut oils soap made with goat's milk instead of the water. It lathers well and feels wonderful. Since then I've experimented with recipes using lard, shortening, palm oil, and shea butter and have a couple that will probably be my "go to" recipes from now on. Have fun experimenting, but do small batches just in case something doesn't go as you hoped!

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

Thanks so much for your encouragment

I'm with you Enchante! I didn't even think about asking about recipes might be a sensitive subject, and rightly so! I think I'm just so overwhelmed I forget to think about what I'm asking! Oh, and I want it done yesterday too, and perfect the first time! It's a good thing BB is so far away from me, or I'd be making a drive every few days! I will say also- I've seen a couple of forums and this one seems to be by far the friendliest! I've had so many people respond to what are probably dumb questions so kindly!

I started out using recipes that I found on the internet. When I had gotten some experience I started experimenting. I use SoapCalc lye calculator to help me formulate my recipes. The hardness, bubbly etc. numbers are not 100% accurate, but they give you an idea of how the soap will turn out. I would start making soap with ingredients that are easy to find at Walmart such as Luann cocnout oil, lard, Crisco, and Castor Oil (probably found in the pharmacy section). You can make a great soap out of those ingredients.

Here is a recipe I came up with from SoapCalc for 2 pounds of oils, this will make a little over 2 pounds of soap because of the water.
Coconut Oil -- 9.6 oz
Crisco (new formula with palm) -- 9.6 oz
Lard -- 9.6 oz
Castor oil --3.2 oz
Lye --4.6 oz
Water -- 12.1 oz

This will give you a hard bar that is fairly conditioning and with good lather.

If you want to add essential oils, Walmart may have some in the craft section. I usually add about .75 oz per pound of oils. If you don't want to use lard, use 19.2 oz of the new Crisco and adjust the lye to 4.5 oz.


http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

Here is a great set of tutuorials from Soap Queen TV. It even has the recipe.
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body- ... utorial-2/

David Fisher was where I got my start on About.com's section on soapmaking. He gives lots of recommendations for percentages along with a description of each fat and the qualities it adds (as well as a very helpful video on trace). I have never made a recipe as written, but have considered his suggestions for percentages, then researched the oils/fats, and started writing my own formulas. For me, that wasn't the difficult part--I just made lots of small batches with different percentages and tested them on myself to decide what I liked. The lye calculator figures out what amount of lye to use for whatever superfat you want, so that is really pretty simple.

The difficult part for me is dealing with the small margin of error in small batches and overheating causing separation. Now that I measure in grams, am careful to scrape all the oil out of the bowl into the soap pot, and superfat at 7% per Soapbuddy's recommendation, I think I have overcome the former in the last few batches; the latter has only happened to me with a fragrance oil (1x) and goat milk (1x). I'll be putting future goat milk soap in the fridge to see if that prevents overheating and separation.