Teach Soap

How much does supperfatting add moisture? I mean I hear that jumping from 5% to 7% makes a difference on the skin... but does supperfatting alone make a recipe skin-softening? For example, I want to use oils/butters like avocado, shea, and sweet almond that have great skin-moisturizing properties, but I recently made a bar with them that I'm just not satisfied with (drying).

I also used a bar from a company that has the following oils: "saponified oils of coconut, olive, palm kernel, soybean, rice bran, & castor; shea & cocoa butters" and it has a great feel and really moisturized my skin. But from what I've read online (and as far as I understand) there is nothing really special about soybean and rice bran -- I think I've heard them referred to more as "fillers."

Is it simply that this recipe may have a 7%-10% superfat making it feel like it has more exotic oils? This is really stumping me! And if I'm after a "really moisturizing bar" for my super-dry skin should I superfat at something higher like 10%?

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)

I won't go below 7% for superfat. Anything lower I find drying.

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

You do not know what oils in the end are superfatted but I don't think it matters as long recipe itself is kosher. I prefer 7% for my self but make a lovely 10% superfat oatmeal honey for my lil one who has severe skin issues (I do mean REALLY severe) and he has NEVER been softer smoother and more hydrated granted I make his own body butter too but all the scabs and rashes have been gone since I started making his soaps it very creamy and moisturizing and "natural feeling" as my famiy commented on it. It is fav amongst those I passed around to family and friends. I haven't tried the 100% coconut oil with 20% superfat i heard Irena mentioning before but its on my list. I have ginger fish and think that will go nicely with that bar. Irena does it matter if the coconut oil is 76% (for melting pt). With the high superfat does he need longer thann the 4-6 week cure time.

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

I did test batches last spring and half my friends couldn't tell the difference between the 7% and the 5% (I can). I did try the 100% coconut and even with the 20% superfat, it was too much for me. My bike mechanic friend however said it didn't clean enough. go figure. I think that soaps with more than 20% coconut are drying, but my husband loves them. Each person has different skin, and no one soap is going to please everyone.

On a side note, I've been having fun reading labels at Anthropologie again. I noticed that 1. most of the soap bars are huge 2. the ingredients are pretty basic and most have palm, palm kernel, and coconut in the top three, 3. the smallest bars are the highest quality. Ingredients, IMHO, are chosen for cost, if they can make a decent soap and use cheap oils, then they do. All they have to do is add a touch of shea and they claim it's a shea butter soap (even if fragrance is listed first).

Irena, I've seen you say that about nothing lower than 7% before... I'm thinking I really need to vamp that number and test all the way til 10% to see how I like it. Thanks!

KomfyKate, that oatmeal honey soap at 10% sounds fabulous. Just what I need! I have very dry skin all-year-round, but the wintertime is my nemesis! I'm trying to prepare for what the cold is going to do to my already finicky skin, so I'm going to try oatmeal and honey and maybe some goat milk in a soap. Thanks! So for higher superfat are we talking 6-8 weeks cure time?

itspennylane, I do my coconut oil at 20% like you said to keep it from being drying. That's interesting what you said about cheaper ingredients being used on average in larger bars. It makes sense. Nothing wrong with that but it's a really good way to get people to buy your soap and think, "Hey this bar is cheaper AND bigger than that other smaller one!" Though the smaller bar may have more expensive, special oils in it. Interesting... thanks!

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)

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

Do the soaps with a higher SF (10%) run more risk of DOS because there are more unsaponified oils?

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

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

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