Teach Soap

All right, soap world. Here I am. I've got the scale, the stick blender, the containers and utensils, the safety equipment, a bamboo drawer organizer to use as a mold, parchment paper to line it with, and a bunch of unopened bottles gleaned from health food stores and Walmart.

I also have a giant heap of questions for all of you, noted in bold to distinguish them from the rest of my blather.

- Is it safe to use pigments from an art store like Blick? It says they're non-toxic and "pure/unadulterated" but I'm not sure if that means they're safe for cosmetic use.

- How do I line the mold so that the edges don't look weird and liquid soap doesn't leak through the corners and eat the bamboo?

- Should I Saran-wrap the mold before insulating it so that even less heat escapes? I want to encourage the thing to gel, but the mold is somewhat thin and has no lid, and my first batch will be small.

I've spent the last two weeks trawling the Internet for as much information as I can. I've played with SoapCalc until my eyes crossed. There are about a zillion different recipes, scents, and ingredients I want to try. I haven't even LET myself look at online stores yet because it'd just be too darn tempting.

These are the oils I've obtained so far: Palm, avocado, castor, generic Crisco, coconut, cocoa butter, apricot kernel, and olive (regular). Every SoapCalc recipe that I've tried to make so far winds up using at least seven of them, plus a few that I don't have (mango and shea butters...*drool*), so I am looking to you guys for simplicity.

- Would you have any recommendations for a basic recipe from the above-named oils?

- How relevant is the INS number to actually making a good bar of soap? I read the blog post that pointed out that the closer an INS number is to 160, the more likely the recipe is to saponify, but how is the quality of the end result affected (besides the obvious "if it doesn't turn into soap, the quality sucks")?

Everything I've read suggests keeping the first attempt as simple as possible. Still, I want what I make to be usable and at least a little bit interesting, so I'd like to incorporate one scent and one color (I really want to try marbling!).

I am a citrus freak and already have a 4oz bottle of Sweet Orange EO, but I know the scent fades quickly on its own and I need to add a fixative oil to prevent that. I would like the fixative oil to be relatively un-noticeable.

Which fixative oil would you recommend, and how much of each scent would I need to add to a batch between 1 and 2 pounds?

Thank you guys so much for...well, existing! I've already learned a lot from all of you, and I look forward to being more active in the future.

You can make a lovely soap using just pure olive oil. I often find that the best soap recipes are the simplest. There are a bunch of great basic soap recipes at http://www.teachsoap.com/easycpsoap.html

Scent: anywhere from .5- .8% is what I use most often

I wouldn't use colors from an art supply store, but that's just me. I use micas and oxides pretty much exclusively, but then again you could try micro batches and play around or not color your first batches at all. Heck I plan on using some of my own mineral makeup in my next batch of M&P as an experiment!

molds: I use a simple plastic storage container for my "loaf" style bars and I don't line it. I trim up after its cured, using the trimmings for rebatch later.

Goodluck!

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Not So Plain Jane Jewelry
Silver City, NM

Er, okay, I'm probably a bit of a dork for posting a reply to my own topic, but I was looking at another website and found this basic recipe template:

30% Coconut oil
30% Palm oil
30% Olive oil
10% Whatever

Does this turn out to be a good-quality soap? What oils would work well to make up that remaining 10%? Is it possible to split it half-and-half, like 5% avocado and 5% castor, and still come out with a nice bar?

Hopefully some of you have experimented with this; I'd love to see some real-world experiences along with the SoapCalc numbers.

You replied before I could.
I wouldn't do all Olive for a first batch, it takes sooooo long to trace ( if ever) and may discourage you.
The recipe you have there seems OK to start with. I would go for the Avo. oil and maybe a bit of the Castor. I usually don't use castor so I'm not sure what % is best - maybe Soapbuddy can answer that one.

I would line the mold with the Parchment ( I use Freezer Paper.) folding the ends like a package with the flatest part toward the soap. (I hope I explained that right.) If you are not sure how much volume that your mold will hold, have something else at the ready to mold any excess soap.
Good luck and have fun!

PS - it may be just me, but I hate the feel of soap made with Crisco!

Got to agree with sgsoap. Use freezer paper in the mold and fold the ends as flat as possible. 5% Castor makes a good lasting lather and lots of bubbles. The closer you approach 10% the softer the soap will be. I like the 6 to 7 range.

Don't use crayons or dyes from an art supply store. Use things that are cosmetically safe.

Keep it simple the first couple of times. Until you get the hang of things. Bergamot, plumeria, peppermint and a few others make good combinations with orange.

If you want to forge a gel you can preheat your oven to the lowest setting (mine is 170) then turn it off while you are making your batch. The low setting shouldn't damage your mold and will force a gel. I don't know the construction or quality of your mold so don't convince yourself that this won't damage your mold....because it may. Never use aluminum anything for making soap.

I think this answered all of your questions. But seriously, start simple and only try one new thing at a time. I have made a couple hundred batches but learned the hard way on a lot of things. The most important thing you can remember is goggles and gloves when making soap. You can't replace your eyes.

SuperSoaper has a very good point -SAFETY FIRST!

I love Patchouli EO with Orange EO - however I can't afford it right now. I want to keep my house! LOL

Couldn't help playing with SoapCalc some more, trying to tweak the different qualities and wound up with one that's 20 Cleansing, 53 Conditioning, 25 Bubbly, 26 Creamy, and 159 INS:

30% Coconut
30% Olive
20% Palm
15% Avocado
05% Castor

How does this combination look to all of you? Again, what does INS bring to the table besides likelihood of saponification?

Regarding safety, I do have safety goggles, an old long-sleeved shirt, latex and dishwasher gloves, and a bottle of vinegar ready. Bring on the lye.

After looking more closely at the Blick website, I noticed a warning that suggested the pigments weren't safe around children. Therefore, I'm not using them. Most kids are smarter around biohazards than I am.

So what colorants work instead, that I can find without having to order online? Please don't make me venture into websites. I have student loans to worry about.

The mold is a drawer organizer made of bamboo, no aluminum involved. I have no idea of its flammability and do not wish to blow up the kitchen while experimenting.

I must be deficient in package-wrapping, because I have *no* idea what you're talking about, sgsoap. Sorry.

Maybe using tape to hold the corners together might work, as long as I don't leave any space for the tape to actually touch the soap?

Pigments from an art store are not skin safe. In a pinch you could use color dyes from the grocery store in the cake making section. Be aware that some of them morph to a different color.
I line my molds with a white trash bag. I hate lining.
Instead of saran wrap, try wax paper. You don't need for the soap to gel at all. I help to prevent it.
Anytime you change any oils in your formula don't forget to recalculate it as the SAP value might be different. You wouldn't want to end up with lye heavy soap.

Good luck!

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

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

You've probably got a bunch of colorants just sitting in your pantry, waiting to be used.

Cinnamon, ground herbs, paprika, cocoa powder... Any of these things can be used to add color to soap. If you use certain EOs or FOs they'll change the color of your soap as it gels (vanilla, for instance, produces a brown soap). You can use ordinary food coloring, but it takes a lot and it doesn't mix well with the oils (always ends up speckledy for me).

If you're worried that your mold isn't insulative enough to force a gel phase you can wrap it in towels or blankets. A scrap piece of wood or cardboard can be used as a lid in a pinch (I'd cover cardboard in plastic wrap to protect from moisture).

As for lining the mold, If you lay a sheet of wax paper in the mold you'll be able to see how the corners need to be folded to get square edges. It really is just like wrapping a package. Taping down the wax paper helps, but isn't always necessary. The soap will hold down the paper once you pour it into the mold. You just want to make sure the corners are as square as you can get them and make sure they aren't floating up above the bottom when you pour your soap.

You'll probably end up with rounded corners, maybe even with wax paper stuck in the soap. Either you'll get the hang of folding so that doesn't happen again or, like me, you'll decide you don't care about funky corners...

The first time I did cp I made a one pound batch or 16 oz or 453.6 g. However you want to measure it. Here it is and it made a wonderful soap.

50% Olive Oil
22.5% Coconut
22.5% Palm
5% Castor
.5 ounces of eo

It didn't take long to trace and great lather. Don't forget that florals and spicy eo's can make your batch seize.

_________________
Haven

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