Teach Soap

Making olive oil soap hard:
You don't actually have to add salt to harden olive oil soap. You can harden olive oil soap just by letting it cure for 4+ months. But to have it harden a little bit faster, salt is the thing.

What kind of salt:
Plain, NON-IODIZED table salt. Anywhere from normal to superfine to super coarse. As long as it dissolves all the way in your lye-water solution, you're fine.

Alternatively, you can make a salt-scrub bar by adding salt to the soap at thin trace. Add anywhere from 20% to 100% of the weight of the oils, in salt. That is, if you've got 1 kilo of oils in your soap recipe, you can add anywhere from 0.2 kilos of salt to 1 full kilo of salt. Don't wait for it to dissolve, just dump it in, stir it as quickly as you can, and mold. And then DO NOT WAIT 5 million years to unmold your soap! It will harden much faster, and if you wait too long (more than a few hours), you won't be able to cut it at all. It will just crumble.

So This is the recipes I decided to try...if it looks ok.


COCONUT OIL. 32 OZ
CASTOR OIL. 2 OZ

WATER 12.9 OZ
LYE 6.69 OZ
EO 2 OZ


Ran it through Soap cal. And the one thing that bothers me is the INS number... 248 ??
That is super high. Not sure What that is, or the importance of it?

Was looking to keep this a clean white bar. Have not decide the scent yet. I really like Mint. But do not know if that would be good by itself or need anouther scent mixed in with it? Want it to be Lite scented.

Thanks for all suggestions.

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Theresa

That recipe looks lye heavy to me. I would do a 10% superfat, which is 5.53 ozs. (0% superfat is 6.14 ozs.). You would need 10 to 13 ozs. of water or liquid.

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

I made a coconut oil soap with SF of 20%. I use it every day. It's really nice.

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www.facebook.com/Semplice-Naturals

thank you ladies. I recalculated at SoapCalc. At The 20% Thinking this would be great for my husbands very dry skin.

I says 12.92 oz. water.
4.896 oz. Lye.

Does this sound less of a problem?

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Theresa

Is this going to be a soap that is good for dry skin?

_________________
Theresa

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

_________________
Theresa

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

I was thinking peppermint.
I also have lavender and One called Patchouli Retreat.

These are from Abbey & Sullivan. Pat Ca tan's Brand? As I am waiting for my first order from Bramble Berry. I thought I would try these. The Lavender smells great. And My Husband like the Patchouli.

I don't know much about mixing scents yet. Which 2 do you think would work well together?

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Theresa

I'm not familar with that brand. Are they straight, undiluted essential oils? Lavender and Patch would be a good combo. 4 parts lavender to 1 part patch.

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

_________________
Theresa

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

Thanks Very much. So I realize they are not great buys. But we learn from our mistakes. I will go lite with them. Better safe than sorry.

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Theresa

Soapbuddy- I have never made a soap with a really high % of coconut oil before. Does it create a hard bar of soap or is it softer? And it's not drying at all? It sounds wonderful! You said you made one 100% CO. Would that make a soap that was very gentle and for sensitive skin?