# Recipe Suggestions (AKA Bullwinkle tries to pull a rabbit out of the hat)



## WeaversPort (Mar 14, 2017)

Hi there! 

I recently introduced myself, but then quickly tumbled into a beginner frenzy trying to learn about everything at once. CeMoor kindly pointed me to the other forums so that the answers don't get lost in my excitement. 

I'd like to make a simple, beginner batch of soap. I don't currently have any lard (though I'm not opposed to it). I'm hesitant to use palm oil because of deforestation. 

What I do have is the following:

Almond oil
Avocado oil
Castor oil
Coconut oil
Jojoba oil
Macadamia nut oil
Rice Bran oil
 Safflower oil

Butters:

Coco butter
Shea butter

I'm going grocery shopping tonight to get olive oil and lard if I can find it. 

Is there a good beginning soaper recipe with and without lard I could try this week? Eventually I'll try a Castile, but for the purposes of feedback response, I'm hoping for less than a year to find out if I broke it  

I can handle 4-6 weeks as I launch into new waters!


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## lenarenee (Mar 14, 2017)

If you get lard:

5% castor oil (not a problem if you don't have - sub another oil)

15 - 25% coconut oil (depends on if you have dry skin

10 - 30% soft oil - safflower, olive, sunflower OR, 10 - 20% almond, avocado

the remaining percentage in luscious lard!

My usual recipe is 5 castor, 15 coconut, 15 soft oil, 65% lard

You could also do 80% lard, 20% coconut

Did that help any, or do you need a more specific recipe? (I've done all of the possible I've presented and its all wonderful soap)


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## WeaversPort (Mar 14, 2017)

lenarenee said:


> Did that help any, or do you need a more specific recipe? (I've done all of the possible I've presented and its all wonderful soap)



I think this helps. I have a bunch of questions, any specifics would be awesome - I'm pretty much kindergarten. I'm assuming that I'd gear up, make my lye water outside and let it cool. While that is happening, I'd need to heat the oils to a melting point for the lard and coconut. Do I need to look for any specific temperatures?

I can run it through the soap calculators linked to find out how much lye, I think? When should I unmold it and cut it to cure?


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## Susie (Mar 14, 2017)

lenarenee said:


> If you get lard:
> 
> 5% castor oil (not a problem if you don't have - sub another oil)
> 
> ...



I recognize those recipe suggestions! 



WeaversPort said:


> I think this helps. I have a bunch of questions, any specifics would be awesome - I'm pretty much kindergarten. I'm assuming that I'd gear up, make my lye water outside and let it cool. While that is happening, I'd need to heat the oils to a melting point for the lard and coconut. Do I need to look for any specific temperatures?
> 
> I can run it through the soap calculators linked to find out how much lye, I think? When should I unmold it and cut it to cure?



You want to not get complicated on your first batch.  No colorants, and no scents to change trace.  You need to just experience making a batch of soap first.

Use the recipe lenarenee gave.  It is awesome.  

Get the solid oils warm enough for them to be clear, no white left.  Add your liquid oils.  Get your lye/water about the same temperature (I just feel the sides of the bowls.)  Unmold and cut when you can't put a dent in the top with gentle pressure.  Better to gel the first batch, and you can unmold and cut between 18-24 hours.  

First, though, go to soapee.com and run the recipe through the lye calculator.  Run lots of recipes through it.  Get some practice on it.  Don't obsess over the "quality numbers", though.  They don't necessarily represent the soap you will get.


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## lenarenee (Mar 14, 2017)

I soap pretty cool. Just make sure your oils are clear. Your lye water should be cool or warm, not hot.  If you feel better with specific temps - go for 90 - 100 degrees. (I never check temps).

Yup, always use a lye calculator!

Have you seen a video - to get an idea of the process?

My recipe rarely gels in a silicone mold, so it's 2 days or so before I cut.  (I know....you're going to need patience)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcCOruzFTgQ&t=138s[/ame]


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## CTAnton (Mar 14, 2017)

I'm a fan of avocado oil in the 20% range...you can search through the archives for Ginny's shampoo bar recipe...
I tried a soap I made 2 month's ago tonight; roughly 50% Olive oil, slightly more than 20% coconut oil, 28% crisco with palm and the usual 5% castor; subbed the water for half coconut milk, half aloe juice. Sodium lactate for hardness and sugar for bubbles. A really nice soap that won't break a budget.
In terms of your reserve on using palm oil keep in mind that your infinitesimal use of this oil for some soap while huge amounts of the world's population use palm oil as their SOLE source of cooking oil I strongly feel your use won't amount to the proverbial hill of beans.No one ever talks about how the Amazon river basin, an incredibly rich ecosystem, has been stripped of it's native habitat to plant soybeans for oil and feed. 
Everything we do as the dominant species on this planet has ripple effects. I am happy you're not against animal fats in soap. Off soap box...


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## kchaystack (Mar 14, 2017)

I would be careful of using the rice bran and/or safflower oil.  Both have a high linoleic fatty acid content which can cause rancidity to set in if used at much more than 15% of the recipie.  There is a slim chance the safflower is high oleic - which means it is refined in such a way so that it has more oleic acid and is more like olive oil in its chemistry.  

I know that is alot of big words - but you will get the hang of it.  Just check here before buying a new oil to use.    Other oils to avoid are regular sunflower, grape seed, corn oil, and cotton seed.  

I would also not use high cost oils like Macadamia nut oil.  There are other more cost effective oils you can use that have similar profiles.


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## WeaversPort (Mar 15, 2017)

Susie said:


> Get the solid oils warm enough for them to be clear, no white left. Add your liquid oils. Get your lye/water about the same temperature (I just feel the sides of the bowls.) Unmold and cut when you can't put a dent in the top with gentle pressure. Better to gel the first batch, and you can unmold and cut between 18-24 hours.
> 
> First, though, go to soapee.com and run the recipe through the lye calculator. Run lots of recipes through it. Get some practice on it. Don't obsess over the "quality numbers", though. They don't necessarily represent the soap you will get.


 
Thank you for the details and tip on the lye calculator! I'll find some more recipes here to practice running through the cruncher as well. I notice that many of the recipes people post are done in percentages, is that for ease of scaling?



lenarenee said:


> I soap pretty cool. Just make sure your oils are clear. Your lye water should be cool or warm, not hot. If you feel better with specific temps - go for 90 - 100 degrees. (I never check temps).
> 
> Yup, always use a lye calculator!
> 
> ...


 
Thank you for the link! I started watching some videos today, um, Soap Queen? It is good to get a beginning to end look at the process here as well. 

I'm good with waiting 2 days. I was more worried about whether I needed a week as some people have talked about with castile. I don't have that much patience yet


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## WeaversPort (Mar 15, 2017)

CTAnton said:


> I'm a fan of avocado oil in the 20% range...you can search through the archives for Ginny's shampoo bar recipe...
> I tried a soap I made 2 month's ago tonight; roughly 50% Olive oil, slightly more than 20% coconut oil, 28% crisco with palm and the usual 5% castor; subbed the water for half coconut milk, half aloe juice. Sodium lactate for hardness and sugar for bubbles. A really nice soap that won't break a budget.
> In terms of your reserve on using palm oil keep in mind that your infinitesimal use of this oil for some soap while huge amounts of the world's population use palm oil as their SOLE source of cooking oil I strongly feel your use won't amount to the proverbial hill of beans.No one ever talks about how the Amazon river basin, an incredibly rich ecosystem, has been stripped of it's native habitat to plant soybeans for oil and feed.
> Everything we do as the dominant species on this planet has ripple effects. I am happy you're not against animal fats in soap. Off soap box...



Your recipe sounds wonderful! I'll keep it in mind for when I graduate to something a little more complicated. Right now I'm a little nervous about anything more involved than water, oil, lard, and lye 

I figure if I'm willing to use animals as food, I'd be a little silly if I'm not willing to try other uses for the whole animal. I'm sure eventually I'll want something for my vegetarian and vegan friends, but for now I'm just trying to give myself the best chance for a "win" as a beginner. 

Soap boxes are OK, after all - we're all here for the soap!! 



kchaystack said:


> I would be careful of using the rice bran and/or safflower oil.  Both have a high linoleic fatty acid content which can cause rancidity to set in if used at much more than 15% of the recipie.  There is a slim chance the safflower is high oleic - which means it is refined in such a way so that it has more oleic acid and is more like olive oil in its chemistry.
> 
> I know that is alot of big words - but you will get the hang of it.  Just check here before buying a new oil to use.    Other oils to avoid are regular sunflower, grape seed, corn oil, and cotton seed.
> 
> I would also not use high cost oils like Macadamia nut oil.  There are other more cost effective oils you can use that have similar profiles.



Thank you for the tips!! I never even considered soap going rancid!!  :-?
I'm glad that soaping can generally use the more available oils. I do have some of the higher priced oils because of the bath products I make, but it's far easier to get gallons of coconut, avocado, and olive. I'll leave the rice bran for skin and hair!


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## CTAnton (Mar 15, 2017)

Just get yourself a precise scale(s)...I measure in grams for added accuracy . When I make small batches I use a scale that measures in tenths of a gram....no use rating a recipe if you didn't weigh it out properly....


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## WeaversPort (Mar 15, 2017)

CTAnton said:


> Just get yourself a precise scale(s)...I measure in grams for added accuracy . When I make small batches I use a scale that measures in tenths of a gram....no use rating a recipe if you didn't weigh it out properly....



I think my scale does as small as one gram.. But not tenths. Do you think that be OK to start with?


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## CTAnton (Mar 15, 2017)

as long as you don't make one pound recipes you should be fine


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## artemis (Mar 15, 2017)

CTAnton said:


> as long as you don't make one pound recipes you should be fine



I make one pound recipes all the time and really don't have any issues. My scale does not measure in tenths.


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## WeaversPort (Mar 16, 2017)

*First batch in the mold!*



lenarenee said:


> ... My usual recipe is 5 castor, 15 coconut, 15 soft oil, 65% lard



I did it!! Thank you!! 

I did the above with olive oil, the real stuff instead of Extra Virgin. And I used a cleaned out potato chip canister as a mold. 

Now to wait 48 hours... To unmold and cut. It's kind of like Christmas!! 	

:smalltree:

When I was blending, I accidentally got some bubbles in it. I gave it a few stirs but for a moment it seemed to have a skin on it. After I poured it in the mold I tapped it to try and get any additional bubbles out. Do you think it will be OK?


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## Susie (Mar 16, 2017)

It should be fine!  Congratulations!


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## WeaversPort (Mar 16, 2017)

Susie said:


> It should be fine!  Congratulations!



Thank you!! 

I figured this would be fun, but didn't realize this would be so exciting.. 

Now to figure out where to cure it once I've cut it. I'm not sure I thought this through all the way.


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## lenarenee (Mar 16, 2017)

Well congratulations on your first soap!!

You know how to tell when it's ready to unmold? Cut? Think of the firmness of slicing a block of hard sharp cheddar. Something that doesn't dent with firm pressure, but does dent with hard pressure.


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## WeaversPort (Mar 17, 2017)

lenarenee said:


> Well congratulations on your first soap!!
> 
> You know how to tell when it's ready to unmold? Cut? Think of the firmness of slicing a block of hard sharp cheddar. Something that doesn't dent with firm pressure, but does dent with hard pressure.



Thank you! This is a helpful rule of thumb. I'll poke at it carefully tonight


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## WeaversPort (Mar 17, 2017)

OK, I couldn't wait.. I poked it this morning. It was like cheddar, firm to the touch, and cut very much like cheese as well, until I got to the bottom/end of the tube/stick where it was a little softer, but not as soft as say, brie. 

I know I'm biased, but I keep staring at it and thinking it's pretty.

Notes to self: Next time, longer in the mold...


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## CTAnton (Mar 17, 2017)

"I make one pound recipes all the time and really don't have any issues. My scale does not measure in tenths."
Thats great for you artemis but I'm not comfortable in the possible variability of measuring out a small recipe . If I find a recipe I'm head over heels over I want to duplicate that with no wiggle room. Round up the number...round down...that doesn't work for me...


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## shunt2011 (Mar 17, 2017)

I too make 1 lb just measuring in grams and have never had an issue in 7 years.and your soap is lovely.


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## Susie (Mar 17, 2017)

That's a lovely batch of soap!  Truly it is!  Welcome to the addiction!

I have to warn you that everything you see in the store will now be evaluated as either an ingredient or a mold.  For a looooonnnggg time.


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## Millie (Mar 17, 2017)

Hey that looks like soap! Great job!


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## dibbles (Mar 17, 2017)

And so it begins! Lovely job on the first of what will undoubtedly be many, many more.


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## Zany_in_CO (Mar 17, 2017)

Well done, Weaver! And so the journey begins...


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## Steve85569 (Mar 18, 2017)

Another one hooked!
Nice looking soap too. 

I make small batches with a scale that does weigh in tenths of a gram.
I spent all of $26 US on it on Ebay a couple of years ago. I spent a lot of time in a materials lab and have an OCD thing about precision and accuracy.
As always your mileage may vary and do what you are comfortable with. After all it wasn't that long ago that soap makers just "sort of" measured "stuff" into a pot on the stove. This really is science and art combined.


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## WeaversPort (Mar 18, 2017)

*Thank you everyone!*

Thank you everyone! I keep looking at my soap with so much happiness, I feel like I'm going to pop! I'm already trying to figure out what recipe to try next, and ordered a Vanilla fragrance from Brambleberry that isn't supposed to turn brown. 



Susie said:


> That's a lovely batch of soap!  Truly it is!  Welcome to the addiction!
> 
> I have to warn you that everything you see in the store will now be evaluated as either an ingrtedient or a mold.  For a looooonnnggg time.



Thank you! I think it has already started, I found myself eyeing an empty toilet paper roll this morning, wondering if it could be used.. And almost traumatized myself with the idea of using my life giving *coffee* to such ends!!  

I keep reminding myself I need to take care of stuff and clean the apartment this weekend.. Not poke around for a second soap recipe. Heh. 

We'll see how long I hold out


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## Arimara (Mar 18, 2017)

WeaversPort said:


> Thank you everyone! I keep looking at my soap with so much happiness, I feel like I'm going to pop! I'm already trying to figure out what recipe to try next, and ordered a Vanilla fragrance from Brambleberry that isn't supposed to turn brown.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's why instant coffee is the the best coffee to use for soaping, IMO. Why waste the good stuff so to speak.


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## WeaversPort (Mar 18, 2017)

Arimara said:


> That's why instant coffee is the the best coffee to use for soaping, IMO. Why waste the good stuff so to speak.



Oh yes!! Maybe for my first attempt at making soap with color or liquid other than water I can pick up a jar from the dollar store!! 

All hail the dollar store...


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## mx5inpenn (Mar 18, 2017)

WeaversPort said:


> Thank you everyone! I keep looking at my soap with so much happiness, I feel like I'm going to pop! I'm already trying to figure out what recipe to try next, and ordered a Vanilla fragrance from Brambleberry that isn't supposed to turn brown.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Coffee grounds are better in soap if they're already used anyway. Just dry them out and add as an exfoliate.


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## WeaversPort (Mar 19, 2017)

mx6inpenn said:


> Coffee grounds are better in soap if they're already used anyway. Just dry them out and add as an exfoliate.



I hadn't considered adding them in as an exfoliate.. That would be a fabulous soap!


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## WeaversPort (Mar 20, 2017)

*Did I achieve DOS?*

As I was looking at my soaps today, I noticed the piece that had been on the bottom of the tube had two spots - one brown and one small black spot (picture attached). 

All of the rest of the pieces look fine, and the spot doesn't go all the way through the slice. Is this the dreaded orange spot thing people talk about? Will the rest of the soap be OK? 

For any recipe reference, I used the 5% castor, 15% coconut, 15% olive oil, 65% lard recipe.


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## dibbles (Mar 20, 2017)

The black spec looks like a little piece of some sort of debris that was maybe unnoticed in the bottom of your mold. Can you pick it out? I don't know about the brown spot. How long ago did you make your soap? Does it smell off in any way. If it turns out to be DOS, as for the rest of the soaps, time will tell. I had DOS on one bar from a batch. The rest were fine, and the affected bar only ever had one spot. The reason remains a mystery to me.


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## WeaversPort (Mar 20, 2017)

dibbles said:


> The black spec looks like a little piece of some sort of debris that was maybe unnoticed in the bottom of your mold. Can you pick it out? I don't know about the brown spot. How long ago did you make your soap? Does it smell off in any way. If it turns out to be DOS, as for the rest of the soaps, time will tell. I had DOS on one bar from a batch. The rest were fine, and the affected bar only ever had one spot. The reason remains a mystery to me.



I was able to pick the black spot out.. You're right, I must have had a speck at the bottom when I poured. 

I don't think it smells off. This one piece smells a little more... Salty? But not rancid. I have some oils a friend gave me I had to toss because they were rancid. Except for the coconut oil (which I've had for a while to cook with) all my oils are basically new from the grocery store.


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## Zany_in_CO (Mar 20, 2017)

I'd take a slice off that bar with a wire cheese slicer -- as deep as necessary to get rid of the brown spot. If the spot comes back, I'd be thinking "DOS". Still, it's very lovely soap. Good on ya, Fig!


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## WeaversPort (Mar 20, 2017)

CeeMoor said:


> I'd take a slice off that bar with a wire cheese slicer -- as deep as necessary to get rid of the brown spot. If the spot comes back, I'd be thinking "DOS". Still, it's very lovely soap. Good on ya, Fig!



Oh good idea! I'll do that. 

Worse comes to worse I'll use this batch to explore the world of soap scrimshaw. It could be the next "thing".


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## BattleGnome (Mar 20, 2017)

WeaversPort said:


> Worse comes to worse I'll use this batch to explore the world of soap scrimshaw. It could be the next "thing".



The Taiwanese have a soap carving art. Youtube isn't working well on my iPad or I'd post a "How It's Made" link


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## Susie (Mar 20, 2017)

Here's one:  [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtzneRji0Hw[/ame]

I just searched soap carving, and got a lot of results.


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## BattleGnome (Mar 21, 2017)

I was thinking this video: https://youtu.be/PklZNdnvaL0

(Don't know how to embed)


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## WeaversPort (Mar 22, 2017)

Those are gorgeous!! 

I will not pick up an additional hobby, I will not pick up an additional hobby..


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## Zany_in_CO (Apr 15, 2017)

WeaversPort said:


> As I was looking at my soaps today, I noticed the piece that had been on the bottom of the tube had two spots - one brown and one small black spot (picture attached).  ... Is this the dreaded orange spot thing people talk about? Will the rest of the soap be OK?





Zany_in_CO said:


> I'd take a slice off that bar with a wire  cheese slicer -- as deep as necessary to get rid of the brown spot. If  the spot comes back, I'd be thinking "DOS". Still, it's very lovely  soap.


How is this soap doing?


> Good on ya, Fig!


Oopsie!     I meant to write "Weaver"! Forgive me. I have CRS -- Can't Remember "Shiny" LOL


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## WeaversPort (Apr 15, 2017)

Zany_in_CO said:


> How is this soap doing?



If I could marry my soap! 

It just turned four weeks old, and it is a lovely, delicious lather.. OMG I will have to make more!


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## Zany_in_CO (Apr 15, 2017)

WeaversPort;642621It just turned four weeks old said:
			
		

> No DOS???


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## WeaversPort (Apr 15, 2017)

Zany_in_CO said:


> No DOS???



None!! And I was so worried about it! 

Using the cheese slicer was exactly what it needed, thank you! I think maybe that one piece was the closest to the lid, and even though I thought I washed it well.. I must have missed something. All of the other pieces seem to be doing beautifully!


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