# Trinity of oils ~ starter  formula



## Zany_in_CO (Sep 12, 2017)

BASIC TRINITY OF OILS ~ STARTER  FORMULA

Olive Oil 35%  ~ emollience, conditioning
Coconut 25% (or PKO or Babassu) ~ hardness, lather
Palm 40% (or Lard, or Good Value Shortening from Walmart) ~ bulk

After getting the feel on trace times, bar hardness, lather, start tweaking, to build other elements into the bar. *TAKE NOTES* each time you tweak the formula.

*TWEAK 1*

Olive 30%
Coconut 22%
Palm 40%
Shea Butter 5% ~ luxury and moisturization
Castor Oil 3% ~ humectant and lather booster

*TWEAK 2* (Use less Olive oil)

Olive 20%
Rice Bran 10% (or Sunflower, Safflower, Almond, Avocado, etc)
Coconut 22%
Palm 40% (or Good Value Shortening from Walmart)
Shea Butter 5% (or Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, etc.)
Castor Oil 3%

Shea Butter and other “luxury” butters... at 5% you WILL notice the difference in the bar, it keeps the cost per bar still marketable, and gives you a GREAT ‘adjustable’ formula to tailor for your own personal creations.

*Just be sure to run any and all oil changes thru your lye calculator*.

Page 1 - Use Default Settings for Water, SF, Fragrance. Enter % of each oil.




Page 2 - Sat:Unsat ratio - should be fairly balanced around 50/50 more or less; Iodine Value indicates hardness; 50 or below is a good target; INS Value - 160 is so-called "perfect soap" altho you can achieve excellent results with much lower INS values. Higher INS values, i.e. over 165, may result in crumbly soap.



^^^ Check to see if your Soap Bar Qualities are within the recommended ranges.
Keep Linoleic, Linolenic fatty acids at 15 or below to prevent DOS

NOTE: Please keep in mind that these are "guidelines", not  "rules". Once you get the knack of formulating soap, just for fun,  compare two soaps for sensitive skin that don't fit these  guidelines at all; are at opposite ends of the spectrum; and are both classic soaps that are favored by many soapers and customers alike:

100% Olive Oil castile @ 2:1 water:lye ratio and 0% SF
VS
100% Coconut Oil castile @ 3:1 water:lye ratio and 20% SF


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## FyrWyf (Sep 12, 2017)

Thank you so much Zany for taking the time to post this valuable information. I truly appreciate it.
Can you remind me once more what the default settings are for water, superfat and fragrance in the calculator? Is there any particular reason why those numbers are best? Just curious. 
I'm really trying to learn the ins and outs of soapmaking. I want to be able to do more than follow a recipe. Thank you so much!!


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## Kamahido (Sep 12, 2017)

If you are looking on how to formulate your own recipe this chart should help you learn the ins and outs of the various oils...

http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/mas_assets/theme/ngc/pdf/soapoils.pdf


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## Steve85569 (Sep 12, 2017)

Not ZiC but Soapcalc uses water as a percent of oils at 38% and fragrance at one half ounce per pound. I don't know what their reasoning is but both levels are safe for beginners.

I find that most of my recipes move a bit fast with that much water so I use less.
I have also found that the fragrance oils that we like in the house stick better at higher rates. Be sure to check the suppliers recommendations on the level for safe use.

As with most things and especially soap making your mileage may vary so have fun experimenting and enjoy the journey!
Steve


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## Zany_in_CO (Sep 13, 2017)

FyrWyf said:


> Thank you so much Zany for taking the time to post this valuable information. I truly appreciate it.


Hi FW. You're welcome! 


FyrWyf said:


> Can you remind me once more what the default  settings are for water, superfat and fragrance in the calculator?


So, look at post #2 above. Look at "Page 1". There you will  see how to set up your calculations. When you're on SoapCalc, follow the numbers in the circles  to fill in each item. With the screenshot of Page 1 above you can see that the default setting for water is  38%; for superfat is 5% and fragrance is 0.5%. As you grow in knowledge and experience, you can change these to your heart's content.


FyrWyf said:


> Is there any particular reason  why those numbers are best? Just curious.


If you want to learn to make good soap it's just a good starting point. As far as I know, most experienced soapers started there. Other than that, as you try different recipes to make different types of soap, you'll be changing those numbers to accomplish your desired result.


FyrWyf said:


> I'm really trying to learn the ins and outs of soapmaking. I want to be  able to do more than follow a recipe.


Well, learning to soap is a lot like learning to cook. First, you follow a recipe to see if you can do that. Then, once you make the perfect meatloaf, or whatever, you tweak the recipe to make it your own. Right now, all you need is patience and persistence. You'll get there. Just not as fast as you'd like to. No worries. A year from now you'll be turning out soaps like a pro. And, sadly, if you're like me, the thrill of it all never diminishes and you're hooked! :mrgreen:


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