# Inexpensive white soap. Please check my recipe?



## sosocal (Nov 28, 2011)

Hi there all

I am new at soap making, and am spending a lot of money on my new hobby and as can be expected, many of my batches disappoint me. I would like to have a less expensive recipe than the ones I have used thus far (olive, palm, coconut, some with palm kernel) while I am still new at this so my mistakes aren't so expensive! 

I have read about Crisco soap and that looks great. I have a very easy recipe for it in the book "The Everything Soapmaking Book" however it is all Crisco and I understand that would make a low-lathering bar. I wonder if I can add some castor oil. Using other recipes I have seen on this board, I have upped the Crisco and ran it through BB's soap calculator and come up with the following recipe. I wonder if someone could check it for me and tell me whether or not this would give me a nice batch of soap?

Castor Oil 	                        1.75oz 	05.0%
Coconut Oil (76 Degrees) 	8.75oz 	25.0%
Olive Oil 	                        3.50oz 	10.0%
Shortening (Vegetable) 	21.00oz 	60.0%
5% Lye                          	4.863oz 	
Ounces of liquid              	11.55oz 	
Yields 	                        51.41oz

P.S. I also wonder if Crisco makes a whiter batch than olive oil soap - will I still need TD?

TIA


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## carebear (Nov 28, 2011)

crisco can lend a pinkish tint to your soap - good olive oil is much whiter.  and while it makes a lovely feeling soap, it tends to develop DOS at such a high level.

might I suggest you use lard in its place?


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## sosocal (Nov 28, 2011)

Thank you - that is a great suggestion. Will lard make a more bubbly bar than Crisco?


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## krissy (Nov 28, 2011)

you can also do a 100% lard bar that is very nice and rather cheap to make.


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## dagmar88 (Nov 28, 2011)

sosocal said:
			
		

> Thank you - that is a great suggestion. Will lard make a more bubbly bar than Crisco?



No, coconut is what makes the bubbles in your recipe, not crisco, nor lard.

Check out soapcalc.net to get an idea of the qualities each oil has when saponified.


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## soapbuddy (Nov 28, 2011)

For a very white bar with bubbles, try 100% coconut with 20% superfat.


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## sosocal (Nov 28, 2011)

soapbuddy said:
			
		

> For a very white bar with bubbles, try 100% coconut with 20% superfat.



Thank you all.

Please excuse my ignorance, I am having difficulty understanding superfat. I have googled and read definitions but I can't make sense of them. Any help?


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## SoapyD (Nov 28, 2011)

sosocal said:
			
		

> soapbuddy said:
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I'm pretty new myself, but I've done lots and lots of research so the pros can tell us if I've got this right.   

The amount of lye used in your recipe is able to react with a specific amount of oils, and turn them into soap.  When you use more oils in your recipe than the lye can react with, the excess oil is not saponified in your bar, and that is considered superfat.  

Another way using generic terms is say for example 1 "widget" of lye can react with and saponify with 10 "widgets" of oils.  If your recipe calls for 1 "widget" of lye and 11 "widgets" of oil, then you have 1 extra "widget" of oil that will not turn into soap.  That extra widget of oil is the superfat.  The superfat % in lye calculators is the % of oils in your recipe that will not saponify, so they are extra, or "super."

Gurus, did I get that right?


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## sosocal (Nov 28, 2011)

SoapyD said:
			
		

> sosocal said:
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What a great and easy to understand explanation. Thank you!


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## Sunny (Nov 28, 2011)

sosocal said:
			
		

> Please excuse my ignorance, I am having difficulty understanding superfat. I have googled and read definitions but I can't make sense of them. Any help?



if you superfat too much, it can decrease your lather, which isn't good. if your superfat is too low, it may be harsh on your skin. a good superfat range is USUALLY 5-10%. some recipes may require you to go higher or lower than that.

(a bar high in coconut oil will require a higher superfat, like 15-20%. a bar that is used just for house cleaning would often need a 0% superfat.)


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