Which process is best to make the most basic soap?

I don't need to make soap with pretty swirls or a soap that smells like the island of Malta after a tsunami. I'd like something good for the skin. Basic. Least amount of chemicals. I keep reading books about soap making, but everything is geared to making these far-out, colorful soaps. What do you recommend is a good soap to make that is maybe a coconut, olive oil or green tea type soap? And then I'm having trouble deciding hot process, cold process. is the only benefit of hot process that it takes less time to cure, or are there other reasons to do one process over the other? Thanks. You know, as a beginner, it's a lot to absorb initially.

Moved this to the CP section.

I would say the usual trinity - CO, OO and either palm or lard. Around 20%, 30% and 50% respectively and you have a pretty basic sounding bar that punches well above weight.

Hot process DOES NOT take less time to cure. Added caps for emphasis, as it is important to keep that in mind. Either method is fine for what you want. I prefer HP as I can usually unmould and cut sooner than with CP

Howdy and welcome to the forum.

HP can actually take longer to cure since more water is typically used. Both CP and HP soaps should be cured for a minimum of 4 weeks and really just improve with age after that. The primary benefits of it are that you get to pick your superfat and can use less scents (FO or EOs). With CP, it is easier to achieve a smoother bar, and you have an easier time with designing. Either one can handle any recipe for bar soap. Certain specialty soaps require a hot process to make like shaving soaps.

A basic recipe that I love is: 55% lard, 5% Castor, 20% Coconut, 20% Olive. 7% SF. This is something that Susie posted that I was slowing making my way to... Lard is just great in soap!

A great beginner source for the process behind it is the Soaping 101 channel on youtube. The videos build on themselves, so start with the oldest ones first. There are excellent stickies here as well as a wealth of information if you read back through some of the beginner section.

If you want to go as simple as possible, you could make castile......just olive oil. Can't get much more basic than that. If you wanted to get "fancy", you could throw in some oatmeal, maybe some goat's milk, once you got the hang of it. To be it's very best, castile requires a long cure, but it's a lovely soap. And simple.

You can also use coconut oil, lard and Castor oil for a good basic soap.

I started with hot process and I highly recommend it. It takes a little bit more time, but to me it is far less fussy. No need to take temperatures, no need to worry about whether you are at light medium or heavy trace. No worry about partial gel or ash. You can use half as much scent (if you are using scent at all).

YES, hot process does need to cure, so even tho it is "safe" to use right away you should still let it cure for at least 4 weeks.

Even tho HP doesn't look as smooth as CP, I actually like the feel of HP better and I think it has better lather and the bars last longer.

I agree with the advice you have been given about a basic recipe, if you are not opposed to animal fats lard makes a lovely soap, it's cheap and easy to find and great for the skin. If you prefer to stick with veg oils, whole foods carries spectrum brand shortening which is 100% palm oil.

Good luck

There is no "best" method, it really depends on what you are comfortable doing and what look you like best. I prefer CP but I occasionally make HP and I don't notice any difference as far as how the soap feels on the skin.

You could do a 50% olive, 50% coconut with a 10% superfat for a nice simple bar. If you can use lard, one of my favorite bars is 80% lard, 20% coconut with a superfat between 5%-8%, depending on your skin type. This bar is geared more towards dry skin.

I make CP soap because, to me, it is much less fussy. I even use the heat transfer method, so I don't even melt my solid oils(unless it is winter). I use EOs like lemongrass because you don't have to worry about it misbehaving and it smells great. I do not make swirls. But, YOU have to decide what is right for you.

My basic recipe is above, LOL.

thanks

Thanks. All of those are great insights. When you say I should make a bar 50% olive oil, 50% coconut oil and 10% superfat... how do I know how much to use. 6 ounces? 12 ounces? Are there any good references for determining how much of each ingredient to use?

misfities said:

Thanks. All of those are great insights. When you say I should make a bar 50% olive oil, 50% coconut oil and 10% superfat... how do I know how much to use. 6 ounces? 12 ounces? Are there any good references for determining how much of each ingredient to use?

Click to expand...

SoapCalc at http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

Plug in your weight, basic recipe and enter the superfat and it'll tell you how much of everything to use.

50% olive, 50% coconut would be terribly irritating to me. Even with a ten percent superfat. If I were going to do that combo, I'd go 80% olive, 20% coconut, maximum.

One basic recipe I like is 80% olive, 15% palm, 5% coconut. Cure times are a nightmare on high olive soap, though--three months is best.

You should use a nice digital scale to get proper weights on your oils.
There are some recipes on the web that use volume measurements, i.e. 1 cup of this, etc,,, however
you will be limited and also not many will recommend that way since we are dealing with lye
and you need to be accurate for safety.

Good Luck!

Either method in all honesty one is not easier than the other and things can go wrong with both. When I first started I only wanted to make castille but heeded all the advice to use a certain % hard oils, CP only, up to 20% CO etc. The result was that it just took me much longer to get around to making the soap I really like 100% OO castile which is what I make today. All the other little adventures, while I don't regret them, weren't really necessary.

So I would say make the soap you want to make right off the bat. Less materials to buy, less things to worry about. >5% coconut oil with olive oil and any level of superfat will produce a very nice soap. Go for it.

Also my personal tip is that a stick mixer isn't necessary, I have never used one and I've been making soap for 2yrs. If I have an oil that takes a while to trace I just mix in the lye with a whisk and then every 30mins or so give it a stir until it reaches trace. I use EVOO and no heat and it reaches medium trace in about 3hrs like this. No need to stand there stirring it, just do other things (sometimes I will even sit it in the sink with a lid, go out for a while and check it when I return. No hassle, very easy. Once it's thick like custard pour it into a mold and forget about it for a few days, pop it out when firm and cut.

Hot process will require you to be at home for the entire time because it's on the heat, so you need to watch it. It also takes a couple of hours but you have to be home. It will be thick like glue when you put it in the mold, so it's more difficult to deal with fully cooked and you will get a more textured bar as a result.

Make two batches, 1 cold process (1kg oil) makes about 10 bars and 1 hot process then decide for yourself which one you like the best. I switch between the two depending on my mood.

PS - I use my castile bars anytime after 2 weeks. The less cured soaps just won't last in the shower as long but I don't find much other difference apart from that.

I love hot process and I feel it more easier than CP but if I want the swirl I will do cold process.