Using heavy cream in CP soap

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

rip55jcp

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2015
Messages
12
Reaction score
1
I found a recipe that adds cream at trace. The recipe is for a larger batch than what I want to make, so I am attempting to resize the batch. My question is, do I still superfat the soap since I am adding additional fat at trace? If so, what percentage should I use for SF?
 
Cream varies a LOT, so there's no way to make any good suggestions about what you want to do. But it's not that difficult to figure it out. What does the nutritional label say on the cream -- how many grams of fat per cup of cream or however it's measured? You can use that information to figure the total amount of butterfat you will be adding as cream. If you're adding 1 cup (250 mL or about 250 g) of cream and the nutritional label says 1 cup of cream contains, say, 45 g of butterfat, then you can use that number as part of your recipe. Enter that 45 g of butterfat as just one more fat in your recipe -- your favorite soap calc will call this "milkfat" or "butterfat". Set your superfat to the % you normally prefer, and you're good to go.
 
Last edited:
I never adjust the suuperfat when adding cream to my soap. It turns out great with a lot of creamy and bubbly lather.
 
I simply take my "superfat" down a percent if I'm using a large amount of milk or cream, since I believe my lather goes down with too high a superfat. Wicked scientific, I know, but it seems to work.
 
I normally do 3-4% SF. If I use a few oz and not a full half of my water amount, I won't adjust. Half my water amount I lower the sf by 1%. It isn't necessary with 6% or less imo. If you normally do 7-8% sf, I'd consider lowering a % or 2.
The lather gets stiffled a tad too much if not lowering an already high sf.
 
Whole milk used for all of the "water" in a soap recipe will raise the superfat by about 1%. Cream will add even more superfat, but again it's hard to say exactly how much -- there's heavy cream, coffee cream, half and half, etc. And that's just in the US.
 
I recently made a soap where I replaced all but the water needed to dissolve the lye with cream. I calculated out the amount of fat it was adding to the soap, and it actually matched the Shea Butter I added (which was 10% of the non-dairy oils). I was quite glad I'd calculated it out!
 
I made the soap, superfatted at 5% and replaced 10% of the water with cream. I added the cream at trace. The soap turned out greasy when I unmolded it. I wiped off any excess oil and I'm hoping it will not be greasy after it cures.
 
I made the soap, superfatted at 5% and replaced 10% of the water with cream. I added the cream at trace. The soap turned out greasy when I unmolded it. I wiped off any excess oil and I'm hoping it will not be greasy after it cures.

The Happy Grandma soap I mentioned in another thread is made with heavy cream. I calculate the grams of fat per serving and add it to my soap calc.
 
I tried Kefir once when I first started making soap over a year ago, and it did not turn out at all. I've been afraid to try again, I think it's time though!
 
Can't interpret nutritional info for heavy cream

I'm trying to calculate how much milkfat I need to add to my oils when using heavy cream to replace the water. The base recipe needs 190 g of water. The nutrition info on the carton says total fat per serving size (15 mL) is 5 g. I also see "total fat 8%" and "saturated fat 15%." I don't know what it is I'm supposed to multiply by 190 g to get the milkfat for the oils. I know it can't be that complicated, but I'm not seeing (or understanding) something.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/7bg0v7mezjjwu08/20160517_191746_001.jpg?dl=0
 
Last edited:
It's the total fat you want to look at. At 8% total fat, 100 g of cream have 92 grams of water-based liquid and 8 grams of butter fat (milkfat). So this product will add a lot to your water, and a little to your fats.

The math:
Fat in the cream = (Total weight of cream used) X 8 / 100
Water in the cream = Total weight of cream used - Fat in the cream
 
I just use 5% super fat when I add cream at thin trace. I think you will love the soap with cream. Cream and aloe soap is one of my favorite recipes.
 
I calculate a total of 15.2 g of fat, which seems hardly worth including in the oils.
 
If you're adding 15 g of butterfat to a recipe with only 500 g of fat, that doesn't sound like much added butterfat, but it will raise your superfat by about 3%. Some people would find that much change in superfat to be important enough to account for. Some people won't. If the recipe is 1500 g of fat, it is safe to assume the added butterfat is not very important.

Your cream must be a very light cream at 8% butterfat. That would not qualify as "half and half" or coffee cream, the lightest types of cream sold in the US. Whipping cream contains at least 30% fat depending on the type.

I calculate a total of 15.2 g of fat, which seems hardly worth including in the oils.
 
Last edited:
Heavy cream in soap is one of my favorites. I think I will have to pick some up today.
 
Back
Top