1 precious ingredient!

[calico21]

ive been making soap for about 2 yrs and think I have found a good go to recipe but it is pretty basic, Co , OO, PKO, castor, and crisco. I recently took out the steric acid because it just traces too fast! (God forbid I ever had soap on a stick with an fo! I could build industructable forts with it!)

My question is if you could have that 1 precious oil to add what would it be and why?

I use both co and pko to try and keep cost down and not be drying. Is PKO as drying as CO if you don't superfat or is PKO a bit better? I don't see anyone doing high PKO bars and leaving the CO out.

TIA for your help

 

[Traceyann]

Avocado Oil, is just so nice on your skin

 

[judymoody]

I have seen vendors use PKO as a substitute for CO. Some people find CO makes them itch but not PKO.

Aside from the big 3, I love castor and avocado and babassu. Wheat germ too in small % No DOS problems thus far but my soaps aren't that old and I live in a dry climate.

 

[heartandsoap]

I am not a fan of Crisco. You don't need it. My fav superfatting oil is Shea, you could replace the Crisco with Olive, Coconut, ...something natural. Crisco has Tbhq in it..http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594973_tbhq-side-effects.html
there are so many other better options. In my humble opinion.

 

[calico21]

Thanx for the heads up, but I'm not eating my soap in high doses. LOL! I will look into changing that in the future by just ordering the base oils its made with but for now....it's cost effective.

 

[gunner]

For some reason I'm liking cocoa butter a lot lately; I use it in soap, and I just recently added it to my lip balm. It's the best lip balm I've ever used, and the slight cocoa smell with the sweet berry fo is great!

 

[heartandsoap]

I know what you mean but when you're walking down the grocery isle do you ever look at Crisco as something you would use as a moisturize or clean with.

 

[Hazel]

I've used Crisco in some batches that I've made. It's got palm oil for a harder bar and soybean for conditioning. I started using it because Sandy Maine's earlier recipes used Crisco. You also have to remember that lye alters the properties of Crisco. I can't find the source now but I had read somewhere that lye removes the hydrogenation so all that is left is the oils. One of my best liked batches had 30% Crisco in it. Also, Crisco was originally formulated for soap making.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisco

Procter & Gamble's business manager John Burchenal was contacted by and hired chemist Edwin C. Kayser, former chemist for Joseph Crosfield and Sons (who had acquired Normann's patent so as to produce soap), who patented two processes to hydrogenate cottonseed oil,[1] which ensures the fat remains solid at normal storage temperatures. Their initial intent was to completely harden oils for use as raw material for making soap.

 

[heartandsoap]

I know everyone has their preferences. The only thing I can add is that I never got an ash on my soap until I used Crisco. Every other soap was great.

 

[calico21]

I walk down the isle and look at everything, then research. I have used new and old crisco. I use my own soaps and my sister even asks me for my oatmeal ones. I am looking for as "natural" as I can do. I don't use lard, as if you go with superfatting most people don't want to hear they are rubbing excess animal fat on them. I don't sell, but my sister is willing to help with cost. So I am willing to try a "precious" oil or butter to help my soap be better. I am twiddling my thumbs because so far I like my first goats milk one and if it improves after the cure great!( because i wasn't so sure) You really shouldn't put down an ingredient unless it causes a real issue.
ETA: who was the first one to think castor oil might work? Its a laxitive for god sakes!

 

[newbie]

RE: the question of whether you would ever look at Crisco as something you would moisturize or clean with, the answer is YES. Hospitals use it for skin care- they have the big tubs and will use it on people with dry skin to prevent any further skin breakdown. And no, I'm not joking.

 

[KD]

crisco in soap

I used vegetable shortening in my soap when I started making it and continued to use it for quite some time. After some experimentation, I settled on a recipe that uses coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, and cocoa butter. On a yearly basis, I calculate my cost per bar, and it is the olive oil that is the biggest expense. I love what cocoa butter adds to the soap - hardness, lather, moisturizing qualities. I eliminated the vegetable shortening when I started selling more soap. In my opinion, the soap recipes that included it were a bit soft and didn't last very long.

 

[Hazel]

I never got ash on any of the batches in which I used Crisco. Isn't it odd how people get different results from the same ingredients? Of course if you sell soap, I can see why you wouldn't want to use Crisco. I think it would look odd on the label.

Where's NancyRogers? I haven't seen her on the forum for awhile. I think she uses a type of shortening in her batches and they are lovely soaps. But I might be confusing her soap with someone else's.

eta: My sister used to have very dry skin during the winter months. She started a new job back in the spring where she has to work with lard. The other day she showed me her hands and they are super soft and mosturized. She said it was from handling the lard.

 

[tespring]

The ingredient that I would not do without is not an oil, it is Tussah Silk. I was amazed at my soap before silk compared to my soap after silk. There is a big difference, the silk gives the soap a very smooth feel on my skin.

 

[ToniD]

Wow, almond or cocoa butter I guess....but shea is something I use also.

 

[calico21]

Tespring, is that the silk ive read you disolve in the water? Do you do any swirling work with it? Any problems I should be careful of?

 

[tespring]

Tespring, is that the silk ive read you disolve in the water? Do you do any swirling work with it? Any problems I should be careful of?

It is real silk that you dissolve in the lye water. I have done swirling with it with no problem at all, I cannot even tell it is in there once it dissolves. So far, I haven't found anything that you need to be careful of regarding the silk, except a little goes a long way.

 

[Hazel]

I read on the forum that it's best to leave the tussah silk in the liquid for awhile before you add the lye. Supposedly it dissolves better after being soaked and I think the person said 10 minutes.

I didn't soak the silk that long (maybe 3 minutes or so) before I added the lye but it still dissolved just fine.

 

[Lynnz]

About 95% of my soaps have Cocoa Butter and Tussah Silk in them such beautiful products both of them :0)

 

[jennikate]

Pick one i cant . I like sweet almond and cocoa butter. i have shea but don't use it much in soap as expensive as it is. As a main oil I would be lost without O.O I am not vegan I do use Tallow in some batches.