Beginner question - calculator importance

[Momstop]

Hey everyone, I’m new to the forum, made soap for years but only with my mom and only ever following her super simple recipe. I’m now a stay at home mom and have decided to pick up soap making as a hobby business, if it takes off, amazing, if not it’ll be fun and I know I’ll get my friends and family’s business so it’ll help at first.

here’s the thing, when I run the recipe my mom used her whole life (which I don’t mind at all I should add) through the SoapCalc it basically shows me this bar is off the charts and not in a good way it would seem.... or maybe it doesn’t matter? It also shows me that I should use about an extra oz of lye. Can someone help me understand how much it matters to have all the bars in the suggested zones when formulating a recipe?
Recipe she used is:
25 oz olive oil
5 oz coconut oil
3 oz sodium hydroxide
7 oz water

follow up question, I’d like to add Castor oil and possibly Shea butter to this recipe, not worried much about the castor but how much faster am I going to reach trace with Shea butter being added, planning 10% by the way.

any comments or recommendations for me as to where to start recipe-wise, is adding Shea butter a bit advanced for me, keeping in mind I’m familiar with the process just lacking experience with different recipes?

Kadin

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome! Your recipe is pretty much a castile and will take 6-12 months to be a decent bar of soap. I personally dislike high Olive soap it dries my skin. Some love it. Olive Oil makes a very hard bar of soap with a long cure. You can change your recipe anyway you like. I like Shea in my soap at 10% and Castor at 5%. Also, the number on soapcalc don't tell the whole story.

 

[amd]

Here's the recipe your mom uses in soap calc

Notice the superfat is 30% in order to get 3oz of lye. That's far too high. This soap is probably ok for small batches used quickly, but it's probably doing a number on your plumbing with all those free oils. For selling this would not be okay as the shelf life with that high SF is probably not stable.

Also, this has a very high amount of olive oil, so it should really have a long cure (Probably 9 months for this bar) to be a pleasing soap... although I'm wondering if the high SF is helping the snotty oleic lather typically seen in a high OO bar.

I'm thinking that once you adjust this to a reasonable (5% or less) SF, you will find you don't like this soap as well.

Before you consider selling, you'll want to make sure you have business insurance, a good handle on soapmaking process, labeling requirements, and a good stable recipe. The latter is probably the most important, not just for the shelf life of your products while they are on your shelf, but also for while in your customer's care. I made soap for a 18 months before I started my business. The recipe I started with I had been making for 9 months, and I still had a learning curve even after I started selling (not fair to my customers). I still tweak and change my recipe, but I also invest a lot of testing time into any changes I make - and I hard test my soaps in hot cars, freezer, humidity, sitting in a window sill, anything I think a customer might do to my soap... I do it. I have about 5 customers that I see once a year, they buy all the soap they need for the year, so it needs to be able to withstand whatever storage they're putting this soap through.

Long story short... I don't think you're ready for selling as you don't have a stable recipe. If you don't have a good product, your customers won't come back.

 

[Momstop]

Here's the recipe your mom uses in soap calc
View attachment 44031

Notice the superfat is 30% in order to get 3oz of lye. That's far too high. This soap is probably ok for small batches used quickly, but it's probably doing a number on your plumbing with all those free oils. For selling this would not be okay as the shelf life with that high SF is probably not stable.

Also, this has a very high amount of olive oil, so it should really have a long cure (Probably 9 months for this bar) to be a pleasing soap... although I'm wondering if the high SF is helping the snotty oleic lather typically seen in a high OO bar.

I'm thinking that once you adjust this to a reasonable (5% or less) SF, you will find you don't like this soap as well.

Before you consider selling, you'll want to make sure you have business insurance, a good handle on soapmaking process, labeling requirements, and a good stable recipe. The latter is probably the most important, not just for the shelf life of your products while they are on your shelf, but also for while in your customer's care. I made soap for a 18 months before I started my business. The recipe I started with I had been making for 9 months, and I still had a learning curve even after I started selling (not fair to my customers). I still tweak and change my recipe, but I also invest a lot of testing time into any changes I make - and I hard test my soaps in hot cars, freezer, humidity, sitting in a window sill, anything I think a customer might do to my soap... I do it. I have about 5 customers that I see once a year, they buy all the soap they need for the year, so it needs to be able to withstand whatever storage they're putting this soap through.

Long story short... I don't think you're ready for selling as you don't have a stable recipe. If you don't have a good product, your customers won't come back.

Very much appreciate the detailed reply! I know for sure I’ve got at least a year or more of work before I can truly sell but that’s the goal I’ll be working towards anyway. Luckily my hubby is an entrepreneur himself and has helped me research all the packaging/insurance/selling/shipping costs, not that any of that matters until I find the recipe (or few recipes that work for me)

Any simple recommendations for a starter recipe, I have Castor, olive, coconut, canola and almond oils as well as Shea butter available. Open to getting something more if anyone thinks I’m missing a staple ingredient.

 

[Kcryss]

Very much appreciate the detailed reply! I know for sure I’ve got at least a year or more of work before I can truly sell but that’s the goal I’ll be working towards anyway. Luckily my hubby is an entrepreneur himself and has helped me research all the packaging/insurance/selling/shipping costs, not that any of that matters until I find the recipe (or few recipes that work for me)

Any simple recommendations for a starter recipe, I have Castor, olive, coconut, canola and almond oils as well as Shea butter available. Open to getting something more if anyone thinks I’m missing a staple ingredient.

Are you doing HP or CP? Also, are you opposed to animal fats in your soap?

 

[shunt2011]

Very much appreciate the detailed reply! I know for sure I’ve got at least a year or more of work before I can truly sell but that’s the goal I’ll be working towards anyway. Luckily my hubby is an entrepreneur himself and has helped me research all the packaging/insurance/selling/shipping costs, not that any of that matters until I find the recipe (or few recipes that work for me)

Any simple recommendations for a starter recipe, I have Castor, olive, coconut, canola and almond oils as well as Shea butter available. Open to getting something more if anyone thinks I’m missing a staple ingredient.

If you're not opposed to animal fat, Lard makes an awesome soap. Palm is an alternative if you're not opposed to it. Many are due to deforestation issues. I use it for a few of my soaps for vegan soap. If you go through the forum you will find many recipes that have been shared by members.

Here's a simple but good bar of soap.

45% Lard
20% CO
30% Olive, Sunflower, Safflower, Rice Bran (whichever you prefer)
5% Castor Oil

I use a 5% SF.

 

[amd]

Here's a simple but good bar of soap.

45% Lard
20% CO
30% Olive, Sunflower, Safflower, Rice Bran (whichever you prefer)
5% Castor Oil

I use a 5% SF.

I agree with above recipe. Because you already have shea, you could add it as 10% and drop the lard down to 35% to get a nice soap. Personally I like to keep my lard/tallow/palm % less than the liquid oil %, but that's just what my skin prefers. I think it's worth making a small batch as written, and then making tweaks from there if needed, running through the soap calc each time.

 

[musmar.firas]

I agree with above recipe. Because you already have shea, you could add it as 10% and drop the lard down to 35% to get a nice soap. Personally I like to keep my lard/tallow/palm % less than the liquid oil %, but that's just what my skin prefers. I think it's worth making a small batch as written, and then making tweaks from there if needed, running through the soap calc each time.

What if I don't have lard or palm .. what else can use while keeping olive, sunflower, sweet almond, shea butter/ oil. ?

 

[cmzaha]

What if I don't have lard or palm .. what else can use while keeping olive, sunflower, sweet almond, shea butter/ oil. ?

Do you have shortening? It can be used. Walmart has a Great Value Shortening that is Animal and Vegetable Fat that makes a nice white bar of soap.

 

[musmar.firas]

Do you have shortening? It can be used. Walmart has a Great Value Shortening that is Animal and Vegetable Fat that makes a nice white bar of soap.

I have access to oils and vegetable shortening only
but I dont find the vegetable shortening in soapcalc.net list so i can calculate the lye.

the screen shot below is from the shortening container.

 

[TheGecko]

Very much appreciate the detailed reply! I know for sure I’ve got at least a year or more of work before I can truly sell but that’s the goal I’ll be working towards anyway. Luckily my hubby is an entrepreneur himself and has helped me research all the packaging/insurance/selling/shipping costs, not that any of that matters until I find the recipe (or few recipes that work for me)

Any simple recommendations for a starter recipe, I have Castor, olive, coconut, canola and almond oils as well as Shea butter available. Open to getting something more if anyone thinks I’m missing a staple ingredient.

The FIRST thing you need is a good soap and at minimum, that takes three months if you have family and friends who will give you honest feedback. Then another three months to tweak your recipe and to see how your original bars are doing at that point.

My Regular Soap is made with Olive, Coconut, Palm and Castor Oils and Cocoa and Shea Butters. My Goat Milk Soap is made without the Cocoa Butter. I had Kaolin Clay and Sodium Lactate to both.

Regular Soap:
35% Olive Oil
20% Coconut Oil (76 deg)
20% Palm Oil (RSPO)
5% Castor Oil
10% Cocoa Butter (natural)
10% Shea Butter (natural)
35% Lye Concentration
5% Super Fat
1 tea PPO Kaolin Clay
1 tea PPO Sodium Lactate

Goat Milk Soap:
40% Olive Oil
20% Coconut Oil (76 deg)
20% Palm Oil (RSPO)
5% Castor Oil
15% Shea Butter (natural)
35% Lye Concentration
3% Super Fat
1 tea PPO Kaolin Clay
1 tea PPO Sodium Lactate
(I use 100% Goat Milk; frozen in an ice bath; I do not gel my GMS)

After a few 'learning opportunities' (what I call failures), I bought a couple of 1lb molds to try new recipes, colorants and scents. I get 4 large bars that I cut in half for 8 'testers'; I cure for 8 weeks. 1 stays in the rack, 1 goes to the kitchen sink, 6 go out for testing. Majority rules and then I make a 2lb batch.

 

[cmzaha]

I have access to oils and vegetable shortening only
but I dont find the vegetable shortening in soapcalc.net list so i can calculate the lye.

the screen shot below is from the shortening container.

View attachment 44054

The Crisco with Palm in soapcalc with work. Crisco with Palm is Soybean and Palm Oil. It actually makes a decent soap.

 

[musmar.firas]

The Crisco with Palm in soapcalc with work. Crisco with Palm is Soybean and Palm Oil. It actually makes a decent soap.

Since I live in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, the choices are limited.
as I mentioned before, the vegetable shortening available has the below ingredients.
if I am going to include it in SoapCalc.net., under which "Oils, Fats and Waxes" I should include it?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Since I live in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, the choices are limited.
as I mentioned before, the vegetable shortening available has the below ingredients.
if I am going to include it in SoapCalc.net., under which "Oils, Fats and Waxes" I should include it?

Per @cmzaha suggestion, use “Crisco, new with palm” in SoapCalc for the shortening you have available.

 

[SmockingRN]

Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and good advice! I just got 2 smaller molds so I can try more recipes without adding to my stacks of noob soap.