Can you check this recipe for me?

[scrummysuds]

Coconut cream soap:

24 oz (690g) coconut oil
8 oz (227g) cocoa butter
16 oz (454g) distilled water (may use some coconut milk for part of this amount)
5 3/4 oz (163g) lye
2 tsp coconut fragrance (found a cp friendly one)

This is from a book I have but when I typed in the info into a lye calculator the amount of the lye was higher than what was recommended in the book so I'm a little worried....

 

[Guest]

I use MMS http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php and this is what they recommend:
Lye:
5% 5.23
6% 5.18
7% 5.12
8% 5.07

Your 5 3/4 oz lye is higher than what the MMS calc comes up with as is the liquid. I've never used just straight coconut oil with cocoa butter, so that could be the reason....I don't really know.

Liquids:
For the size of fat batch that you are using, we recommend that you use approximately 8 to 12 fluid ounces of liquid.
We have adjusted the water to give a range of values. In the past the water was calculated at 6 fl oz per pound of fats. We are now offering 4 to 6 fl oz per pound of fats. If you want the same amount as before use the higher number. If you need to reduce the water in your soap quickly for packaging purposes then you may reduce the water to the lower amount, or anywhere in between.

 

[scrummysuds]

ahh I used the bramble berry calc and it came out at about 100g more lye than the recipe...

 

[delicious]

I wouldn't trust that recipe. If you use it, you'd probably have a lye heavy soap that would be irritating to the skin. To get that amount of lye in soapcalc, I had to put a NEGATIVE superfat (-3), meaning more lye than is needed to do a complete saponification.
I would use the numbers given by soapcalc or any other lye calculator.

Other than that, I believe that the recipe doesn't have enough soft oils in it.
Well, I have never experimented myself, but I have never seen anyone recommend such a recipe (and I have read loads). Nor do they recommend so much coconut oil; it is said to be drying to the skin at percentages higher than 25-30, you have 75. To counterbalance the drying effect (cause people still make soap with high percentages of coconut, even up to 100%), people use a high superfat (extra oils compared to lye). I wouldn't know what superfat to do though I have read that for 100% coconut you can go up to 20% (that was probably an Extreme).

Now you have 25% cocoa butter and 75% coconut oil.
If I wanted to stay close to the original recipe I would go myself (you do what you want) for 25% cocoa butter, 50% coconut oil, 25% olive oil or rice bran oil (cause that is what I have on hand) and do a 7-8% superfat (could probably go up to 10% superfat, but don't take my word!).

Oh yeah, and I wouldn't use that much water either. Soapcalc recommends 348g for full water (38% of the oil amount), you could even go lower, but with that much hard oils, I would be careful (at the least about 35% of oils I'd say which would be about 320g).

 

[honor435]

soap

not enough fo, you need 1oz per lb of oils, I would add oo and castor.

 

[yoenoess]

on soap calc
super fat
10 % = 142 gr lye
8% = 145 grl ye
0% = 157 gr lye

i usually prefer 5 - 10% superfat

 

[carebear]

Other than that, I believe that the recipe doesn't have enough soft oils in it.
Well, I have never experimented myself, but I have never seen anyone recommend such a recipe (and I have read loads). Nor do they recommend so much coconut oil; it is said to be drying to the skin at percentages higher than 25-30, you have 75. To counterbalance the drying effect (cause people still make soap with high percentages of coconut, even up to 100%), people use a high superfat (extra oils compared to lye). I wouldn't know what superfat to do though I have read that for 100% coconut you can go up to 20% (that was probably an Extreme).

Now you have 25% cocoa butter and 75% coconut oil.
If I wanted to stay close to the original recipe I would go myself (you do what you want) for 25% cocoa butter, 50% coconut oil, 25% olive oil or rice bran oil (cause that is what I have on hand) and do a 7-8% superfat (could probably go up to 10% superfat, but don't take my word!).

Hmmm - guess you missed some reading here on this forum, because actually I DO recommend a 75% coconut oil/25% cocoa butter soap. It's amazing. I'd superfat it at 15%, though. And I'm not alone. There are many here and elsewhere who soap similar formulas - often called "break the rules" soap after a recipe someone posted on the net. And there are many who love that 100% coconut oil soap. Again with a hefty superfat/lye discount.

This said, I don't recommend it necessarily for beginners - tho it's not terribly challening either. Just be sure to let it gel or you will most likely get thick, sticky ash.

 

[delicious]

Hmmm - guess you missed some reading here on this forum, because actually I DO recommend a 75% coconut oil/25% cocoa butter soap. It's amazing. I'd superfat it at 15%, though. And I'm not alone. There are many here and elsewhere who soap similar formulas - often called "break the rules" soap after a recipe someone posted on the net. And there are many who love that 100% coconut oil soap. Again with a hefty superfat/lye discount.

This said, I don't recommend it necessarily for beginners - tho it's not terribly challening either. Just be sure to let it gel or you will most likely get thick, sticky ash.

=> yup, listen to the expert.

 

[scrummysuds]

owww I'm a bit confused now :?
Do I need to change my recipe?
Which oil do I increase to increase the superfat %?

 

[carebear]

you could easily end up with as many answers as there are forum members. the oils are a matter of choice.

but absolutely the lye amount is incorrect - you need to run it through a lye calculator like soapcalc.net and get the correct amount for your soap. for this recipe you have posted I would recommend setting the superfat (aka lye discount) at about 15%. If you choose to change the oils then you can use a lower superfat.

to change the superfat - if you use the lye calculator (aka soap calculator) such as the one above, you won't change your mix of oils - but rather you will simply use less lye.

millersoaps.com is a great resource to learn a lot about soap and the choice of oils, and lye calculators - I'd suggest spending some time reading there before deciding on what recipe to use.

 

[scrummysuds]

so If I used 4.69 oz of Lye that should bring it down to 15% superfat and I don't need to adjust my oil quantities....
I may leave it till I've done my beginners class for cp in july till I attepmt any cp soap, think I'll start off with a m+p soap