cleansing and conditining question

[lionprincess00]

I think I finally figured out my own first soap recipe. It will have 25% coconut oil, and I've read that it can be quite drying over 20%.
My question is, if I superfat at 5%, add goats milk (which increases the superfat, I'm guessing, to almost 6%), will that help counter the higher coconut drying effect?

Soap calc numbers are as follows on this recipe (but the goats milk isn't included into these numbers of course since it's my "water")...

Hardness 36
Cleansing 17***is this too high with the
Conditioning 60 while using GM also???
Bubbles 21
Creamy 24

What's your "cleansing number" cutoff??

All opinions welcome!

 

[pamielynn]

19 is the highest I will personally go - and that's on specifically "cleansing" soaps. I'm usually around 14.

 

[CanaDawn]

Honestly...just make a small batch and try the soap after cure. All the numbers are not as important as whether or not you like the soap. I make 80% coconut oil soap and do not find it drying. Some people swear they crumble to dust at coconut as low as 25%. Soapcalc says "A typical range for Cleansing would be 12 to 22." so your cleansing number should be just fine.

 

[lionprincess00]

Thx for both your comments. I was hoping the GM would 'counter' the 17 a little. This will cure out to appx 16-17 total oz, or 4 bars only. I'm starting out small while learning the ins and outs

I have a second recipe I came up with that is
33 hardness
14 cleansing
63 conditioning
18 bubbles
23 creamy
It has 20% coconut as opposed to 25%.
I just hate the lower bubble number on that one. But I suppose if I'm trying to increase bubbles like in the first recipe, then adjust superfats and such, it counters each other out.


I'm avoiding PO so I'm limited on options.

 

[Obsidian]

Milk isn't going to add enough extra anything to counter a high cleansing soap. I would go with the second recipe, it very similar to my basic recipe and 18 bubbly gives plenty of lather. I use 8% SF as I have very dry skin.
You can add 2 tsp sugar PPO to help boost lather, dissolve it in your water before adding the lye. You lye solution will get quite warm with the added sugar.

 

[Susie]

I'm with Obsidian(although I only SF @ 5%). The GM is not going to counter the high cleansing. The sugar really does boost the bubblage. And have you added castor oil at 5%? Hard to give guidance with no recipes.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I swear by sugar, too. Great little booster for the bubbles.

 

[lionprincess00]

Coconut 20%
Olive, Rice Bran and Sweet Almond totaling 65%
Shea 10%
Castor 5%
That's the second recipe.

The cleansing first recipe was
Coconut 25%
Olive almond combo totaling 50%
Shea 15%
Cocoa butter 5%
Castor 5%

Would a little sugar work with GM? I am assuming the lye goes into dissolved sugar water, cool down, adding cold GM to oils and then cooled lye sugar water into GM oils..this wouldn't cause super heating, right?

 

[Susie]

Yes it will certainly add to heating. This will be strictly a freezer recipe to prevent overheating.

 

[seven]

i'm with Canadawn on this one. just try and make a small batch. what works for someone else might or might not work for you. personally, i can go as high as 30% coconut with 5-6% SF and it's fine by me. a good cure will also improve lather. i don't bother much by the numbers on soapcalc. they serve as guidelines only for me. i just make what i want.

 

[lionprincess00]

Thx for all the great advice. I may avoid sugar on this one as to avoid over heating. I am probably going to soap room temp, add cold GM probably at trace so as to not harden up the butters and CO as it may if I add it to oils before lye water. Pop into the freezer and use the 20oz silicone loaf mold to prevent insulation that a wood mold would have. Thx again!!

 

[Jaccart789]

I do exactly what Seven does. I love the hardness and bubbles of coconut and I go as high as 30% but then I use other oils to balance it quite nicely. Everyone's skin likes different things and this is perfect for me. I give my soap to around 40 people routinely who request soap when they are out. They must like it too. I change things up with my recipes with tweaks but the coconut stays pretty constant. I was just reading in a soap queen book (her newest one) she likes using coconut oil that high too, but some don't prefer it. There is no right or wrong answer in soaping when it comes to the conditioning properties...its whatever you like.