Coconut oil soap

[Soapstars]

Hello, I am a newcomer here. I see this is a massive forum and will take time to find my way around!

As a new soapmaker I am wondering if anyone can advise me on coconut oil soap please?

If I do 90% coconut oil and 10% castor oil with superfat of 5% - is that enough to be moisturising and not drying please? Or would you recommend 10% or more superfat? Don't want a soap that is too drying for my mature skin.

Hope to learn a lot here : )

Thanks for your help.:bunny:

 

[artemis]

Nope. Typically, high coconut oil soap needs a really high superfat. The 100% one I make for my husband has 20 or 25%.

I don't use castor much, but I hink the recommendation is about 5% castor oil in a recipe.

Also, some people can't tolerate the high CO soap even with the high superfat.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with Artemis. If you are making a Coconut Bath Soap I would SF at 15-20%. You can do 100% CO. Or do 80% CO, 15% Avocado, Olive or another nice oil and 5% Castor. Using too much castor oil can make a very sticky bar of soap.

 

[Soapstars]

Thank you for your advice. Looks like I will have to rebatch it. x

Artemis, I like your Bible quote there. Great to remind ourselves of that regularly x

Has anyone used coconut thick cream from a tin of coconut milk to mix with some water for the lye mixture in 100% coconut milk soap please? If so, does that make it more nourishing for the skin than just coconut oil superfatted? If I use the cream with the oil should I superfat less than 20% due to the cream added?

Oh there is so much to learn!

 

[artemis]

Has anyone used coconut thick cream from a tin of coconut milk to mix with some water for the lye mixture in 100% coconut milk soap please? If so, does that make it more nourishing for the skin than just coconut oil superfatted? If I use the cream with the oil should I superfat less than 20% due to the cream added?

I think anyone who has soaped for long has tried everything at some point. You can use coconut milk in cans, coconut milk that is sold as a milk alternative, coconut water... you can do partial replacement or even full replacement of your water for your lye. As for nourishing, soap is a wash-off product. It can clean with lesser degrees of stripping natural oils from your body. I don't think it's really going to "nourish." I personally feel like milks in soap make the soap itself a little creamier and increases bubbles.

I have only been soaping for two years now. I make small (16oz of oils) batches. Whenever I think, "I wonder if I can...," then search the topic here or elsewhere, and then just try it. It's only about 4 or 5 bars of soap, so it's not a great loss if it gets wierd.

There's another thing: if you ever think something like, "I wonder if anyone has ever used that in soap?" odds are that they have. A quick search may turn up the very answer you are looking for.

 

[Dahila]

coconut milk will give you a nice slide on skin, But I would never touch such high CO soap.
Lately I see a lot of people post on fb about 100 CO soaps, then they post the results, usually they are not very happy, the soap even with high SF is drying. You could use 3 oils
OO , CO and Castor

 

[Obsidian]

I have dry skin and love 100% coconut oil soap. You can use 10% castor but there really is no need too. Castor is to help increase bubbles but coconut soap already has plenty of lather.

I really like coconut milk in soap. I'll use just enough water to dissolve my lye then make up the rest of the liquid needed with the milk. It will add a little extra super fat, I figured around 5% or so, I'll lower my recipe SF to 15 when using coconut milk.

Using coconut milk can make you soap batter get thick faster. Don't try to do any fancy designs your first try.
Be ready to mix it and quickly get it in the mold. If you plan on using scent, blend it into the oil before adding the lye solution.

 

[Soapstars]

Thank you all, this is really good information.

 

[lenarenee]

If you use coconut milk as Obsidian said, remember that you must dissolve your lye with at least an equal weight of water to make a 50/50 solution, then add the coconut milk amount to make 100% liquids. It's not safe to have more lye than water.

 

[zolveria]

Coco Soap

This is my mane soap.. ONE oil Wonder..
I use 25 SF . I use 100gm of aloe water. and i take this away from the total water needed.

My soap are super moisturizing. never had a complaint..

I started making these because of Palm oil Crisis out there. Palm oil has been a source of use for centuries in Africa. The problem begins when other parts of the world are demanding this product. and Natural habitat are now exploited. Which i do not understand. because Most regions where intact Until the Crusaders invaded and started a big mess.. <---- my opnion.

Any who.. Just super fat 25 and use aloe to soften and condition the soap.
you can add SILK peptide also. sugar etc for more bubble.. this soaps sets really quickly and can trace quickly if using a hand mixer

 

[Susie]

Is there some particular reason that you must only have coconut oil in the soap?

 

[zolveria]

Having one oil for me is cost effective.. also i can cater to a larger audience
some do not like animal fats. or want to use palm. this make a hard bar. with out adding SL.

I also do a 50/50 shea coco. these are wonderful also super fat a little lower however.

Is there some particular reason that you must only have coconut oil in the soap?