Conditioning Bath Soap - does this look okay?

[Zany_in_CO]

I don't have anything to add to what others have said except... keep up the good work! Can't wait to read how this turns out for you.

 

[Kittish]

Pics please? We do like pictures around here.

 

[Flyrod77]

Reporting back on how it went.

I am just reporting back regarding how the recipe turned out. I feel like I did learn some things. Here was the hot process recipe I used:

Olive oil 40%
Coconut oil 20%
Shea butter 20%
Castor oil 9%
Avacado oil 6%
Sunflower oil 5%
(I added 2% Meadowfoam oil with the fragrance oil at the end for superfatting)

Some initial thoughts:

1. The people who said that was too much coconut oil were right. The soap seems a bit too harsh stripping away natural body oil... at least if felt that way to me. Lesson learned I guess

2. I used a silicone soap mold that had 6 individual molds that I put the recipe into. I really did not like trying to fill the molds this way, and I am going to use a loaf mold next time. It was probably just me being clumsy, but I felt awkward trying to get the recipe into the smaller mold in a way that the bars would look right after hardening.

3. It seemed like the recipe was overly dry when I tried to get it into the molds for the bars. I am so inexperienced that maybe this is just normal for hot process soap at the end of the cooking. I just don't know.

4. I may try cold process the next time and use the new loaf mold. I also would like to learn how to color the soap so it looks more appealing. I may cut down on the fragrance oil also. Right now it seems just a tad bit too much fragrance.

Anyway, I will post the pictures below. I was considering changing the recipe to something like this the next time:

Olive oil 60% (instead of the 40%)
Shea butter 15% (instead of the 20%)
Coconut oil 10% (instead of the 20%)
Avocado oil 10% (instead of the 6%)
Castor oil 5% (instead of the 9%)
(I thought I'd add the 2% Meadowfoam oil at the end again for superfatting)

Here's the Soapee info on the new recipe, and a photo of the first recipe soap. I would welcome advise and feedback. Thank you for the help.

 

[penelopejane]

I'd up the avocado oil by 10-20% and take it away from the OO. I like OO at or below 50% for a quicker cure and a nice lather and feel from the avocado. If you cp leave out the meadowfoam. If it is still too drying leave the CO out altogether but 10% should be ok.

 

[Cindy2428]

I like it - Your cleansing number is where I shoot for. Your bubbles will be less, but if you dissolve 1 T sugar PPO into your water before you add your lye or use the milk, that will up your bubbles. You can up your castor to 8% as well. (I normally use 9% w/out getting the sticky feel people have mentioned).

Also, with HP you want to use full water to prevent your soap from drying out and getting the "crusties" on the edge of your crockpot. You can also add a liberal T of plain yogurt at the end of the cook to smooth out your batter when you add your SF oil.

Finally, I experimented with HP for over a year and finally found that when my batch started the "cooking phase" before mashed potatoes, I would turn off the crockpot with the lid on the whole time, give it one stir and leave it be. Granted I used my coconut milk and coconut water so the mix was very hot and I monitored it for potential volcano, but never had a problem.

I never got the smooth pour the one lady on you-tube gets, but it was a very thick trace that did not look like it was the traditional rustic HP. The only thing I had to look out for were air pockets.

 

[Saranac]

1. The people who said that was too much coconut oil were right. The soap seems a bit too harsh stripping away natural body oil... at least if felt that way to me. Lesson learned I guess

Is this new soap? How long has it cured? Some like low coconut, but I keep mine at 20%. If it's under 4-6 weeks old, let it cure for a while and see what you think. You might find that it is indeed too high. . . but then again, you might like it.

 

[Flyrod77]

Is this new soap? How long has it cured? Some like low coconut, but I keep mine at 20%. If it's under 4-6 weeks old, let it cure for a while and see what you think. You might find that it is indeed too high. . . but then again, you might like it.

It is new soap, so I will definitely be letting it cure now, and see how it is after curing. This is all a new learning experience for me.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Thanks for the update, Dave. Your soap looks just as it should. Nice! Don't be too concerned about it feeling dry -- best not to use it right away, even tho you can. It will feel SO much better after a 4-week cure. Patience, Grasshopper. (My "first rule" of soapmaking.)

HP is a Make-It-&-Plop-It into the mold any way you can kinda soap! -- i.e., not a smooth pour like CP. I think you should be very proud of yourself. Your soap looks like you've been at it for quite a while. Well done.

 

[psfred]

I figured out how to do the "counter top fluid HP", but I'm not sure it's worth any extra effort. Basically you MUST use sugar in some form to get extra heat, and a water discount. Lacking those two things, you won't get the fast saponification because it's not hot enough, even with oils at 200F.

At the end you will have to add glycerine, liquid sodium lactate (for extra water) and yogurt. Be careful not to get carried away with the extra water, else the soap tends to warp as it dries.

I've gotten rather nice pours (no swirls, just putting the soap into a mold) and nice bars.

If you just want to use full water, that works too, but be prepared to add a small amount of extra water after the cook (very hot, you don't want to make the soap stiff by adding cold water). This will soften it up enough to make it easy to get into the mold, and it will "thump" down into the corners nicely with a couple good bangs of the mold on the table.

No one will be able to tell it's "rough" HP after it's been used a couple times anyway....