Arthur Dent
Well-Known Member
That should actually be a pretty good soap. Next time try one of the recipes Jstar listed. That 5% castor oil makes a big difference.
CPOP or naw?
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nogud247
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I will for sure. I think I love this soap already. It's cool to note how it evolves over time. Even though it's been a small time it's so much nicer than before.
Bubbles, after some very limited no-fail wisdom, are hard. The no-fail stuff: CO in high proportions (although the downside of that is that it is v. drying for many folks.) Castor to maximize the lather in the existing oils, I use b/w 7-8%, the average is probably lower (5% is what you see most often b/c it will accelerate your trace a little and make your soap softer in higher amounts), others have used higher amounts w/different mixes with success. Sugar of whatever sort, including honey. 1 tspn to 1 Tb ppo, people vary on that too. I use a sugar solution, so mine ends up being @ 1/2 TB ppo when you factor in the distilled water.
After that, it is up for grabs. I use aloe for my lye liquid and full coconut milk in every batch b/c *I* think they make the lather good. But I got suggestions for doing that from anecdotal sources, so even if I like my soaps better with them, other people might disagree, and I have no scientific basis upon which to claim that my feeling is true (and really, I don't care, so wouldn't anyway.)
It is such an unsatisfying answer, but you kind of have to try a bunch of stuff and just see what you like. Although it sure is fun to try all the stuff
After that, it is up for grabs. I use aloe for my lye liquid and full coconut milk in every batch b/c *I* think they make the lather good. But I got suggestions for doing that from anecdotal sources, so even if I like my soaps better with them, other people might disagree, and I have no scientific basis upon which to claim that my feeling is true (and really, I don't care, so wouldn't anyway.)
It is such an unsatisfying answer, but you kind of have to try a bunch of stuff and just see what you like. Although it sure is fun to try all the stuff
nogud247
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Bubbles, after some very limited no-fail wisdom, are hard. The no-fail stuff: CO in high proportions (although the downside of that is that it is v. drying for many folks.) Castor to maximize the lather in the existing oils, I use b/w 7-8%, the average is probably lower (5% is what you see most often b/c it will accelerate your trace a little and make your soap softer in higher amounts), others have used higher amounts w/different mixes with success. Sugar of whatever sort, including honey. 1 tspn to 1 Tb ppo, people vary on that too. I use a sugar solution, so mine ends up being @ 1/2 TB ppo when you factor in the distilled water.
After that, it is up for grabs. I use aloe for my lye liquid and full coconut milk in every batch b/c *I* think they make the lather good. But I got suggestions for doing that from anecdotal sources, so even if I like my soaps better with them, other people might disagree, and I have no scientific basis upon which to claim that my feeling is true (and really, I don't care, so wouldn't anyway.)
It is such an unsatisfying answer, but you kind of have to try a bunch of stuff and just see what you like. Although it sure is fun to try all the stuff
I think it's a lovely answer! It is fun. I'm excited to setup the experiments. It's clear my daughter wants to be a full time tester.
I would personally up the CO to about 20% and add Castor at 5-7% with an SF of 7-8. I use a combination of PKO and CO in my recipes and I love the lather I get with it. I generally go to around 22% in combination and my cleaning is still 14-15 which I find nice as does my family. The castor will add stability to your lather. Part of the fun is playing with your recipes until you find what you love most.
