Thought I’d better ask for the first time before I go ahead
Does this recipe look okay?
- Thread starter Nanna
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Looks wonderful! The only thing I'd consider changing is the amount of water. The standard setting on soapcalc is calculated as a percentage of oil weight, but the forum consensus is thst it's better to calculate based on the amount of lye you use (the concentration of the lye solution you end up with). Your current calculation amounts to a lye concentration of 27%, which is relatively low. Such a low concentration will help slow down trace (if that's what you want), but can also cause morphing of the soap when it loses water during cure. I think most people on here recommend 30%-33%, although there are many exceptions in both directions and a lot depends on personal preference.
Hope this makes sense!
Good luck and happy soaping
Hope this makes sense!
Good luck and happy soaping
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
The soap part of the recipe is fine (with the lye concentration caveat that @szaza has already mentioned). I guess the “pine resin infused oil” is not one of the batch oils, but comes on top of this, so that you have some superfat + the properties of the resin?
Be aware that resin can have surprising side effects, like crazy acceleration/ricing that can make it difficult/impossible to distribute the extra oil “at trace”. Even if you don't apply it at high rates, be sure to be aware of the malices: Pine tar soap | Soapy Stuff
Before you aim for an intricate swirl design (guessing from the “green clay for green portion” part), be sure that you understand the recipe, and have the right tools and a feeling for proper temperature (i. e. do a simple, uniformly coloured test batch first).
Should it be not well-behaved, then you can still aim for a confetti soap.
Keep us updated! SMF loves pics!
Be aware that resin can have surprising side effects, like crazy acceleration/ricing that can make it difficult/impossible to distribute the extra oil “at trace”. Even if you don't apply it at high rates, be sure to be aware of the malices: Pine tar soap | Soapy Stuff
Before you aim for an intricate swirl design (guessing from the “green clay for green portion” part), be sure that you understand the recipe, and have the right tools and a feeling for proper temperature (i. e. do a simple, uniformly coloured test batch first).
Should it be not well-behaved, then you can still aim for a confetti soap.
Keep us updated! SMF loves pics!
I kinda thought it was a bit much liquid. I’ll try 30%. What can go wrongLooks wonderful! The only thing I'd consider changing is the amount of water. The standard setting on soapcalc is calculated as a percentage of oil weight, but the forum consensus is thst it's better to calculate based on the amount of lye you use (the concentration of the lye solution you end up with). Your current calculation amounts to a lye concentration of 27%, which is relatively low. Such a low concentration will help slow down trace (if that's what you want), but can also cause morphing of the soap when it loses water during cure. I think most people on here recommend 30%-33%, although there are many exceptions in both directions and a lot depends on personal preference.
Hope this makes sense!
Good luck and happy soaping
Am I understanding correctly that this is your first ever batch? If so, I think you're being pretty ambitious, to be honest.
Firstly, it's rather a large batch. I suggest making a batch that's around a quarter of this at first, or even slightly smaller. That way, if it doesn't go according to plan, you've not wasted so many ingredients. I have a nice small mould that takes around 500g/1lb of batter that I use for new recipes and new fragrance oils. You can however improvise a mould if you don't have a suitable one - my first few soaps were made in a plastic tub similar to a margarine tub, lined with baking paper.
Secondly, I agree that it's high in water. Try changing the lye concentration setting to 33%. (Rather than water as percentage of oils)
Thirdly, you seem to be using both fragrance and colourants, along with the extra additives. Can I suggest simplifying it a bit? If you really want to use both scent and colours, perhaps stick with a single colour throughout the whole batch to start with.
The soap recipe itself looks ok though, the numbers are all pretty good and should make a decent soap.
I'm slightly curious which units you were working with when you developed the recipe, since none of them are all in whole numbers down the row. Not that it really matters, I just tend to start with percentages, which I do in whole numbers as 0.01% or even 0.5% of an ingredient won't make any noticeable difference to the final soap in my opinion. It's also difficult to weigh out ingredients that precisely, so I always round to the nearest gram anyway.
Firstly, it's rather a large batch. I suggest making a batch that's around a quarter of this at first, or even slightly smaller. That way, if it doesn't go according to plan, you've not wasted so many ingredients. I have a nice small mould that takes around 500g/1lb of batter that I use for new recipes and new fragrance oils. You can however improvise a mould if you don't have a suitable one - my first few soaps were made in a plastic tub similar to a margarine tub, lined with baking paper.
Secondly, I agree that it's high in water. Try changing the lye concentration setting to 33%. (Rather than water as percentage of oils)
Thirdly, you seem to be using both fragrance and colourants, along with the extra additives. Can I suggest simplifying it a bit? If you really want to use both scent and colours, perhaps stick with a single colour throughout the whole batch to start with.
The soap recipe itself looks ok though, the numbers are all pretty good and should make a decent soap.
I'm slightly curious which units you were working with when you developed the recipe, since none of them are all in whole numbers down the row. Not that it really matters, I just tend to start with percentages, which I do in whole numbers as 0.01% or even 0.5% of an ingredient won't make any noticeable difference to the final soap in my opinion. It's also difficult to weigh out ingredients that precisely, so I always round to the nearest gram anyway.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for the detailed reply
I meant it’s my first time asking for help for a recipe. I have been soaping for a year, still fairly new but have only had one salt soap not turn out. Of course there’s some that aren’t quite what I wanted for design but still nice. I just found a recipe that uses pine resin that had 2 colors but no tallow so I used that and modified.
As for percentages my math is terrible so I just go for the ounces, put it in lye calc and switch grams.
I am not using fragrances, forgot to change that
