First Recipe

[melstan775]

I was looking for ingredients I already have, ie olive oil and Crisco, but no matter what I plugged in for other oils, I kept coming up with numbers that indicated a really soft bar. Since I want a harder bar, I eventually ended up with the recipe I am posting below. But since I have to go buy all these ingredients and am a little short on money just now, being just after Christmas and all, might be a couple weeks til I get to it. It looks like an old fashioned lye recipe to me. Any thoughts on this one?

Lard, Pig Tallow Manteca 75%
Coconut Oil, fractionated 15%
Castor Oil 10%

According to soapcalc, it's pretty good.

Soap Bar Quality Suggested Range Your Recipe
Hardness 29 - 54 45
Cleansing 12 - 22 15
Conditioning 44 - 69 49
Bubbly 14 - 46 24
Creamy 16 - 48 40
Iodine 41 - 70 52
INS 136 - 165 162

Lauric 0
Myristic 1
Palmitic 21
Stearic 10
Ricinoleic 9
Oleic 35
Linoleic 5
Linolenic 0

 

[CaliChan]

out of the ingredients you have i would recomend something more along the lines of
Olive oil 50%
Coconut oil, fractionated 20%
Lard, Pig tallow 15%
Castor oil 15%

Hardness 33
Cleansing 19
Conditioning 63
Bubbly 32
Creamy 28
Iodine 64
INS 152
that way your bar is still within the suggested range for Hardness but it is also more conditioning and more bubbly. I personally dont like bars that have high cleansing properties but not very high conditioning properties. Tends to make my skin really dry.
Goats milk is an amazing additive as well, but for your first batch. its best to keep it simple

 

[maiseycat]

The numbers look good. Coconut adds a fair bit of hardness, more than the lard will. Increasing that and decreasing the lard will up the cleanliness.

Do you just have Crisco and olive oil? If we know what you have available to you, we can try to help you figure out a recipe to get soaping sooner There's always Castille, which is 100% olive oil. It does require a very long time to cure though.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Why fractionated Coconut? That's usually used for body products (massage oils, serums, lotions) and its more expensive...why not use 76 degree Coconut Oil? Just curious.

 

[melstan775]

you make good points cali. I did the best I could, it's my first time! <3

Maisey, I currently have olive oil (a preblended mix of EVOO and refined, extra light), Wesson Vegatable Oil, EVOO, and Crisco in my cupboard.

Shawnee, I ran the numbers with all the different kinds of coconut oil, and it made zero difference so I just picked one. I will probably buy the LouAna though, which is what, 76 right?

Also, I had to run to walmart just now, so I checked out the oil row while I was there. I'm estatically happy to report my local branch, which is well known for it's lack of anything useful and is hated by the whole town, has magically stocked its cooking oils with everything I personally want except rice bran oil, which can be had at the local asian market. <3 PS they also had Castor Oil in the pharmacy.

 

[lsg]

The numbers for your recipe look good to me, I would substitute 76* coconut oil for the fractionated.

 

[CaliChan]

you make good points cali. I did the best I could, it's my first time! <3

Maisey, I currently have olive oil (a preblended mix of EVOO and refined, extra light), Wesson Vegatable Oil, EVOO, and Crisco in my cupboard.

Shawnee, I ran the numbers with all the different kinds of coconut oil, and it made zero difference so I just picked one. I will probably buy the LouAna though, which is what, 76 right?

Also, I had to run to walmart just now, so I checked out the oil row while I was there. I'm estatically happy to report my local branch, which is well known for it's lack of anything useful and is hated by the whole town, has magically stocked its cooking oils with everything I personally want except rice bran oil, which can be had at the local asian market. <3 PS they also had Castor Oil in the pharmacy.

LouAna is the kind i buy and it is 76
YOUR SO LUCKY i have to go to 3 different stores to get my oils

 

[melstan775]

LouAna is the kind i buy and it is 76
YOUR SO LUCKY i have to go to 3 different stores to get my oils

Hahaha, I bet it's a once in a lifetime lucky. My local Wal-Mart is so universally hated, people would rather travel to get stuff then shop there! I bet the next time I go they are back to olive oil and canola. -.-

 

[CaliChan]

Hahaha, I bet it's a once in a lifetime lucky. My local Wal-Mart is so universally hated, people would rather travel to get stuff then shop there! I bet the next time I go they are back to olive oil and canola. -.-

You should check out the mexican isle. Over here they hide the Soybean oil there. idk why they wouldnt put it with the rest of the oils.

 

[melstan775]

You should check out the mexican isle. Over here they hide the Soybean oil there. idk why they wouldnt put it with the rest of the oils.

I did. I didn't see it. We have a Mexican store in town though, I will check there for oils as well.