Hi, I've never made soap before, and I'm trying for a simple soap with a serious peppermint kick. The basic recipe I'm looking at is:
Fat
1/3 Olive oil
1/3 Hydrogenated coconut oil ("Copha", I gather this is "Coconut Oil, 92 deg" in SoapCalc?)
1/3 Rice bran oil
Additives
50g of peppermint EO per kg of fat
Lye
Per SoapCalc with default 5% superfat, 38% water
I'm happy to learn that animal fat and/or palm oil are necessary for good soap, but I'd like to try a recipe without them first - if it's good enough I'll never need to trouble myself over the sustainability of those particular ingredients (yes, I'm sure I can get them sustainably; no, I don't want to bother!)
Can you see anything obviously wrong with this recipe?
Is the amount of peppermint EO too high (or low)?
Is it worth adding 1-2% beeswax or carnauba to harden the bar a little? (I have these lying around already)
Will fresh spearmint leaves blended in towards the end give a lasting green tinge, or is it likely to fade to a dull brown?
Fat
1/3 Olive oil
1/3 Hydrogenated coconut oil ("Copha", I gather this is "Coconut Oil, 92 deg" in SoapCalc?)
1/3 Rice bran oil
Additives
50g of peppermint EO per kg of fat
Lye
Per SoapCalc with default 5% superfat, 38% water
I'm happy to learn that animal fat and/or palm oil are necessary for good soap, but I'd like to try a recipe without them first - if it's good enough I'll never need to trouble myself over the sustainability of those particular ingredients (yes, I'm sure I can get them sustainably; no, I don't want to bother!)
Can you see anything obviously wrong with this recipe?
Is the amount of peppermint EO too high (or low)?
Is it worth adding 1-2% beeswax or carnauba to harden the bar a little? (I have these lying around already)
Will fresh spearmint leaves blended in towards the end give a lasting green tinge, or is it likely to fade to a dull brown?