First try at Coconut Oil Soap.

[Lane]

I made a very simple Coconut Oil batch, with 30 ounces of coconut oil, 4.2 ounces of lye and 8.25 ounces of coconut milk. I creamed the coconut oil, and added the lye/milk...It took about 5 to 10 mins to trace with a blender... It gelled HOT!! I un molded it twelve hours later and I can't even cut it!! It is all crumbly and falling apart...

What did I do wrong?

 

[Lane]

Here is a picture:

 

[Guest]

I'm not sure..... what did you use to superfat it at.

But it's funny because I'm multi-tasking right now, and one of the things I'm doing is looking up coconut soap that can be used in salt water. (because I want a soap that will lather in salt water because of my bath salts, odd i know)

I'm not looking for a recipe in particular but more a method or if it should have all coconut oil, or a few others added for good measure.

But one thing they all say is they get rock hard so they should be cut soon after they are poured because it hardens so quick. Or individual molds should be used.




Did it crumble because you tried to cut it, or crumble when you took it out of the mold. That might make a difference. Also what did you use for a lye calculator and at what superfat?

 

[Lane]

I super fatted at 20%. It crumbled when I tried to cut it...otherwise, I have a two pound bar of soap... It looks great, until you try to cut it... It was only in the mold for about 11 to 12 hours, but it had already shrank! I wish I had known about the individual mold thing...

 

[Guest]

I think the problem is more that it hardened to much before you cut it.

How about rebatching (sorta) grate the soap with a cheese grater, put it in a pot with just a little water and heat until it melts, and pop it back into your mold once it melts down. And then cut it much sooner. As soon as you feel it's hard enough slice it.........

I'm thinking of trying some coconut soap but using 80% coconut oil, and 20% safflower oil. And superfatting at 15%........

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Faithy, my original 100% coconut oil soap recipe is posted here somewhere. I've been making it for about 6 months now. It is basically 85% coconut oil, 10% shea for it's unsaponifiable properties, 5% castor oil. You take a 17 to 20% lye discount. I add the castor at light trace. Sometimes I mix my FO in with the castor, OR I mix my dry pigments with the castor oil to swirl with, but not too often. I guarantee this will bubble up a storm in normal and hard water. In the ocean, you can have a bubbly good time!

Paul :wink:

 

[Guest]

Thanks Paul,

I'd like a soap to go along with my bath salts. LOL to have a soap that will lather up good in a tub full of scented salty water. (I have a bad habit of using a LOT of bath salts........ to relax and unwind)

 

[Lane]

Faithy- I am going to try to re batch, but it is just so hard! I can't even shred it, it just crumbles!

 

[Guest]

Hi Lane -

Faithy is right. You have to cut those bars while they are still warm - just like with salt bars. Because it's all coconut - it will harden up to be much like the coconut oil in it's container before soaping.

They shouldn't crumble when you cut warm.

 

[Guest]

*crumble on*


doesn't matter if it's shredded or crumbled into your pot, just so it's in smaller chunks and not big hunks. Might be easier to use a pearing knife and just cut small pieces off and if it crumbles just think of it as less cutting to do.

 

[Lane]

I tried for almost four hours to rebatch...Tried the oven and stove and even microwave method!! The microwave actually worked the best, but the top hardened so much it still crumbled when I took it out of the mold! :?

I think I may have to give up on this one...

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

can i ask a stupid question....i went back looking through post about the 100% coco oil soap and didn't find it....but why would you want a 100% coco oil soap? what benefit does it have?

 

[Guest]

Hi -

This recipe started moving around the net after a one oil swap. People started experimenting with higher superfat to see if a less conditioning/higher cleansing oil could be made more gentle to the skin at 100% by superfatting it at 15, 20, and even 25%.

Turns out is is a pretty nice bar for having only one highly cleansing oil at these superfats. And coconut really bubbles and lathers nice. Coconut is also a very stable oil that is not prone to DOS. You wouldn't want to superfat to these extremes with oils that have a short shelf life. Also - Superfatting kills lather. Coconut having high lathering properties cancels that out somewhat.

The benefits are that it is easy and also a very cheap bar to make. Well - now that coconut has gone up in price - it's not quite as cheap as it was a few months ago. Walmart coconut nearly doubled in price this week. ARGH!

 

[CPSoaper]

I tried for almost four hours to rebatch...Tried the oven and stove and even microwave method!! The microwave actually worked the best, but the top hardened so much it still crumbled when I took it out of the mold! :?

I think I may have to give up on this one...

You can also rebatch in a crock pot. Another thing you can do is to put the soap in a boilable bag and boil it in hot water. It will melt in the bag which can be thrown away when you are done. No mess.

 

[Lane]

Well - now that coconut has gone up in price - it's not quite as cheap as it was a few months ago. Walmart coconut nearly doubled in price this week. ARGH!

I noticed that last night. :cry:

 

[Soapmaker Man]

How much is the LouAnn CO at Wal-Mart now? Mine 2 weeks ago was 31.5 ounces for a shelf price of $2.88. Wally must have heard that us soapers were buying up the CO from them.

Marr, I first heard of this 100% CO soap at another forum that I care not to name, but the Adm. there was using a lower SAP value for CO thus, in essence, creating a SF or lye discount for a 100% CO soap. I tweaked those few recipes into what I make today. I always add T-50 to my oils prone to rancidity when they enter my stock room and I inventory them. A few drops of T-50, GSE or ROE will work winders to prevent rancidity of those oils. I add it to Castor, Safflower, Mac Nut, Sunflower HO. any oils like those. I work with T-50 90% of the time.

Paul

 

[Guest]

I paid $4.68 for the Lou-Anna brand at Wal-Mart a few days ago. It was $2.48 a few weeks ago. ARRRRGGHHHH! Which I would have stocked up more.

I know what forum you are talking about and I love the way it came about and all of the testing that has gone into it. It's fascinating.

I've read about the T-50. I haven't had trouble with DOS yet using any oils but ya never know.

 

[Lane]

I paid $4.68 for the Lou-Anna brand at Wal-Mart a few days ago. It was $2.48 a few weeks ago. ARRRRGGHHHH! Which I would have stocked up more.

SAME here. :cry:

@ Paul.- Is Castor prone to DOS?? I have never added a preservative to my soaps, never had a prob... but I have about an ounce or so of Germaben II that needs to be used up...

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

hmm, that's really interesting. I had been seeing all these posts about the 100% coco oil soap, but wasn't really reading them. I might give it a try!

 

[Lane]

hmm, that's really interesting. I had been seeing all these posts about the 100% coco oil soap, but wasn't really reading them. I might give it a try!

Cut it as soon as it hardens! I STILL haven;t figured out what to do with my batch.... Rebatching is simply not working...