I was interested in this recipe as a shampoo bar back before I'd ever tried shampoo bars. After messing up my hair, I used what was left of this soap as a mild bathing soap and liked it a lot for that purpose.
When making this soap, I reduced the water content -- Lindy called for a "35% water as % of oils" and for this recipe, that translates to a lye concentration is about 27-28%. That's awfully "wet" for a high oleic recipe like this. I reduced the water to a 33% lye concentration (2:1 water:lye ratio), and got better results.
A 40% lye concentration (1.5 water:lye ratio) would also work well -- even less water. Be aware that 40% lye conc. might reduce the time to trace, so if you're a new soap maker or wanting to do a complicated swirl, sticking with a 33% lye conc. might give you a little more time to work.
Also ensuring the soap gels will help some with the softness issue.
When making this soap, I reduced the water content -- Lindy called for a "35% water as % of oils" and for this recipe, that translates to a lye concentration is about 27-28%. That's awfully "wet" for a high oleic recipe like this. I reduced the water to a 33% lye concentration (2:1 water:lye ratio), and got better results.
A 40% lye concentration (1.5 water:lye ratio) would also work well -- even less water. Be aware that 40% lye conc. might reduce the time to trace, so if you're a new soap maker or wanting to do a complicated swirl, sticking with a 33% lye conc. might give you a little more time to work.
Also ensuring the soap gels will help some with the softness issue.
