Greasy Soap

[Soapstars]

Does anyone know why this soap recipe seems to turn out greasy soap please?

900g coconut oil
131.94g lye
171g coconut milk from a can
171g distilled water
20g oatmeal
20g honey

I added the oatmeal to the oils
added the honey at light emulsion
added coconut cream at light emulsion

There was a slight volcano as I insulated it and probably put too much honey? The honey was rising to the surface and I spooned it off as best I could and expected it to be a disaster.

I made this soap 24th July and after cutting it it left grease on my hands and so I left it to cure and wondered what would happen. Now, 3 weeks later it is still a bit greasy although a lot less. You can see the grease but if you hold it, it leaves a slight film on your hand still. Will this "cure out" and be good soap or do I need to change the recipe please?

It was made with 20% superfat plus the fat in the coconut milk makes just 22% so it is not too much? Should I try less coconut milk?

In fact it looks good and smells good even without any scent or colour. Pic below.

Sorry for long post but trying to give as much info as poss to help with the issue. Thank you very much for any pointers as I would love to make good, moisturising coconut oil soap.

 

[SunRiseArts]

Strange because CO oil only usually people superfat at 20%, otherwise I would say it was the superfat.

Maybe the experts can chime in.

 

[Soapstars]

Yes, thanks SunRiseArts. I am wondering if it is anything to do with the coconut cream. Usually you get really thick stuff at the top of the tin and this is quite thinnish but it is only 19.4g in 200ml of the milk.

 

[shunt2011]

I think it's overheating. CO soap gels pretty hot by itself and you are adding honey which increases the gel. When it overheats it causes some oil separation and can cause pools of oil.

 

[Soapstars]

Thank you shunt2011. I will try less honey and 10% superfat I think and see what happens.

 

[Susie]

You do have a couple of things going on here.

The reason you overheated is the honey added to the already hot coconut oil soap. Don't even insulate it. It does not need it. Leave the honey out. No need for extra bubbles in 100% CO soap, it will make plenty of bubbles by itself. I would not even put the coconut milk or cream in there. Especially if I did not allow for it in the superfat. But that adds extra sugars anyway.

Just make a batch with water, no honey or sugar, and just your 20% superfat. No insulation, either. Then see how that works. Be sure to come let us know.

 

[Soapstars]

Susie that sounds like so much sense. I have a habit of trying to make things complicated - more than they need be :-?

 

[Susie]

There are phases of learning to make soap.

Phase 1: I want to use the bare minimum of ingredients in case I hate it.
Phase 2: Oh, let's throw EVERYTHING we can into that soap to make it better!
Phase 3: I over complicated a good thing and made a bad thing. Let's see what is actually necessary.
Phase 4: Full on addiction. Got to try every ingredient, every method, every scent, every color...eventually.

So, what you are going through is a perfectly normal phase of soapmaking.

Welcome to the addiction, by the way!

 

[cmzaha]

I would suggest making small test batches starting at 5% superfat so you get the feel of the 100% CO soap without milks and honeys. I agree that you had some separation going on with the high heat from the CO and sugars. I personally do not even like 20% superfat in a 100% salt bar using 90/10% Co/Castor. You have to find the soap you like.

 

[Soapstars]

Thank you all for your help x

 

[penelopejane]

100% CO isn't going to be a moisturising soap.
Some people find 20% CO in a soap very drying no matter what the SF%.

 

[Soapstars]

Oh heck - I just made 3 pounds of it!

 

[Soapstars]

What sort of skin is going to LOVE 20% coconut oil soap please? I will be selling at a small local craft fair soon so need to know...even if its just gardeners soap.

 

[artemis]

"Some people" is the important phrase here, I think. My husband's favorite soap is 100% CO with 20% superfat. My 100% CO is usually wet with oil when I cut it, but it all absorbs after a day or two. I will add that I don't put any extras in my full CO soap, so I don't know if that affects how quickly it would absorb.

 

[jcandleattic]

My main recipe has 30% CO in it with a SF of only 6% and I have never, not once in the 15 years I've been soaping had anyone complain or say my soap was drying, and that includes other soaper's.

It really depends on the entire formulation of your soap as to how drying it feels. Oil combination is key. At one point I dropped my CO % believing what everyone was saying about how drying CO could be, and added OO. That soap formulation, with less CO and added OO had a more drying feeling to my skin than the higher % CO with no OO in it.

 

[soaplady30]

Is it really grease?

Is it possible that the issue is not grease at all but maybe release of glycerin? I have had a terrible problem with glycerin this season in this extra humid NE PA summer. It does feel greasy. My home is air conditioned to boot. I have been making soap since '99 and occasionally maybe a summer batch or two would have a problem but this summer it is ridiculous. It affected some stored soaps and curing batches. The plot thickens. As long as I can remember it has been recommended to store cured soaps in cardboard, never plastic. With the stored soaps, I had several batches surplus that wouldn't fit so I stuck them in a plastic box and figured I would put them aside for personal use. In the end, the soap stored in the cardboard released glycerin and what was in the plastic box is dry as a bone. Just food for thought.

 

[lenarenee]

What sort of skin is going to LOVE 20% coconut oil soap please? I will be selling at a small local craft fair soon so need to know...even if its just gardeners soap.

I think 20% co is going to be appropriate for a nice range of people. I don't sell, but if I did 20% would be my choice for customers. My middle aged skin likes it unless it's a dry winter (single digit humidity). My 20 something boys like it, and my fellow middle aged male friends like it.

 

[Soapstars]

Is it possible that the issue is not grease at all but maybe release of glycerin?

Yes, it has been a really wet summer here in the UK. I bought a few 500ml Interior Dehumidifiers and placed them around the rooms in and near the soap. They are collecting water from the atmosphere which is helping. Your guess is certainly a possibility although I have only had this issue with the coconut oil soap with 20% superfat and the coconut milk, but those recipes are different to my others which are only 5% superfat.

This particular soap has not cured for a month yet, it is about 3 weeks so far so I will watch it and I can see already that the amount of "melting" is less each week so there may come a point when it becomes good soap I hope.

Waiting to give a piece to my friend who loves moisturising coconut oil soap with no fragrance so I made this with her in mind.

 

[Soapstars]

I think 20% co is going to be appropriate for a nice range of people. I don't sell, but if I did 20% would be my choice for customers. My middle aged skin likes it unless it's a dry winter (single digit humidity). My 20 something boys like it, and my fellow middle aged male friends like it.

Woohoo! Sounds like a winner then! Thank you

 

[penelopejane]

I think 20% co is going to be appropriate for a nice range of people. I don't sell, but if I did 20% would be my choice for customers. My middle aged skin likes it unless it's a dry winter (single digit humidity). My 20 something boys like it, and my fellow middle aged male friends like it.

I find some people like handmade soap (because just about any recipe is better than commercial soap whic is pretty drying I think) but when the try a really nice mild non drying soap they really understand the difference a good recipe can make it you have dry (older?) skin.

My son likes 10% CO and I have a farmer friend who likes 30% CO with palm as he likes squeaky clean skin. Both with very low SF <5%. (Other than salt soap)

So I agree for some people, lenarenee, but you wouldn't SF at 20% would you?