Help with recipe - PLEASE!!!

[newsoapmaker]

Hi, I haven't made soap in a while but am now back at it! I was having success with my recipe but want to change it to omit the Palm Oil - I am not sure if the Lye and Water would change and how much??? The recipe I was using is:
Olive Oil - 13.76 oz
Coconut - 6.4 oz
Palm - 6.4 oz
Shea - 3.84 oz
Castor - 1.6 oz
Water - 12.16 oz
Lye - 4.40 oz
2% Superfat - .64 oz Shea Butter ( I do Hot Process and I add this after the cook)

I would like to change the oils to be:
Olive - 17.76
Coconut - 8.8
Shea - 3.84
Castor - 1.6
So I basically took out the Palm and gave part to the Olive and part to the Coconut - so the oils are still the same amount of ounces - does the water and the Lye stay the same or does it change?? And does this look like an OK recipe without the palm? Is a mostly Olive/Coconut soap good - moisturizing etc? I am still quite inexperienced and not good at figuring this all out - but I really enjoy making soap!

 

[coffeetime]

How did you figure out the original recipe lye/water quantities? You need to use a soap calculator before you make any recipe. Try soapcalc.net

 

[newsoapmaker]

Somebody gave me the recipe - how do I use this site you mention - I'm really bad at figuring this all out.

I went on the site you mentioned and I don't understand how to figure it all out, could someone please help...

 

[MarisaJensen]

I believe they have instructions on how to use it. Just go one step at the time. It looks intimidating and harder than it really is. I think it's the layout. It's quite simple, just try to read through the instructions and go one step at the time.

 

[HorseCreek]

Try using the one at Brambleberry first. It was less intimidating to me when I first started soap. http://www.brambleberry.com/pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx
Choose solid soap, choose how you want to measure (ounces, unless you want something else), then put in each amount of oil that you want, then choose your superfat (5%? ), then click calculate. This one will give you the correct amount of lye for your recipe.

The soapcalc lye calculator though, works similarly, but will give you numbers after calculating that will help you determine if your recipe will make a good bar of soap. There are tutorials on how to use it, just google soapcalc tutorial and see what you can find.

ETA: you really need to learn how to use the soapcalc one eventually anyways. It will make you a better soaper, and help you learn more about the craft. Take some time and play around adding different oils and see how the numbers change. It gets really interesting!

 

[newsoapmaker]

I just tried the Brambleberry one and it seemed pretty easy (yes, the other one was VERY intimidating!!).

So, it said to add 4.561 oz lye and 10.56 oz water - does that seem right for the recipe I am doing? Why is the Lye a bit higher and the water much less than in the recipe I was using? I did not change the amount of Oils but just took out the palm and upped the Olive and Coconut?? I just don't want to mess up with the Lye amounts. It was really easy but just want to be sure I'm right!
Thanks.

 

[Susie]

Here is a helpful tutorial from LunaSkye:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=49627

It would help you to learn to use Soapcalc.net at some point in time as we all use it to look at all recipes to see if they are good or not, so we will be referring to Soapcalc.net quite often. And right now you are probably saying to yourself that you only want this one recipe...ever! Heh. We all thought that at first.

The bottom line is why do you want to eliminate the palm? What are you hoping to accomplish? What kind of skin and weather do you have? There are LOTS more details we need.

The reason the lye changed is that each different oil takes a different amount of lye to make soap. And how much lye determines how much water. By removing the palm and increasing the others, you changed the basic formula. Go with what the calculator tells you. That is exactly why we use those.

 

[Susie]

OK, ran your recipe through SoapCalc.net. I would suggest some modifications. Your soap will be a bit drying because of the high coconut, and may be low lathering because of the high shea amount.

Olive oil(unless you are using EVOO, check the pomace option)-20.8 oz
Castor oil-1.6 oz
Coconut oil(if you are using the stuff from the grocery store, it is 76 degree)-6.4 oz
Shea Butter-3.2 oz

This gives me:
NaOH(be absolutely sure you are buying 100% lye)-4.35 oz
Water-12.16 oz

But, this is a high olive oil formula. So, you will get a very slow to trace soap, that remains very soft in the mold for several days. Then you will need to give it longer to cure. Like 8-12 weeks MINIMUM.

Are you completely opposed to using animal fats such as lard or tallow? If not, I can give you a better recipe!

Also, how familiar are you with basic safety while soapmaking? Goggles and gloves? Not breathing lye fumes?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I just tried the Brambleberry one and it seemed pretty easy (yes, the other one was VERY intimidating!!).

So, it said to add 4.561 oz lye and 10.56 oz water - does that seem right for the recipe I am doing? Why is the Lye a bit higher and the water much less than in the recipe I was using? I did not change the amount of Oils but just took out the palm and upped the Olive and Coconut?? I just don't want to mess up with the Lye amounts. It was really easy but just want to be sure I'm right!
Thanks.

It only looks that way - it is actually very easy to use if you just take each section at a time, as others have suggested. Like when climbing a mountain - don't look at how far you have to go, just look at the next step.

As for the changes in lye amounts, the reason that lye calculators are so important is that oils need different amounts of lye. 100grams of olive oil and 100 grams of coconut oil will need a different amount of lye to fully saponify.

So in your case, you have removed one oil and replaced it with more of the other two, so the total oil weight is the same but needs more lye.

As for the water, it depends on the settings in the calculator. More water slows trace but means hat the soap might well be in the mould for a while longer.

 

[new12soap]

Here is a helpful tutorial from LunaSkye:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=49627

Thank you Susie, I was looking for that, I think the OP will find it very helpful. (And thanks to LunaSkye, too!)

Olive oil(unless you are using EVOO, check the pomace option)-20.8 oz

Sorry, not sure if that is a typo, but that is incorrect. Extra virgin olive oil and regular grade A olive oil are both the "Olive oil" option, only pomace uses the "pomace" option. It is a very minuscule difference, but I just wanted to make sure new folks know.

To the OP, newsoapmaker, you really need to spend some time learning how to use a lye calculator. Any recipe, from anyone, from anywhere, could easily have a mistake. PLEASE familiarize yourself with them!

Your new recipe would be fine, or with some of the suggestions, but as has been mentioned without the palm or adding any lard or tallow, it will be a much softer soap at first. It will harden nicely, with time, but be prepared to wait a bit.

Welcome to the addiction

 

[JLeigh]

I just want to thank everyone for giving all us newbies out here such good info. I like the Brambleberry calculator, but really want to come up with my own recipes so knowing about the other calculator that "predicts" the soap quality outcome is critical info to me. I didn't know it was out there until I read this thread.

Yep. I'm so totally addicted. So many oils, so little time.

 

[JLeigh]

OK, ran your recipe through SoapCalc.net. I would suggest some modifications. Your soap will be a bit drying because of the high coconut, and may be low lathering because of the high shea amount.

Olive oil(unless you are using EVOO, check the pomace option)-20.8 oz
Castor oil-1.6 oz
Coconut oil(if you are using the stuff from the grocery store, it is 76 degree)-6.4 oz
Shea Butter-3.2 oz

This gives me:
NaOH(be absolutely sure you are buying 100% lye)-4.35 oz
Water-12.16 oz

But, this is a high olive oil formula. So, you will get a very slow to trace soap, that remains very soft in the mold for several days. Then you will need to give it longer to cure. Like 8-12 weeks MINIMUM.

Are you completely opposed to using animal fats such as lard or tallow? If not, I can give you a better recipe!

Also, how familiar are you with basic safety while soapmaking? Goggles and gloves? Not breathing lye fumes?

Susie, I'd love to have that lard/tallow recipe/s!

 

[Susie]

Happy to help!

Lard-55%
Coconut oil, 76 degree- 20%
Olive oil, pomace- 20%
Castor oil- 5%

I add 1 tablespoon of sugar PPO for extra bubbles, but that is just me, and I have to watch it closely to avoid volcano as a result.

If you are seriously addicted to shea butter, add 5% and subtract from the lard. But make it without first, so you know what difference you see when you add it.

 

[HorseCreek]

I would highly recommend NOT adding sugar until you have done this a few more times. It makes things temperamental, and first you need to learn to control your temps and things before adding something that will make soaping more difficult.

 

[newsoapmaker]

Oh my goodness!!! You are ALL SO HELPFUL!! Thank you so much. I have been looking more at soapcalc and it seems a bit less intimidating, but I still don't really get it, but I'll keep at it! The Brambleberry I get - is that a reliable calculator? I was thinking to perhaps use Avocado Oil in place of the Palm instead of just upping the Olive and Coc - what do you all think?? So it would be:
13.76 oz Olive
6.4 oz Coc
6.4 oz Avocado
3.84 oz Shea
1.6 oz Castor
I'll go to Barmbleberry now to figure out the lye/Water, but what do you all think about those oils - will it still be soft or will that be a nice bar?
Again, thank you all so much for encouraging me, especially with the calculator etc - I'm just not good with numbers!!

 

[HorseCreek]

Ok, I've attached the print out from soapcalc for the recipe you posted.
According to the numbers, this will make a soft, low cleansing, very conditioning bar of soap. Palm and Avocado are two very very different oils when it comes to soap making. Palm makes a hard bar of soap. Avocado does not, it adds to the conditioning aspect of the bar. If you're dead set on no palm or lard or tallow, Brambleberry has several recipes that you might try. The Avocado facial bar is a nice recipe. I've made it before. You can google "palm free soap recipes" and you'll get alot of returns from that. Take the time to learn what the different types of oils bring to a recipe, then formulate from there.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

On another note, I wouldn't worry about smaller staples yet - if they are for giving away to family & friends, give them a full bar to enjoy.

If they are to try the soap at various stages of curing, I would stick with a big bar to get a clear indication of how how they react over time. A smaller bar might well cure differently

 

[Susie]

Oh my goodness!!! You are ALL SO HELPFUL!! Thank you so much. I have been looking more at soapcalc and it seems a bit less intimidating, but I still don't really get it, but I'll keep at it! The Brambleberry I get - is that a reliable calculator? I was thinking to perhaps use Avocado Oil in place of the Palm instead of just upping the Olive and Coc - what do you all think?? So it would be:
13.76 oz Olive
6.4 oz Coc
6.4 oz Avocado
3.84 oz Shea
1.6 oz Castor
I'll go to Barmbleberry now to figure out the lye/Water, but what do you all think about those oils - will it still be soft or will that be a nice bar?
Again, thank you all so much for encouraging me, especially with the calculator etc - I'm just not good with numbers!!

I used the Brambleberry calculator until I got the hang of Soapcalc.net. When I made up my mind that I HAD to learn Soapcalc, it took me all of 5 minutes. Soapcalc just gives you so much more information when formulating recipes, that it is just invaluable to most of us. (And now they have INCI names available even for copying/pasting right on to a label template!)