Hi there....I am relatively new to soaping and I made the following recipe which I got online and cut the recipe in half. The bar is really soft and oily....was this because there was not enough hard oils? Appreciate any insight please and thank you!
Help with this batter recipe please
- Thread starter Alsobia
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violets2217
Well-Known Member
So, you will get much better answers in a bit I’m sure, but 2 things I see:
1. I’ve never used that much almond oil in a soap. So I’m not sure how that affects the soap.My almond oil is usually 5-10% a long with some Castor oil at 5-10% for more bubbles.
2. There is a lot of water in your recipe. Which is probably contributing to the softness. It will take a while for it to harden and cure as the water evaporates. I’ve played around with lye percentages and have always went back to 33.3% or 2:1 water/lye. It’s always allowed me to unmold & cut in 18-24 hrs.
if I were using these oils in you recipe, I’d switch the Shea and almond percentages. But I do love Shea butter!
Good luck!
1. I’ve never used that much almond oil in a soap. So I’m not sure how that affects the soap.My almond oil is usually 5-10% a long with some Castor oil at 5-10% for more bubbles.
2. There is a lot of water in your recipe. Which is probably contributing to the softness. It will take a while for it to harden and cure as the water evaporates. I’ve played around with lye percentages and have always went back to 33.3% or 2:1 water/lye. It’s always allowed me to unmold & cut in 18-24 hrs.
if I were using these oils in you recipe, I’d switch the Shea and almond percentages. But I do love Shea butter!
Good luck!
I'd say @violets2217 nailed it. Too much water, lots of soft oils = unmolding too soon for this particular recipe. Something like that might need to sit in the mold for a week before it firms up enough. Definitely reduce your water:lye ratio to 2:1 or even 1.9:1.
One thing that might help is to gel the soap. It's not too late for that. You can put the bars back into the mold, and put the mold on a heating pad on high for about two hours. Then let it sit in the mold until the oiliness reabsorbs, which could be a day or so. Resist the urge to cut until the soap has some give when pressed, but doesn't dent easily. Good luck!
One thing that might help is to gel the soap. It's not too late for that. You can put the bars back into the mold, and put the mold on a heating pad on high for about two hours. Then let it sit in the mold until the oiliness reabsorbs, which could be a day or so. Resist the urge to cut until the soap has some give when pressed, but doesn't dent easily. Good luck!
Thank you for the response! I can do that.....really appreciate your help!
@Alsobia you will want to change the setting in Water:Lye ratio to 2:1 rather than 2.5:1 - other than that, it looks good, although the soap may trace pretty fast with all that shea and coconut.
By any chance, could you use palm oil or lard instead of either the almond or the olive? You'd end up with a more balanced bar, maybe like this:
40% palm or lard
30% olive or almond
20% coconut oil
10% shea butter
By any chance, could you use palm oil or lard instead of either the almond or the olive? You'd end up with a more balanced bar, maybe like this:
40% palm or lard
30% olive or almond
20% coconut oil
10% shea butter
Sounds like it will be a fun project - post pics when it is done, please! 
Orebma
Well-Known Member
Kewl!Here is a pic of my soap that I have been asking for help with. I had already cut before I did the heat treatment but I am sure it helped with firming it upAppreciate the help very much!
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