High "cleansing" value question

[serfmunke]

Hello, I just put a recipe into a calc and saw the cleansing value is 47. For a salt soap is this OK or will it strip the flesh off my body?

 

[opalgirl]

Yeah, you should shoot for 12 - 22 for your cleansing value.

 

[TessC]

My salt bars always have a very high cleansing value in SoapCalc due the the large percentage of coconut oil, but the high superfat balances that out.

 

[serfmunke]

OK, so if I have a 33% water and 15% superfat/discount, and the cleansing is at 47, will it be OK?

 

[Hazel]

15% might be okay for a soap that has a cleansing value of 47. Is it 100% CO? Are you using water or milk for your liquid?

I used whipping cream for half of the liquid in a salt bar with 17% SF and it was almost too much superfatting. The next time I make this recipe, I plan on lowering the SF to 15%. It had a cleansing value of 56.

I use 20% SF for a salt bar recipe in which I don't use milk and it has a cleansing value of 57. It's not drying at all and my skin is still attached.

I don't know if this helps you any. You may have to experiment because 15% might be fine for you. I have dry skin so I would probably find it a bit drying.

 

[carebear]

Yeah, you should shoot for 12 - 22 for your cleansing value.

Not so.

First, in a salt bar, the cleansing is suppressed by much salt. I use 100% coconut oil for my salt bars and have yet to have a fatality.

Second, you can mitigate the high cleansing ability of coconut oil by balancing it with other oils or by increasing your super fat. One of my best basic formulas starts with 75% coconut oil. I wouldn't recommend other oils in a salt bar as really only CO lathers in salt water, though.

 

[opalgirl]

Read it too fast. Missed the "salt" part.

 

[serfmunke]

Recipe is :

CO 70%
Castor 10%
Grapeseed 20%
water 33%
15% super fat/discount
2 oz fragrance

I found it online at Soap Making Essentials. When I saw that cleansing value, I got worried and wanted to double check. This will be my first batch with super fatting. I hope it goes well because I am sending it to a friend in Afghanistan.

I appreciate everyone's response and help

 

[Northland Naturals]

your recipe will turn out great, don't worry! you'll have plenty of lather and the 15% SF will help make it less stripping.

 

[serfmunke]

Great! I am very excited and a little nervous since it is my first discounted recipe. Gotta get the first one outta the way sometime though :wink:

 

[Hazel]

It helps to make it less drying with the castor and grapeseed.

Although I wonder about the shelf life of grapeseed and it possibly going rancid especially since you'll be shipping it to Afghanistan. How hot does it get there? What kind of extremes of temperature will the soap be exposed to during transit?

I don't mean to sound negative but if you're going to make the salt bar (and they're much better after a longer cure) you'll want to make sure the soap doesn't develop DOS.

Has anyone used grapeseed in salt bars? Anyone have an opinion about this?

 

[serfmunke]

If grape seed is a worry during the transit, I can omit it and just use CO and Castor right? I have no idea how long a package would take or the conditions it would be subject to.

If I make it, let it cure a couple of weeks then send would that be any better? Or would omitting the grape seed be the best option???

 

[Hazel]

I don't know if grapeseed would be a problem. I was hoping a more experienced soaper would be able to answer the question.

Both coconut and castor have long shelf lives and I think they'd hold up well over time. Actually I know they do because my first salt bar batch was CO/castor and it's still good. It's about 10 months old.

If you decide to go with just CO and castor, I'd up your SF. Perhaps something like 90% CO/10% castor with a SF of at least 18%. You might even want to use 20%. I can guarantee you that you will have wonderful lather with these percentages. That's what my first recipe was but I didn't SF high enough so it's a bit drying to my skin.

All the salt bars I've let cure at least 4 weeks but they were much nicer after at least 8 weeks. I don't know if it's my recipes but they just lather better after a longer cure.

 

[carebear]

I would skip the grapeseed. It won't add anything to the soap (since it is a salt bar) and it does go rancid easily.

 

[serfmunke]

So I just made the salt soap 90%CO and 10%Castor but I only SF 15% because I just really read the last post AND understood it

After 4 weeks cure, I will be sending them to our friend in Afghanistan and his wife so they can feel connected through the power of wonderful (hopefully) soap!

Thanks for the help!

 

[Hazel]

Don't forget to post the pics.

 

[serfmunke]

The other bars are so beautiful, these I am sure will not measure up :? I will still post, someone's bars have to be the least gorgeous :wink:

 

[serfmunke]

The molds are in the freezer. I should have listened to myself last night. I knew I should have taken them out of the molds last night. Oh well, freezer then bang on them a big.

 

[Hazel]

The other bars are so beautiful, these I am sure will not measure up :? I will still post, someone's bars have to be the least gorgeous :wink:

There is beauty in simplicity. Sometimes the most elegant looking soaps are the uncolored ones.

Please don't feel you have to "measure up" to someone else's creation. Everyone started with the basics and then gradually became more experienced. (I should qualify this statement - there was someone who started with a multi-colored swirl and did a wonderful job. I just can't remember who it was right now. )

Anyway, don't be shy about posting. I've posted some really horrible looking pics. (My infamous dog poop soap as an example.) I bet a year from now you're going to look back and be amazed at how far your skills have evolved. :wink:

 

[serfmunke]

My salt soap made in Goodwill containers. The bars suffered little damage from me banging them out of the molds, lesson learned there :wink: They smell lovely, Beach Breezes, and are white as white can be. I am impressed with them. I was VERY nervous to make these bars due to others commenting on their disasters. So I was very meticulous and am happy for others posting their problems so I could try to avoid them. I cannot wait to try them. Going to let them cure for four weeks if not more, if I can hold out that long.



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