Hot process shaving soap - does this look reasonable?

[Flyrod77]

This recipe is for my personal use shaving soap, and my hope is to cut down the number of oils from the recipe I have been using. It would be a hot process using 100% coconut milk instead of water. I have been using the coconut milk with bath soap recipes and I am comfortable trying it with shaving soap this first time.

The lye is 60/40 KOH/NaOH

Does this look reasonable? Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it.

 

[Kittish]

I'm not sure the castor will add much to a shaving soap (though I could be wrong). The recipe I've been using is based on Songwind's, though I've tweaked the most recent batch to 50% stearic acid, 40% coconut oil and 10% shea butter (up from 5%), with 15% glycerin. I and everyone who tried it liked the first batch a lot, and I have high hopes that the additional shea will make it even nicer.

The original thread is here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264

There are a number of different recipes in the thread, and an incredible amount of information on how to formulate a shaving soap.

 

[shunt2011]

I too don’t think castor will do much. Might even make it sticky. If you want to use it I would start with much less. I could be wrong but I’ve not ever used it in mine. And I know much more than 6% in CP makes sticky soap.

 

[Flyrod77]

I'm not sure the castor will add much to a shaving soap (though I could be wrong). The recipe I've been using is based on Songwind's, though I've tweaked the most recent batch to 50% stearic acid, 40% coconut oil and 10% shea butter (up from 5%), with 15% glycerin. I and everyone who tried it liked the first batch a lot, and I have high hopes that the additional shea will make it even nicer.

The original thread is here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264

There are a number of different recipes in the thread, and an incredible amount of information on how to formulate a shaving soap.

Thank you for the help. I am reading through that thread now. I read that IrishLass uses 20% castor in her shaving soap, and I do like castor in my soap (the shaving recipe I have used until now has it also). I was hoping it would be good in this recipe.

 

[Kittish]

Thank you for the help. I am reading through that thread now. I read that IrishLass uses 20% castor in her shaving soap, and I do like castor in my soap (the shaving recipe I have used until now has it also). I was hoping it would be good in this recipe.

See? I learn something new every day. Can you describe what benefits using castor in shaving soap has? 'Cause now I'm curious.

 

[toxikon]

Well, castor oil stabilizes lather in CP, so I assume it would serve a similar function in shave soap.

 

[SudsanSoaps]

Castor in theory might take the place of coconut. I’d be worried that it would make the skin sorta sticky and it needs to be slickery. I’d say try dropping your batch as low as your dare such as around 100 grams so you aren’t out much and see how you like it. I’ve been curious how castor oil would work in a shave soap also.

Also one thing I believe all shave soap would benefit from and should have is some sort of chelator.

 

[Flyrod77]

I liked my first recipe with 10% castor because it had creamy lather. Not big bubbles, but really creamy. What I didn't like about it was that I had too many soft oils in small amounts (Meadowfoam, avocado, olive... as a newbie I just went crazy putting too many in).

I really like shea butter and castor in my soap. I even like the aroma (I know, I'm weird) LOL.

So I thought the Stearic, Palm, Shea & Castor might make a simple good shaving soap that I would like.

 

[IrishLass]

Your mileage may vary depending on your formula, but the 20% castor oil that I use does 3 things in my shave soap/croap:

1) It works with the small 10% amount of coconut oil that I use in my formula to produce thick, creamy, densely foamy lather that holds it shape well, and that 2) lasts a very loooong time, as opposed to thin, big bubbly/fluffy lather that fizzles out/dissipates quicker than you can say 'Bob's your uncle'. And 3) it also contributes to the cushion and glide as well as a pleasant after-feel to the skin. For what its worth, my hubby doesn't find my shave soap/croap to be sticky at all. He says it leaves his face feeling wonderfully hydrated without any of the dryness/tightness he feels from other shave soaps he's used.


IrishLass

 

[shunt2011]

Good to know. I now remember that you used it in a higher percentage.

 

[Kittish]

So, yes, I was wrong about castor. I don't remember seeing that in the long discussion, but I've slept since I read through it all, and sometimes things slip away when I'm not watching. Might have to try that for my next batch of shaving soap.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Exactly, from the experience of many here I find that castor works.......when the rest of the recipe works. Castor in shaving soap is never always a bad idea but also never always a good idea.

 

[Kittish]

Exactly, from the experience of many here I find that castor works.......when the rest of the recipe works. Castor in shaving soap is never always a bad idea but also never always a good idea.

So... based on what else I do recall from learning about shaving soap, Flyrod's recipe should turn out at the very least pretty decent, yes?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Decent, certainly [emoji39]

I'd go for tallow instead of the palm and shea

 

[Flyrod77]

So... based on what else I do recall from learning about shaving soap, Flyrod's recipe should turn out at the very least pretty decent, yes?

I am going to make this recipe today and will report back here as to how it goes. If nothing else it may give me a "next step" for getting a personal shaving soap that I like, and with fewer ingredients than my first recipe had. I think with shaving soap in particular, different people like different soap qualities. And I'm not going to sell this to others, but just hope to have something I personally enjoy using (and making, for that matter).

I have only been making soap for less than a year now. I think the #1 lesson that I have learned so far, is that I learn best by "doing" and then adjusting my recipe (at least that has worked wonderfully for me with my bath and conditioning soap recipe). But I deeply appreciate the feedback I have received here on this forum, because people have given me valuable help. That's why I always post a new recipe here before I actually make it. Just to see if I'm doing something really wrong (and I have had to adjust some things due to critically important feedback on this forum).

So, I'm off to trying this new shaving soap recipe. I'm sure it won't be my last attempt at this one

 

[Kittish]

I am going to make this recipe today and will report back here as to how it goes. If nothing else it may give me a "next step" for getting a personal shaving soap that I like, and with fewer ingredients than my first recipe had. I think with shaving soap in particular, different people like different soap qualities. And I'm not going to sell this to others, but just hope to have something I personally enjoy using (and making, for that matter).

I have only been making soap for less than a year now. I think the #1 lesson that I have learned so far, is that I learn best by "doing" and then adjusting my recipe (at least that has worked wonderfully for me with my bath and conditioning soap recipe). But I deeply appreciate the feedback I have received here on this forum, because people have given me valuable help. That's why I always post a new recipe here before I actually make it. Just to see if I'm doing something really wrong (and I have had to adjust some things due to critically important feedback on this forum).

So, I'm off to trying this new shaving soap recipe. I'm sure it won't be my last attempt at this one

I'm still new at soap making myself, actually got into it and made my first batch in June of last year. I'm a learn by doing sort, as well, plus also wanting to know WHY something works or doesn't. Considering how people's tastes and preferences vary, I don't usually post my recipes here before I give them a go, though I do keep really good notes so when I come up with something I really like, I can do it again. One invaluable bit of advice that I did pick up here was making small batches. If I hadn't switched to 500g batches for my 'let's see what happens' ideas, I'd be buried in soap already. As it is, I tend to hand soap out to pretty much everyone I know who doesn't duck fast enough (provided the soap meets my standards- there have been a few batches that didn't and got tossed).

I do look forward to hearing how the shaving soap comes out! My own most recent batch is curing now for a couple of weeks, then I'll try it out and see what further tweaks I need to do with it. I may also make a small batch with the castor and try them side by side. My curing racks are only just over halfway full, plenty of room for more soap!

 

[IrishLass]

So... based on what else I do recall from learning about shaving soap, Flyrod's recipe should turn out at the very least pretty decent, yes?

As the good Gent said, certainly!

I first discovered how nicely using a ton of castor could work out back in my crazy experimenting days when I had just received my first ever 50# box of tallow, and I daringly made a batch of regular bath soap (i.e., not shave soap) out of 65% tallow, 23% castor and 12% olive oil. It surprisingly came out quite lovely- beautifully smooth, hard and velvety, and not sticky or soft at all.

You know how realtors are fond of saying of 'Location, location, location!' when they're asking for a lot of money for an old, run-down, dinky house in a swanky neighborhood? Much in the same way as a soapmaker, I'm fond of saying 'Formula, formula, formula!' whenever I use a gasp-worthy amount of a certain oil or fat that would most likely be the ruin of a different formula if used in the same amounts.


IrishLass

 

[Flyrod77]

I'm just reporting back on how this recipe turned out

I was stunned by how well this recipe turned out. It exceeded my expectations by a long shot. My hope was that this shaving soap would:

1. Be creamy and conditioning rather than drying (no coconut oil).
2. Not have thin overly bubbly lather, but more thick lather.
3. Use fewer oils than my original shaving soap, that just had too many oils.

This hot process recipe had:
40% Stearic
20% Castor Oil
20% Shea Butter
20% Palm Oil

60/40 KOH/NaOH(90%) lye ratio

I used 100% coconut milk replacement for the water. I used 10% glycerine after the cook, when I added my fragrance oil. And at that time, I added an addtional 1.5% Meadowfoam oil... I had some extra and just thought I'd add it in for extra superfat (over the 5% superfat the recipe already had). And I realize the coconut milk must have added to the superfat also.

For fragrance oil I used these oils I have from Brambleberry:
Mostly I used the, Sandalwood Vanilla (I love this fragrance)
About 25% of the FO was, Lavender & Cedar (I just like this one too)
I had a free sample of their Peppermint oil and added a tiny amount... maybe 5% because it has a strong scent. These three oils together made a wonderful scent for shaving soap. It just smells amazing in the morning when I'm shaving (my wife likes the aroma of my shaving soap a lot).

This is an easy recipe to make... in the past I've found high stearic acid recipes to be a bit challenging for me. But this one was a breeze to make. I did try to keep the temperatures close to the 170-degrees or less so it wouldn't adversely affect the Shea Butter.

I made a small sample size to try this morning when I shaved, but will let the rest of the soap cure for a couple months (LOL, if I can resist the urge to use it before that). But today I shaved with the sample soap just to see how it turned out. It is AMAZING shaving soap. It quickly produces a lot of creamy and dense lather. It feels sooooooo good using it. I shave with an old school double-edge razor with extremely sharp Feather blades. With this soap, the razor just glides smoothly over my face as I shave. I have very sensitive and dry skin that gets razor irritation easily, so that's why I was fanatical about not using anything that would dry my skin (coconut oil) and I wanted to seriously condition my skin. After my shave today, I was amazed by how my skin felt. It felt really good - zero dryness.

I hope I'm not being obnoxiously excited about this, but I feel like I hit the "Mother Load" gold strike with this recipe. At least for my personal use. I realize different people like different shaving soap attributes. But this one hit the mark with a bullseye for me. Thanks everyone, for your help here. I appreciate it.

 

[toxikon]

Looks wonderful! I'll add your recipe to my list to try.

 

[psfred]

Your recipe will make perfectly good shaving soap.

Castor is OK, but doesn't add anything in my soaps -- I like my tallow version much better. It does make the soap a little sticker, but that's not a real issue in shaving soap.

I like cocoa and shea butter as superfat, they keep the soap from drying out my face and I believe add a slickness.

Just resist temptation and make small batches, else you will end up with decade's worth of soap rather quickly....