I so need recipe help.

[tobysmom]

This newbie needs some serious help. I read the post on favorite recipes and got a few ideas. I need to find a good recipe using what I have (Palm oil, palm kernal flakes, coco butter, shea butter, castor oil, rice bran oil, grape seed oil. I have also read what each oils will do and but it all seems to just swim around in my head and nothing seems to come out. So does anyone have a recipe that I can use any or all of this. Thanks again.

 

[melstan775]

Have you tried soapcalc, tobysmom? you can play with the numbers til you get a stable recipe using what you have onhand.

 

[Lion Of Judah]

here is something to always remember that will help you over and over again . always know your oil properties and what they bring to your bar of soap. using same oils in different proportions will give you anything from a very creamy lather to a rich bubbly lather , any thing from high cleaning to high conditioning. all of that depending on your oils used and their ratios.
here is a link to a recipe you may be able to do using oils that you have. always run it through a lye calculator ,whether you use it as is or you plug-in your own oils that you want to use
>>> RICE BRAN SOAP RECIPE : http://www.mommamuse.com/2007/07/09/rice-bran-soap-recipe/
hope it works out for you and remember to have fun
you can always post your final recipe here if you ever need someone to go over it for you before you go to the "mixing table"

 

[Hazel]

I know Lion of Judah was trying to be helpful by posting the link to the rice bran soap but I wouldn't recommend it if you have dry, sensitive skin. The palm kernel and coconut oil percentages combine to equal 30% of the recipe and the conditioning value is very low. Although, it wouldn't be too bad if you used a higher lye discount. Also, the iodine value is a little higher than I like to see but I suppose it wouldn't be a problem if all the oils were fresh and you used the soap within the time frame of the oil with the shortest shelf life. Then again, the iodine value may not be an issue at all. I've used rice bran oil in soap and lotions and have never had a problem with rancidity but all the products were used in under a year. I think the grapeseed would be more of a concern since I've generally seen 3 to 6 months listed as the shelf life. By shelf life, I don't mean what's listed on a container. I mean a product that's being exposed to changing temps and fluctuating humidity like most people's bathrooms.

I played around on SoapCalc and came up with 2 recipes which I thought would make a nice body bar. However, I would use at least 8% lye discount if I was making either of these recipes. (I have dry, sensitive skin. :wink: ) You also have to take into account there is more unsaponified oil or oils in a batch in which you've used a higher lye discount which increases the possibility of rancidity.

25% Rice Bran Oil
25% Palm Oil
25% Palm Kernel Oil Flakes
10% Grapeseed Oil
10% Castor Oil
5% Shea Butter

Hardness 45
Cleansing 17
Conditioning 52
Bubbly 26
Creamy 37
Iodine 70

or

25% Rice Bran Oil
25% Palm Oil
25% Palm Kernel Oil Flakes
10% Grapeseed Oil
10% Shea Butter
5% Castor Oil

Hardness 47
Cleansing 17
Conditioning 50
Bubbly 22
Creamy 35
Iodine 69

A good thing to remember when you want to formulate a recipe is what you prefer for your skin. Do you prefer a gentler, more conditioning soap? Do you prefer a fluffy lather or a creamy lather? Then pick out oils which have the properties you desire. Summer Bee Meadows has informative page on Properties of Soap Making Oils

HTH