Instant Thick Trace

[BLKTea]

Hello, I'm new to soap making. I have made 2 batches of soap so far. the 1st just being a test batch to get the feel for soap making... and I LOVED it! So i had done loads of research after, and found out i used too high a % of coconut oil and that the bar might be to cleansing. so I instantly planned for the second batch. The second batch I chose ingredients that would make a long lasting conditioning body bar. Even though this was my second batch i chose to substitute my water for Wine. The bar came out Great! After making that body bar I Woke up from a prophetic dream about making Shampoo Bars!! So i started my research into proper ingredients for a shampoo bar. Gathered everything i needed and set out to start on my 3rd batch of soap.

12 oz Castor oil
10 oz Cocoa Butter
30 oz Coconut oil
34 oz Olive oil
10 oz Stearic Acid

I Tempered 2 egg yolks and blended well into the oils and used Almond milk to substitute water.

Now heres my questions. Right after adding in my Lye mix to the oils, The second I started using my stick blender It was INSTANTLY the thickest trace i'v encountered so far.

So why did it Trace Instantly(and i mean instantly) Was it my ingredients? does temperature have a play in trace time?

Thank you for all and any help.

 

[Obsidian]

Its the stearic acid, it will trace instantly. When using it at more than say 5%, it need to be done HP. Personally, I would not use stearic in shampoo, its not going to add anything to the soap that will beneficial to hair and it can even leave a bit of a waxy film.

Yes, temp will affect trace time, the hotter the faster it traces. Castor can also increase trace but I've never had trouble with it and I use it at 10% in a shampoo bar.

Since you are just learning, might be a good idea to post your recipes before you make them so we can look them over for any potential issues.
One thing I would suggest right away is to make small 1 lb batches when experimenting with a new recipe. That way if goes wrong or is a bad recipe, not so much goes to waste.

This is one of my favorite shampoo recipes. If you don't have neem or don't want to use it, just replace it with some avocado. Make sure to run the altered recipe through a lye calc.
http://www.evernote.com/l/ANi0chvOL_5PbJrp3vjvBfXtKCUp6FlLEsg/

 

[BLKTea]

Do you think my recipe will produce a decent bar?

 

[Obsidian]

It looks like it will be ok. It might be a bit drying if you have dry skin, I wouldn't be able to use it myself as its way too much coconut oil.

 

[penelopejane]

It looks like it will be ok. It might be a bit drying if you have dry skin, I wouldn't be able to use it myself as its way too much coconut oil.

She wants it for hair.
Max 5% castor oil or it will be a sticky bar.
I don't use soap on hair as the pH is not suitable/compatible.

 

[Kamahido]

That is a very high cleansing number for a shampoo bar. Be warned, removing too much of your hairs natural oils can damage your hair to the point you have to cut it and start over.

 

[Obsidian]

She wants it for hair.
Max 5% castor oil or it will be a sticky bar.
I don't use soap on hair as the pH is not suitable/compatible.

I already said in my first post I wouldn't use it for hair due to the stearic. I figured when she asked if it would be a decent bar she meant for bathing.

I absolutely would not use that recipe on my hair. Too much waxy oils and too high cleansing.

10% castor is normal and recommended in shampoo bars. I've been making shampoo bars for three yrs now with that amount of castor and the bars are not sticky.
I even used 20% castor in a regular bar once, it was just a little sticky. Lousy soap though.

Yes, the high PH of soap can ruin hair. Anyone who uses shampoo bars should be aware of that and watch the condition of their hair very closely.

Some people can use shampoo bars though and get really good results. I fried my hair by using shampoo bars and chemical hair dye. I'm growng out all natural hair now and am giving shampoo bars another go.

 

[Susie]

I had natural, no heat applied, hair and I still lost 16 inches due to soap instead of shampoo. Never again.

 

[BLKTea]

I had natural, no heat applied, hair and I still lost 16 inches due to soap instead of shampoo. Never again.

could you explain in greater detail?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

...I'm new to soap making....I Woke up from a prophetic dream about making Shampoo Bars!! So i started my research into proper ingredients for a shampoo bar.

First of all, Welcome to the Forum and Congratulations on making your first soaps! Good for you!

When you have a moment, it would be helpful if you could introduce yourself over at the Introduction Forum. Tell us a little about yourself, where you hail from, what got you interested in making soap and whatever else you'd like to share. It's just easier for us to help once we know a little bit about you.

Before striking out and creating recipes on your own (altho, I must say, I'm impressed!), there is lots of good information in the Beginner's Forum that may guide you to having more successes than "oopsies". LOL And save time too by making a few Tried & True recipes.

As for Shampoo Bars, it is my belief that one should not ignore a "prophetic dream"! So on that note, you should also be aware that many SMF members eschew Shampoo Bars in favor of "syndets" -- "synthetic/detergent" bars. If you want to pursue your dream making natural (vs. syndet) shampoo bars, a few of us are here to help if we can.

Here's a link to a site that has good information on the benefits of using shampoo bars, what various oils and additives bring to the formula, etc., that may inspire you to create your own based on ingredients they use. Here's a link:

https://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/products/natural-hair/natural-shampoo-bars/

Keep up the good work! And Happy Soaping!

:bunny:
​

 

[Obsidian]

could you explain in greater detail?

The high pH of soap can lift and damage the cuticle of the hair.
Eventually this damage can get bad enough the hair starts breaking off and the only way to fix it is to cut off all the damaged hair.

This is why I said it's important to pay attention to your hair if using shampoo bars. If it starts breaking, developing split ends, getting very dry or showing other signs of damage, stop using soap.

 

[Susie]

The high pH of soap can lift and damage the cuticle of the hair.
Eventually this damage can get bad enough the hair starts breaking off and the only way to fix it is to cut off all the damaged hair.

This is why I said it's important to pay attention to your hair if using shampoo bars. If it starts breaking, developing split ends, getting very dry or showing other signs of damage, stop using soap.

^^^This, damaged, breaking hair. Long, curly, no dye, no perm, no straightener, no hair dryer, no curling iron, no flat iron, hair. Had to cut it all off. Was not happy. But the best thing about hair is that it does grow back out.

 

[cmzaha]

Welcome to the world of soapmaking, there is much to learn, plus it is very addicting. Soap is one of the worst things you can use on hair and if you use any hair color it will strip it. That is why shampoo was invented. But many soapmakers think "handmade soaps" are the holy grail of cleansing, although not everyone can even use soap

 

[Laurabolyard]

Welcome to the world of soapmaking, there is much to learn, plus it is very addicting. Soap is one of the worst things you can use on hair and if you use any hair color it will strip it. That is why shampoo was invented. But many soapmakers think "handmade soaps" are the holy grail of cleansing, although not everyone can even use soap

I'm sure glad that I like to read! Yikes! I thought shampoo bars would be my next endeavor, I think I will leave that alone and search for another alternative! Thanx!