Is it possible to make a HARD bar of sensitive soap

[fuzz-juzz]

I will just second what everyone already said, heaps of CO in a recipe is going to make a VERY drying soap.
I've been making soap for a quite a few years and refused using lard at the beginning. My face is very sensitive, especially cheeks and they were reacting really badly to my normal recipe (25% CO).
I caved in and made half lard half OO soap with just a little bit of castor oil for bubbles. Best decision ever. I got super white, hard bar of soap which is really gentle on my face. Oh, and it's 0% SF. I am going against the grain here on SMF and don't beleive in high SF.
It's been a year since I made it, few bars are left, as I only use it on face. It's not superfatted so it lasts even longer. They did DOS a bit, but it's only supperficial, they still smell fine, no piggy smell, just the lovely smell of non scented soap is there.

 

[Bubli]

I've been using the 2:1 lye:water ratio -30% water And 1.5 tsp salt(I also use silk fiber and 1 Tbsp sugar coconut milk and beeswax). On the soapcalc it's a 37 hardness. But the truth rears is lovely head at 6 month cure time when I feel all if not most of water is truly evaporated, the soap is (and this is NO exaggeration at all) harder than store bought commercial soap. I've been told I'd never make soap as hard as you get at the store, but mine is (I don't know if people were just pulling my leg and messing with me). You would bruise if I threw it at you and when it hit the floor there would not be a mark in it. This is only at that 6 month mark though. Anytime before that and I am unhappy with the hardness. Patience is THE hardest thing for me in soap making. Oh and, I know some disagree and some may agree with me, but I replace about half of my coconut oil with babassu oil, which together they total about 19%, and my soap at 2 days old even does not leave that tight, dry ashy feel, it is very mild. i use it bathe my pets and myself and as a shampoo bar. So you can imagine at 6 months. I have very sensitive skin that is prone to allergic reactions, acne break outs and dry chapping so bad that it results in cracking and bleeding. This was my drive for my ultimate gentle yet cleansing and moisturizing bar. And let me tell ya, a ton of my "dream recipes" ended up as laundry soap in the end good luck!

 

[Joseph]

Joseph, do you have hard water? Hard water will make your skin feel dry even without soap. Adding salt can make a big difference... sort of like a built-in water softener.

How much salt that i hv to add to my soap? Pls advice

 

[CaraBou]

My face is very sensitive, especially cheeks and they were reacting really badly to my normal recipe (25% CO).
I caved in and made half lard half OO soap with just a little bit of castor oil for bubbles. Best decision ever. I got super white, hard bar of soap which is really gentle on my face. Oh, and it's 0% SF. I am going against the grain here on SMF and don't beleive in high SF.
It's been a year since I made it, few bars are left, as I only use it on face. It's not superfatted so it lasts even longer. They did DOS a bit, but it's only supperficial, they still smell fine, no piggy smell, just the lovely smell of non scented soap is there.

fuzz-juzz, that's an awesome endorsement; thanks for sharing. So are these three oil bars? I've made 50% lard bars, but with 5 oils total and less than 50 OO so I am curious. 0% SF, that's intriguing, but not necessarily surprising after the long thread on negative SF started this spring by AnnaMarie. Others here tout low superfat, so meeting at zero seems worth a try.

Oh and, I know some disagree and some may agree with me, but I replace about half of my coconut oil with babassu oil, which together they total about 19%

Some day I will splurge and buy babassu. I like the idea of mixing with CO -- to help make it go further!

 

[Bubli]

Yes CaraBou, Babassu is more costly than I mind paying. But on my small scale and with the results that work for me, I find it worth it.I only do 1-2 pound (oil weight) batches a month for personal use and for the few friends and family who dare be brave. They think I'm full of doody when I tell them lye is actually used in the food they eat and many store bought hygiene products as well. I tend to be surrounded by people who believe that if it (anything) doesn't come from Wal Mart then it will probably kill them, when sadly to say those ignorant fools (i lovingly call them that) believe the total opposite of the truth ( I could go on for years about what I think about all the abnormally high number of people in my community with cancer).
I work in a large kitchen that feeds 700 plus people twice a day and am used to doing actual cooking and cleaning on a tremendous scale. I actually cook in pots large enough for a grown sumo wrestler to bathe in (imagine browning 200 pounds of ground beef at once!) so being able to come home and do things on a tiny scale is soothing and slower pace, less stressful. Does that evens me sense? If I used full babassu and for a selling scale, couldn't do it! You should try it though, it worked for me. I just don't like the smell, a very sterile, stale, plasticy type smell, but it goes away in the soap.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Glad to help with my experience. Yes CaraBou, it's only three oils, lard, OO and bit of castor. It was a very small batch (500gr of oil) but I dropped SF to 0% SF as closest as I can. My scale only does whole grams. I've heard extra SF in facial bars clog pores, and as I already have greasy T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) I didn't want to make it any worse. My cheeks are dry and sensitive. So I reckoned, mild soap with 0% SF will please both. I have very complicated skin on my face hehe. That was my first experience with lard and I loved it.
I've also started to drop SF in my body bars. I've already gone from 5 to 3-4, I might even try 2. That's with CM as half of the liquid, so actual SF still might me around 4-5. I found my bars to be really hard on unmolding and after a good cure. More creamy looking and last way longer in the shower. Bars with higher SF turn into mush and sort of melt quickly even though we are carefull how to store them. Bars with lower SF stay true to their shape, don't go mushy, last really long time and bubble a bit more.

 

[cmzaha]

20% lard, 20% palm, 17% Avocado 13% Coconut oil, 12% olive, 12% shea, 6% castor with 3-5% superfat makes a very nice gentle bar that is not drying and will last a decent amount of time.

 

[DeeAnna]

Lovely recipe, Carolyn! Thank you for sharing with us.