KOH and NaOH in shaving soap

[SudsandLather]

Lye Calculator for Shave Soap

Is there a lye calculator that will do a mix of NAOH and KOH. I have some idea now of the shave soap I want to formulate but beef tallow is a hard product to get. I wanted to sub in lard for now... so I need to run it through a lye calc to make sure I have the right measurements for the lyes.

 

[Susie]

http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/advanced-calculator-solid-cream-or-liquid-soaps

There ya go.

 

[cappykat]

Can you please tell me where the number 20 is correct? I've been told some people use up to 65% stearic acid and when I use that much the stearic in soap calc is in the 60's not 20's. Could you please clarify?

 

[DeeAnna]

See Post #9 for your answer.

 

[mcrosby]

Recipe

I have been making soaps for my family for a while and my son has just switched to shaving with a brush. Could any of you share a basic recipe with NaOH and KOH? He is 19 and in the USMC and I would like him to have a mug made by me before he deploys in January with some time to test it and tweak it on his skin before ships it with him. Thanks! Marina.

 

[Ivanstein]

I have been making soaps for my family for a while and my son has just switched to shaving with a brush. Could any of you share a basic recipe with NaOH and KOH? He is 19 and in the USMC and I would like him to have a mug made by me before he deploys in January with some time to test it and tweak it on his skin before ships it with him. Thanks! Marina.

I use 50% stearic acid, 45% coconut oil, and 5% others depending on what I want. Castor, shea butter, lanolin, avocado oil, jojoba oil, etc.

KOH only, hot process.

Add some essential oils after the cook and it makes a pretty darn good shave soap.

I made one with lard as opposed to coconut oil. It's pretty amazing and I use it when I really want a luxurious shave. I put bay rum FO in it and love it.

I find keeping it simple is best when it comes to shave soap.

 

[mcrosby]

Thanks so much for sharing!
I only use edible/non processed oils so I have no stearic acid, never bought any, what would be the best substitute for it? Since it is such a high percentage I can see how it would be a completely different recipe... I have been reading up and animal fats which I render at home, and cocoa and shea butters have higher percentages of stearic acid. Any recipes starting from scratch like that?

Thanks again!

 

[Ivanstein]

Sorry. Double post.

 

[Obsidian]

A good shave soap really needs to have a high amount of stearic acid, its what keeps the lather created with a brush fluffy and stable. If you are very opposed to using stearic, I do have a recipe without any. Its a ok recipe but I never tried it for face shaving since I'm a girl, works for legs though.

KOH only hot process

tallow 75%
coconut 10%
castor 10%
shea 5% (superfat oil, added after the cook)

 

[soapygirl0711]

Good shaving soap needs a high fat percentage content, be it tallow or vegetable fat and also a high percentage of stearic acid. I believe coconut oil dries out the face to much as it is a strip
cleanser, but you can try sub it with babassu oil and mixture of castor, butters and palm oil if you're okay with using it.
. Try a mixture of 60% KOH and 40% NaOH. There is a website Liquid Cream & Bar Soap Calculator that would help with the dual lye portions. Hot process would be the way to go since KOH is being use. Good luck

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Please ignore the coconut comment - while it would seem to be correct (because co soaps are drying) in practice it just isn't so. Seriously, the shave soap with 50% co and 50% stearic is a good shaving soap and one of the most famous artisan shaving soap uses something like that. No need to look at more expensive bubbly oils just yet!

 

[SoapAddict415]

How do you calculate how much KOH & NaOH to use in soapcalc? Do I change the "lye concentration" field for each type of lye or do I enter my percentage elsewhere? I want to use 60% KOH & 40% NaOH.

 

[DeeAnna]

You have to do a work-around method with Soapcalc -- it's easier and quicker to use Soapee.com or Summerbee Meadow. Here's more: https://classicbells.com/soap/dualLye.html If you can't switch to Soapee or SBM, check out the "extra credit" method at the end of the article for how to use Soapcalc.

 

[SoapAddict415]

You have to do a work-around method with Soapcalc -- it's easier and quicker to use Soapee.com or Summerbee Meadow. Here's more: https://classicbells.com/soap/dualLye.html If you can't switch to Soapee or SBM, check out the "extra credit" method at the end of the article for how to use Soapcalc.

Thanks [emoji2]
Update: just used the soapee calculator. I really liked it. I like that it gives you an idea of how long your bar will last & how stable your lather may be. Thanks again!

 

[slipknott76]

Trying to come up with a recipe but the lye numbers I get with Soapee and the numbers I get doing it by hand are consistently different. Can anyone explain? Is the calculator compensating for the fact that Koh is heavier the Naoh and is that important

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

By much? What are the numbers?

 

[DeeAnna]

Trying to come up with a recipe but the lye numbers I get with Soapee and the numbers I get doing it by hand are consistently different....

Are you using saponification values for KOH when doing the math to get the KOH weight? If not, that's your problem. Sap values for KOH are 1.403 times the NaOH sap values.

Is the calculator compensating for the fact that Koh is heavier the Naoh? And is that important?

Yes it is. And very definitely yes!

 

[silvaugo]

I produce shaving soap and I use 100% KOH, with stearic at 45%. And it's a play doh like texture, it's not rock hard and neither cream like. I use tallow which helps in the hardness. It's easy to lather and builds a nice dense and durable lather.

 

[Skatergirl46]

Lye Calculator for Shave Soap

Is there a lye calculator that will do a mix of NAOH and KOH. I have some idea now of the shave soap I want to formulate but beef tallow is a hard product to get. I wanted to sub in lard for now... so I need to run it through a lye calc to make sure I have the right measurements for the lyes.

There is one called Soapee that I use when I do dual lye formulas.