Lowest superfat?

[glendam]

@cmzaha was the one that convinced me to use a lower superfat. We have old pipes and hard water so I felt I had nothing to lose. I mostly do HP with a few examples of CP thrown in now and again. So far, knock wood, the only case of DOS I have had was one bar given to my daughter that fell off the shelf where she keeps her soaps in her bathroom. Time wise, it had to be from my high superfat days but it also could have been from where she stored it, where it laid or any number of factors. But even from the first time I used a 2% superfat, the soap scum has been reduced and I don't have to clean out the drains in my bathroom as often.

@Zany_in_CO may have just convinced me to try 0% superfat in my next soap. I was going to soap yesterday but discovered that I didn't have that extra bottle of lye in my cupboard afterall. Now I have a few days to decide which recipe I really want to do. Something new, so I can use one of my recipes that I want to try out, or something old, so that I can compare the recipes of 0% and 2% superfat. Soaping is such fun!

It would be interesting to hear your findings as well, whether you choose same recipe or different.

Yes! Thank you for the memory jog! That's right, I remember the water content being part of it as well. At the time I was soaping at 3:1 water:lye ratio which is why I felt comfortable with extreme negative SF. I no longer soap with that much water, but I also don't do as many experiments as I used to lol.

Yes, if you see @earlene post above, she linked the Andalusian thread and I spent quite a bit of time going through it, it is a very interesting soap project.

I made my first attempt at the face with a 0% superfat and I definitely have a lot of soda ash, that I did not get with Frida's face. At first I thought it was because I didn't leave the heating pad overnight, and only left it on for about 1 hour. However, the leftover soap dough that was in contact with plastic to prevent air from touching it, also has soda ash, which is weird for me to see in soap dough. It could be that I was using the last bits of lye master batch, and although I shake the jug every time there was more lye concentration at the bottom regardless. I will try to remove it though, steaming does not usually work for me but I might try gently rubbing it off.

 

[glendam]

Finally finished this soap today, I don’t think I got her full resemblance, but WTD. (What to do). I did a 2% super fat because 0% produced too much soda ash when I did her face. I got some with the full soap, but very little. First picture is in in the mold freshly made, sans nose. Second is from today when I added final shading and details.
Thank you for all the feedback, I will try a lower super fat with a regular soap next time.

 

[Basil]

I would love to see her t-shirts, I went on a Frida obsession while making it, read up all about her life and struggles and it was inspiring to learn about her. Thank you so much!

She lives in Kansas but I'll see if I can get a picture

 

[The_Phoenix]

I am intrigued by the feel similar to the triple milled French soaps! I may have to do a regular soap with 0% superfat after this project to test. My recipe has beef tallow, so I am curious about the warmer temperatures. I do lye water at room temperature, but warm up the oils to 100 F or 105. I definitely look forward to ease of clean up. Thank you for the PDF and info, I am going to go over it more slowly shortly.

Ps. I made this Frida soap for this client for a Mexican themed party, and upon seeing it, she suggested I attempt to make one for a regular person, and volunteered to be the first. So it should hopefully turn out similar minus the flowers.
View attachment 57282ou

Speechless. I’m a huge Frida fan. Please tell me you won’t have to cut this.

 

[glendam]

Speechless. I’m a huge Frida fan. Please tell me you won’t have to cut this.

Thank you! No, I didn’t cut it and the client won’t cut it either, last time I saw it she had put it in a frame box. I am not sure how I feel about a soap that doesn't fulfill its cleansing purpose though,

 

[Basil]

Thank you! No, I didn’t cut it and the client won’t cut it either, last time I saw it she had put it in a frame box. I am not sure how I feel about a soap that doesn't fulfill its cleansing purpose though,

I would definitely frame it!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

First picture is in in the mold freshly made, sans nose. Second is from today when I added final shading and details.

So amazing and so well done! If you don't mind my asking, what do you use for "paint"?

 

[glendam]

So amazing and so well done! If you don't mind my asking, what do you use for "paint"?

Not at all, should have a video of it soon, I hope. For the Frida soap I used mostly micas mixed with alcohol and also just loose micas applied with a dry brush. For the blonde lady, I used the same (copper and bronze color micas) plus face paint cakes, which work like watercolors. Lately I have been buying the Fusion brand for black and white, the browns were Tag brand.

 

[glendam]

Your Frida soap is AWESOME! So creative and talented! Love at first sight! View attachment 57287
View attachment 57288

Thank you so much!!

 

[glendam]

I had a chance to see the actual soap recently and so far, it still looks the same, four months later. So it seems the low superfat has helped, though it is perhaps too early to tell. In It is inside a frame box, it gets some sunlight when the main door is open, but not directly. I finally edited and uploaded the video of the making, in case anyone is curious to see.

 

[LynetteO]

Yes - when I make ZNSC it has 0 superfat. Plus the salt water.

Ditto. Making ZNSC, I used 0% for 2 batches (per author @Zany_in_CO recommendation) & 1% for the other. Once 1% fully cured, I’ll test to see if I can discern the difference between 0%&1% Love that soap recipe SO MUCH!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I had a chance to see the actual soap recently and so far, it still looks the same, four months later. So it seems the low superfat has helped, though it is perhaps too early to tell. In It is inside a frame box, it gets some sunlight when the main door is open, but not directly. I finally edited and uploaded the video of the making, in case anyone is curious to see.

Gosh, I had NO IDEA how HUGE this artwork actually is! Near life-size . Great execution; timelapse or not, it is outright meditative to watch you put the parts together, and how with each layer the illusion gets more and more perfect. Believe it or not, it's just coloured soap batter, no more, no less. But it looks at me!

(Kahlo, not Khalo, btw )

 

[glendam]

Gosh, I had NO IDEA how HUGE this artwork actually is! Near life-size . Great execution; timelapse or not, it is outright meditative to watch you put the parts together, and how with each layer the illusion gets more and more perfect. Believe it or not, it's just coloured soap batter, no more, no less. But it looks at me!

(Kahlo, not Khalo, btw )

Thank you! Yes, it was my largest slab mold. I did mess up the spelling in the actual video. Perhaps it is better that way as I have no way of correcting it, though maybe I can blur it, but I learned recently her name is trademarked by her family, with two interesting lawsuits going on in the States.

 

[Basil]

I had a chance to see the actual soap recently and so far, it still looks the same, four months later. So it seems the low superfat has helped, though it is perhaps too early to tell. In It is inside a frame box, it gets some sunlight when the main door is open, but not directly. I finally edited and uploaded the video of the making, in case anyone is curious to see.

That video is amazing, as is your artwork! I shared your video with my daughter, the Frida fan.

 

[Basil]

Thank you! No, I didn’t cut it and the client won’t cut it either, last time I saw it she had put it in a frame box. I am not sure how I feel about a soap that doesn't fulfill its cleansing purpose though,

I have to backtrack and comment on this. There is no way I’d cut it either!

 

[dibbles]

@glendam I watched your video and am truly amazed. But I also want to say it was fun to watch your Frida transformation at the end.

 

[glendam]

@glendam I watched your video and am truly amazed. But I also want to say it was fun to watch your Frieda transformation at the end.

Thank you! It was a fun thing to do.

 

[glendam]

Thank you @Basil I hope she likes it.

 

[Basil]

Thank you @Basil I hope she likes it.

She LOVED it!

 

[soapman5]

Ditto. Making ZNSC, I used 0% for 2 batches (per author @Zany_in_CO recommendation) & 1% for the other. Once 1% fully cured, I’ll test to see if I can discern the difference between 0%&1% Love that soap recipe SO MUCH!

Well, when making ZNSC, sodium bicarbonate will react with the lye forming sodium carbonate/soda ash/wash soda, NaHCO3 + NaOH → Na2CO3 + H2O, meaning that you'll not get 0 % SF, instead you get some SF.

To make 0 % SF, you could just add sodium carbonate, which you could buy cheap.