Made my first cream soap today!!

[ironbrewer]

So I've been doing a lot of research lately into making shaving cream. I think making stuff kind of runs in my blood. I was a commercial brewer for 12 years, before that I went to school for Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. I also do most of the cooking in my house. I love making Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Mexican, French, and many other foods. So I had to try to make my own shaving cream. I designed my own spreadsheet to calculate recipes for cream soap, because most of the calculators aren't very good for cream soaps, I sourced and bought ingredients, then made some soap. Its a very interesting process. The soap morphs from stage to stage. I use a hot process soap making.


Here the soap is right after I added the lye.

Its starting to thicken a little bit.

Its really starting to thicken now. I have to use a wooden spoon to mix it now.

Then near the end of the cook it gets translucent.

It is supposed to thin out to the consistency of buttermilk by the next day. Will it? I anxiously waited!!

 

[ironbrewer]

so low and behold I walk out to my kitchen to check out my soaps state, and Dang!

It looks a lot like buttermilk. This soap goes through some strange transformations.

So the next step is to superfat it. I go ahead and do this and it is supposed to turn a cream like consistency in two hours.

Dang it looks a lot like TOBS.

Now to let it age a bit and see what the pH is.

 

[whisks]

that's amazing how your soap liquified. as a relative newbie, soap never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Adema]

This is really interesting, I have to try this now, thank you for the pictures

Kveðja
María

 

[ironbrewer]

Glad you like the pictures!

If you want to make cream soap, I would highly reccomend the book

Making Cream Soap

by Catherine Failor.

It is an incredible resource, and quite inexpensive.

I made the soap for shaving cream, and it whips up an incredible lather.

 

[Bigmoose]

Hi ironbrewer, I was getting ready to make my first cream soap as well. I have all the ingredients I need and have read the book as well. I think it is something that you were a brewer. I am a serious homebrewer. I have a stout in a carboy and I just finished making a pale ale. I do mean just finished. You said your soap lathers well, may I ask how much coconut oil you used and the total weight of all oils? I am just trying to guage things since this will be my first cream soap.

Bruce

 

[ironbrewer]

I used about 5% coconut oil. Make sure to stay away from olive oil though. Its a lather killer.

 

[mandolyn]

I used about 5% coconut oil. Make sure to stay away from olive oil though. Its a lather killer.

40% olive oil. :shock:

 

[ironbrewer]

I must be wrong. WOW nice lather!

 

[ChrissyB]

Is cream soap 50% naoh, 50% KOH ??

 

[ironbrewer]

I DID ABOUT 84% KOH - 16% Naoh

Edited: I wrote POH I was thinking potassium hydroxide and screwed up.

 

[ChrissyB]

Really? That's very interesting.
Your finished product looks very nice.

 

[gekko62]

Congrats! Im on firefox so cant see piccies but Im sure its wonderful!
Ive been wanting to try creamsoap for the longest time,but a bit wary without phenolph.Its about $45 for 100ml here in Australia,so I keep putting it off.Thats a lotta moolah! So I content myself with oohing & aahing over everyone elses!

 

[mandolyn]

Your cream soap looks yummmmmmy! Thanks for sharing the whole process. I haven't tried cream soap yet. One of these days... It's an amazing process!

 

[marchroses]

I found that really interesting, thanks for sharing the pics!

 

[ironbrewer]

Glad you all liked the thread.

Look above for an important edit.

 

[ChrissyB]

Caught it IB.
That's what I thought!

 

[ironbrewer]

I gave samples of my shaving cream to two of my friends who wet shave and they both said that it was the closest shave they have had yet. I am going to make another batch tomorrow. I hope it will be better than the last.

Wish me luck!!

 

[whisks]

good luck!

 

[craftykelly]

Did the process take long? I know it takes longer than CP but just wondering HOW long.