male soaper, questions on shave soap

[odenflagship]

I've been messing around with shave soap recipes for over a year. I've got a pretty good one but would like to see if anyone has any secret tips out there. Of course a shave soap has to lather like crazy and sure there are chemical alternatives to a good lather - but what oils to you use and in what percentage to get the best lather?

I use almost all olive due to it's mildness and a secret ingredient to up the lather. It lathers well but not thick enough for what most people would be looking for. I'm thinking of adding 10% castor, 10%palm and 10%coconut.

Any suggestions?

 

[judymoody]

I made a shaving soap that my husband loves. It doesn't make a huge lather but it sticks to his face like glue and he claims it's the smoothest shave he's ever gotten. That said, the next time I make it I will boost the CO and castor to up the lather.

Clay is essential as it provides "slip" for the razor. I used Bentonite but that will turn your soap a gray-green. If you want white, try kaolin.

Stearic acid is also good for stable lather - PO and CB are naturally high in stearic. You can also add stearic acid to your recipe but too much will cause your soap to accelerate.

Good luck. I'm sure I will tinker with my recipe a lot before I get it to where I want it.

 

[IrishLass]

I make a shaving soap that my hubby loves and it lathers like crazy. I probably should mention that when I say 'lather', I'm not talking about the kind of lather made of huge fluffy bubbles, but a creamy-type lather instead that is almost non-existant when worked up with the hands, but voluminously and copiously foamy when worked up with a shaving brush (which my hubby likes to use). It's incredible- my shaving soap lather, when worked up properly with a brush, looks exactly like the foamy stuff that comes out a can of Barbasol shaving cream. It stays foamy for at least 15 minutes, too.

I formulated my shaving recipe to have a high amount of naturally occurring stearic acid- meaning that instead of using stearic as an additive, I use certain fats/butters that naturally contain high amounts of stearic. The total stearic amount of my formula is 20%. Stearic acid contributes lots of creamy, stable lather- the kind of lather that's perfect for a shaving soap if you are going to be using a shaving brush. If you don't have enough naturally occurring stearic in your formula, you can buy stearic and add some to your formula.

My goal was to have a shaving soap that was very low on cleansing, very low on bubbly lather, very high on stable/creamy lather, and high on conditioning. Happily, I was able to achieve all my goals.

Eighty-six % of my formula is made up of beef tallow, castor oil, kokum, mango and ilippe butters, while the remaining 14% is made up of avocado oil, coconut oil, and olive oil.

For additives, I use coconut milk as part of my liquid amount (adds even more creaminess), and kaolin clay & tussa silk for slip.

My 'secret' ingredient is 10% vegetable glycerin ppo. I learned from another soaper named Hanle that glycerin, along with a high stearic amount, helps to create a stable creamy shaving foam that that will stay suspended for a fairly long time without fizzling out. According to the guys over on Badger and Blade (a men's shaving forum), a good shaving lather should stay suspended for at least 10 minutes. Mine stays suspended for at least 15 minutes and could probably go on for longer if I had the patience to let it do so before washing it away.

IrishLass

 

[krissy]

I make a shaving soap that my hubby loves and it lathers like crazy. I probably should mention that when I say 'lather', I'm not talking about the kind of lather made of huge fluffy bubbles, but a creamy-type lather instead that is almost non-existant when worked up with the hands, but voluminously and copiously foamy when worked up with a shaving brush (which my hubby likes to use). It's incredible- my shaving soap lather, when worked up properly with a brush, looks exactly like the foamy stuff that comes out a can of Barbasol shaving cream. It stays foamy for at least 15 minutes, too.

I formulated my shaving recipe to have a high amount of naturally occurring stearic acid- meaning that instead of using stearic as an additive, I use certain fats/butters that naturally contain high amounts of stearic. The total stearic amount of my formula is 20%. Stearic acid contributes lots of creamy, stable lather- the kind of lather that's perfect for a shaving soap if you are going to be using a shaving brush. If you don't have enough naturally occurring stearic in your formula, you can buy stearic and add some to your formula.

My goal was to have a shaving soap that was very low on cleansing, very low on bubbly lather, very high on stable/creamy lather, and high on conditioning. Happily, I was able to achieve all my goals.

Eighty-six % of my formula is made up of beef tallow, castor oil, kokum, mango and ilippe butters, while the remaining 14% is made up of avocado oil, coconut oil, and olive oil.

For additives, I use coconut milk as part of my liquid amount (adds even more creaminess), and kaolin clay & tussa silk for slip.

My 'secret' ingredient is 10% vegetable glycerin ppo. I learned from another soaper named Hanle that glycerin, along with a high stearic amount, helps to create a stable creamy shaving foam that that will stay suspended for a fairly long time without fizzling out. According to the guys over on Badger and Blade (a men's shaving forum), a good shaving lather should stay suspended for at least 10 minutes. Mine stays suspended for at least 15 minutes and could probably go on for longer if I had the patience to let it do so before washing it away.

IrishLass

lol, i just imagined you in the restroom with your lower face all lathered up like a kid copying his dad while shaving.... with a timer next to you to see how your bubbles are doing.

 

[c.a.p.]

Thank you, Irish Lass. I have only made shaving soap once and while it came out pretty good, my husband would like it to be more moisturizing. He's getting a pretty good lather, but could use more. I looked at my numbers and saw that stearic is only at 4.7%. I'll play with reformulating and see how it improves.

Thanks for sharing your info. Appreciated.