My Dream Soap Recipe

[Meltiongson]

Hey everyone. Im just a newbie in soap making world and I really need your help on formulating my very first soap recipe. It includes shea butter, cocoa butter, emu oil, argan oil, rosehip oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil and goats milk. Please guys, can anyone help me? :sad: this is kinda my dream soap actually and really wanted to make some for my self. I really have an extremly dry skin and want to have this as my salve soap and also hoping that this soap could help me lighten up my scars So if someone has a huge heart out there that could help me, please do. Thank you so much!

 

[karenbeth]

Hi and welcome to this fantastic place. I think you should practice with some cheap oils first to see how soap behaves and do some research about what each oil can achieve. In fact some of those oils would be great as a salve with some beeswax. I've been researching jojoba oil and sounds like it would be a shame to saponify it. You have a heap of expensive oils there that might change a lot in soap. Sorry I don't have a recipe but good luck

 

[Meltiongson]

Hi and welcome to this fantastic place. I think you should practice with some cheap oils first to see how soap behaves and do some research about what each oil can achieve. In fact some of those oils would be great as a salve with some beeswax. I've been researching jojoba oil and sounds like it would be a shame to saponify it. You have a heap of expensive oils there that might change a lot in soap. Sorry I don't have a recipe but good luck

Thank you so much karenbeth for welcoming me yea maybe i should start with some cheap oils first and some easy to do recipes. But still hoping for someone that could help me. Thanks again

 

[pamielynn]

What kind of help do you want? Have you gone to soapcalc.com to plug in the oils you want to use and see what their fatty acid profiles are? I would recommend that so you can figure out what percentages you'd like for each oil - it will also give you the water NaOH amounts you'll need. A few hours perusing the topics here will also give you some of the information you're looking for.

 

[Saswede]

I agree with Karenbeth - before you try to make soap with these premium priced oils, you may want to make a few batches with less expensive oils to familiarize yourself with the soap making process.

Even once you've done that, I'd probably still want to add olive oil to your ingredients list ..... it's great for moisturizing, and together with coconut oil and the butters and oils you want use, would make a lovely luxurious bar.


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[Saswede]

Just noticed your desire to have a soap lighten scars ...... as soap is a wash off product, you may not be able to achieve that. But perhaps using a gentle, nourishing bar which doesn't leave your skin dry could be helpful for the scar tissue too.


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[Meltiongson]

What kind of help do you want? Have you gone to soapcalc.com to plug in the oils you want to use and see what their fatty acid profiles are? I would recommend that so you can figure out what percentages you'd like for each oil - it will also give you the water NaOH amounts you'll need. A few hours perusing the topics here will also give you some of the information you're looking for.

Hi pamielynn. Yes ive already visited soapcalc.com and been trying to formulate my dream soap but too afraid to make formulation, im not sure if the ingredients will balance to make a good soap. Since im just a newbie in soap making world. Im searching for someone that could help me or make a soap recipe that includes those ingredients. I know its too much for me too ask for someone who could actually make a recipe like this for me.but still hoping... By the way thanks!

 

[judymoody]

Hello and welcome!

You do not need all of those expensive ingredients to make a lovely gentle soap. The process of saponification transforms those oils into soap and changes their characteristics. For example, fresh coconut oil can be excellent for hair and skin care. But if used in high % in soap, many people find it drying. There is no way to tell if beneficial properties of emu or rose hip oil survive saponification.

If you put small amounts of many premium oils in your soap, you won't know what effects are coming from which oil. Also you'd probably want at least 10% of any given oil to see if there is a measurable effect.

Here is a sample recipe for a nice mild, conditioning soap, that may work for you:

Olive oil - 50%
Palm oil - 15%
Coconut oil - 15%
Avocado oil - 20%

Mash up half an avocado into a puree and add it to your soaping oils.

Use a lye discount (superfat) of 8-10%

I would leave it unscented or lightly scent with an essential oil like lavender at 2% of your oil weight.

You can make a lovely oil serum with your rose hip, emu, and jojoba (which is technically a wax, not an oil) and apply it neat to your skin. This is likely to be more effective than putting these ingredients in soap.

 

[pamielynn]

INHO I think you should read a book or two to learn technique - or search soap forums for newbie instructions. Then make a nice, cheap first batch with maybe just olive, palm (or crisco) and coconut oil. See how that goes. You will learn a lot just by doing, I promise. Go to youtube.com and find the soapqueen tutorials just to see soapmaking in action. If you've not make soap before, you really don't want to use those expensive oils the first (or second or third) time around.

Personally, I would practice using different, less expensive oils for your soap and take the emu and argan and make a little salve for yourself with some beeswax. That way the oils will have time to soak into your skin. Even just rubbing the oils straight on your skin will work better than using them in a soap.

 

[pamielynn]

Ha - we posted at the same time - but JudyMoody's post is better!

 

[Meltiongson]

Just noticed your desire to have a soap lighten scars ...... as soap is a wash off product, you may not be able to achieve that. But perhaps using a gentle, nourishing bar which doesn't leave your skin dry could be helpful for the scar tissue too.


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Yea i should really start with some small batches with less expensive oils. Thanks for the tip of adding some olive oil for moisture, but will it take too long for the soap to cure since it has olive oil? .. Still hoping for someone that would actually make that recipe for me. ^_^ it was indeed a lovely luxurious soap. Lol thanks saswede.

 

[neeners]

do a google search for basic soap recipes. it really depends on what you can easily find in your area, supplies wise, and what you're willing to put into your soap.

some people prefer vegan soaps, so tallow and lard are out of the question. some people put palm oil into their soap, but some are against it. etc etc

at the end of the day, it's about research and lots of experimentation in deciding what you're looking for in YOUR soap recipe.

there are a thousand ways to skin a cat, and about a billion ways to make soap. just gotta find the right way for you!

good luck!

 

[Meltiongson]

Hello and welcome!

You do not need all of those expensive ingredients to make a lovely gentle soap. The process of saponification transforms those oils into soap and changes their characteristics. For example, fresh coconut oil can be excellent for hair and skin care. But if used in high % in soap, many people find it drying. There is no way to tell if beneficial properties of emu or rose hip oil survive saponification.

If you put small amounts of many premium oils in your soap, you won't know what effects are coming from which oil. Also you'd probably want at least 10% of any given oil to see if there is a measurable effect.

Here is a sample recipe for a nice mild, conditioning soap, that may work for you:

Olive oil - 50%
Palm oil - 15%
Coconut oil - 15%
Avocado oil - 20%

Mash up half an avocado into a puree and add it to your soaping oils.

Use a lye discount (superfat) of 8-10%

I would leave it unscented or lightly scent with an essential oil like lavender at 2% of your oil weight.

You can make a lovely oil serum with your rose hip, emu, and jojoba (which is technically a wax, not an oil) and apply it neat to your skin. This is likely to be more effective than putting these ingredients in soap.

Wow your post totally made my mind change about making my dream soap. Lol since u knew alot about making soap i would totally take your advice. Thank you so much judymoody and also for the recipe. I would love to try that ^_^

 

[Meltiongson]

INHO I think you should read a book or two to learn technique - or search soap forums for newbie instructions. Then make a nice, cheap first batch with maybe just olive, palm (or crisco) and coconut oil. See how that goes. You will learn a lot just by doing, I promise. Go to youtube.com and find the soapqueen tutorials just to see soapmaking in action. If you've not make soap before, you really don't want to use those expensive oils the first (or second or third) time around.

Personally, I would practice using different, less expensive oils for your soap and take the emu and argan and make a little salve for yourself with some beeswax. That way the oils will have time to soak into your skin. Even just rubbing the oils straight on your skin will work better than using them in a soap.

Yea i should probably research more about soaps, its kinda tricky. i would love to make a salve, will give it a try with some beeswax. Thanks again pamielynn.

 

[Meltiongson]

do a google search for basic soap recipes. it really depends on what you can easily find in your area, supplies wise, and what you're willing to put into your soap.

some people prefer vegan soaps, so tallow and lard are out of the question. some people put palm oil into their soap, but some are against it. etc etc

at the end of the day, it's about research and lots of experimentation in deciding what you're looking for in YOUR soap recipe.

there are a thousand ways to skin a cat, and about a billion ways to make soap. just gotta find the right way for you!

good luck!

Yea i guess soap making is really that tricky. I should stick first on some basic recipes. Thanks neeners

 

[neeners]

^^ np! there's just sooo many options out there, and it's all a really personal thing.

just start playing and take lots of notes so you can keep track of what worked, what didn't. the hardest part is waiting to use your soap

btw, i'm also new (made just 4 batches), and have been doing a LOT of reading. i'd start with that, and see what supplies you can get cheap, and go from there!

can't wait to see pics of your soap endeavours!

 

[Meltiongson]

^^ np! there's just sooo many options out there, and it's all a really personal thing.

just start playing and take lots of notes so you can keep track of what worked, what didn't. the hardest part is waiting to use your soap

btw, i'm also new (made just 4 batches), and have been doing a LOT of reading. i'd start with that, and see what supplies you can get cheap, and go from there!

can't wait to see pics of your soap endeavours!

Wow! What soap recipe did u make in your first batch?

 

[Obsidian]

If you want to use those nice oils, you could put them into a lotion. I prefer lotions over salves, lotion isn't as greasy. The only special things you need to make lotion is ewax and some kind of preservative.
All soap need a 6-8 week cure, as long as your recipe isn't super high in olive oil, you shouldn't have to wait longer then that. Even 100% olive oil bars can be used at 2 months but they get better with age. I'm trying to cure mine at least 6 months, a year would be better.
I'm also new to soaping, have made around 20 batches in the last 3 months or so. My first recipe has been one of my favorite and the oils can be found at the grocery store. don't use extra virgin olive oil, it will make greenish soap. Use the cheaper plain oil or extra light.

for a 2 lb batch
olive oil 16 oz
crisco 9.6 oz
coconut oil 6.4

water 12 oz
lye 4.22 oz

 

[neeners]

Wow! What soap recipe did u make in your first batch?

100% coconut oil, 20% SF and goats milk. I live in the tropics, and coconut oil is easy to find. other oils and butters, like avocado, palm, shea, cocoa, etc are close to impossible to find, and SUPER expensive.

 

[Meltiongson]

If you want to use those nice oils, you could put them into a lotion. I prefer lotions over salves, lotion isn't as greasy. The only special things you need to make lotion is ewax and some kind of preservative.
All soap need a 6-8 week cure, as long as your recipe isn't super high in olive oil, you shouldn't have to wait longer then that. Even 100% olive oil bars can be used at 2 months but they get better with age. I'm trying to cure mine at least 6 months, a year would be better.
I'm also new to soaping, have made around 20 batches in the last 3 months or so. My first recipe has been one of my favorite and the oils can be found at the grocery store. don't use extra virgin olive oil, it will make greenish soap. Use the cheaper plain oil or extra light.

for a 2 lb batch
olive oil 16 oz
crisco 9.6 oz
coconut oil 6.4

water 12 oz
lye 4.22 oz

Thanks obsidian.. I would like to make some whipped body butter since i have a dry skin, do u think its going to be greasy since im using shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil and some oil that ive mention in my dream soap? And is it ok to use pomace olive oil on that soap recipe u gave me? Ive read some comments that pomace has a little benefit compared to extrA virgin olive oil.


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