My first shaving soap is a success!

[Mark the Box Guy]

I did a short lather test with a silvertip brush, and found that it wanted a lot of water. I almost had to fully load the brush twice before the lather got as big as it could in my scuttle. Glycerin is hydrophillic, isn't it? Perhaps there was too much. It still has potential though! The lather was terrific, afterall.

 

[Sapwn]

Hi there! I am a wet shaver as well and in particular straight razor shaver.

I made many-many experiments the last month to achieve a high quality shaving soap.

Just look at these bars. They are all shaving soaps testing different recipes.

　

Finally I concluded to a couple of recipes that are very similar to yours. Note I that I tested more than 10 different recipes and rejected them after concluding to my finals.

I didn’t have in mind Martin’s soap when experimenting the recipes but the Italian cream/soaps that I really like. I am sure you know what I mean. Especially Valobra which is my favorite!

My final recipes contain stearic acid ranging from 50 to 60%, coconut oil as the second oil, and some kind of butter, usually unrefined shea butter, or mango butter.

I hold superfat rate at very low, <3% but I add some lanolin to trace because I love the feeling of Mitchell’s soap. I don't add any glyceryn at all.
I also use KOH from 90 to 100% and I use almond FO like most Italian shaving soap makers do.

The reason I use 100% KOH is that steric acid is very high in my recipes and I thing that stearic acid needs KOH and not NaOH. It is very difficult to handle with NaOH. Moreover, I prefer soft soaps for shaving.

If the final result is too soft for you, you can add some Sodium Lactate in your oils before adding the lye. This will harden the final soap even if you use 100% KOH.

 

[jean1C]

I realize this post is a few weeks old, but I tried the recipe from badger and blade yesterday. I scented with some clover and aloe FO. All I can say is WOW! This is my third attempt at shaving soap, first time using a crock pot.(good thing I am cleaning the basement and found an old one...cause it is calling for a second batch).
I used the same recipe, then put it in a PVC pipe mold in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I preheated my oven to 200, shut it off and put the soap in there for 20 minutes, so it would be easier to unmold.
20 minutes was probably too much, as it was a little sticky. I put it back in the fridge for a few hours so I could slice it. SUCCESS!!! DH used it this evening and he is raving about it. The lather/slip is suppose to be excellent. I think I am going to try it for my legs. DH says it beats ANYTHING he has ever tried before. (I have to add that he is hypercritical, not on purpose, just part of his narcisstic personality...LOL).
I gave a sample to my daughter's boyfriend. He is in the military, so a close shave is important. I am waiting for the results.
YEA!!! Thank you all for sharing!

 

[CaraCara]

Agreed! I used Songwind's recipe and it worked like a charm.

 

[jean1C]

Now...here's a thought...what if you were to use goat milk in place of the water? Would it scorch in the crock pot? I don't know if you could make this recipe any better...but?

 

[heartsong]

thank you so much for sharing!

hubby is a straight razor shaver, too...scares me to death to watch him! but at 60+ he still has both ears & his nose...once in a while I see him with toilet paper stuck to his face, but not often...I've used 40% tallow, 32% lard, 8% coconut, 10% castor & 10% steric acid doing regular cold process, but yours looks soooo much better...time to order some koh & dust off the old crockpot!

 

[Skatergirl46]

Where do you get the KOH and is there more than one type? I want to make this recipe but I have never used KOH.

 

[heartsong]

I buy all my lye here...depending how much you buy they have free shipping and they are uber-fast! http://www.essentialdepot.com/

 

[Mark the Box Guy]

It's been a couple of weeks, and I've tried the soap and it's terrific! It made a nice thick long-lasting lather, and now I have four tubs to either use or give away. There must be a dozen or more shaving creams or soaps in the cupboard, so yes, they will become gifts, like the seemingly endless soap bars stacking up.

So I'd like to report, with finality, that I approve this recipe

 

[DeeAnna]

Okay, Songwind, FatFacedCharlie, Chicklet, and Mark the Box Guy ... I did it. I made Songwind's shaving soap recipe yesterday and it turned out fine. I tried a slightly different approach based on the old soap making books I've been reading and also from sheer necessity.

The necessity part -- I used a double boiler (bain marie) for the soap because I didn't have a small enough crockpot to handle a small recipe (200 grams of oils in total). I kept the water in the boiler about 180 deg F (80 deg C). Well, actually I used two double boilers because I melted the stearic acid separately from the coconut oil. The stearic had to be heated up a bit higher, so I started at 180 and upped the temp as needed just until the stearic liquified.

The old books -- I did a two stage saponification. The old boys used to do this to ensure slower reacting ingredients were saponified fully, then they added the faster reacting components. I knew from my reading and from Songwind that the stearic acid will react quickly with the KOH, so I thought this method might let me get the soap started in a more civil kind of way. I melted the coconut oil in my soap making double boiler, added the KOH solution, and stick blended and hand mixed the batter to a pudding-like consistency. It took only 5 minutes. I then added the melted stearic and stirred the batter into a waxy mashed potato consistency. That took, well, um, basically no time at all.

I covered the soap pot, let the soap cook for about 20 minutes, and then tested for zap. It didn't, so I figured I was done. I added the glycerin and stirred well, let the soap cool for 15 minutes, and added my essential oils. Based on the scent description for the Martin de Candre product, I used 4 g lavender, 2.5 g rosemary, and 0.5 g wild mint (mentha arvensis, a softer, sweeter variation on peppermint).

After the glycerine and EOs were mixed in, I scraped the sticky warm soap onto parchment paper and formed a long roll about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter. (Exactly like refrigerator cookies, if you are familiar with that type of cookie). I cut the roll into disks about 1" to 1 1/4" high tonight. The soap today is pliable like clay or soft wax -- not at all sticky or goopy. The scent is really nice -- the tiny dab of mint sweetens the lavender and rosemary just enough so the overall fragrance is spicy, not sharp or harsh.

I doubt I'm going to lather up my legs and underarms with a badger brush -- sorry, guys! But even the light lather that develops from rubbing the soap directly on (stubbly) skin is dense, lubricating, and creamy. And the shave is much closer -- my legs feel like silk. Wow.

And the soap is just a day old. Wow.

Okay ... so I had no idea what I have been missing all these years by not using a proper shave soap ... and I ain't even a guy. I can't wait to see what DH and DS and my other male friends have to say when I share this soap with them. Wow.

Did I say wow?

Only issue is the soap makes the shower floor slick. But I can live with that.

 

[heartsong]

good for you! i'm so envious, but now you have me inspired...the Koh is on it's way and I've found a 1 quart mini crockpot at walmart!

 

[DeeAnna]

It is easier than it sounds, Heartsong. Give it a try....

 

[Mark the Box Guy]

DeeAnna: Two-stage saponification? That's strong soap Kung Fu. What kind of old boys are you spending time with?

You do realize that you're close to a full-blown shaving soap addiction, don't you? Very close. A 9-iron, perhaps. There's no turning back now. You're into bamboo flyrods, fountain pens, and old Land Rover territory here. My friend Jessica went down this ugly path and though her boyfriend insists that she "smells like a dude," she's a lather freak with a permanent twitching jones for the high-suds soft Italian shave soap. The notion that you've started at the high-end with the de Candre just makes it worse: you're a junkie and can't go back. Soon you'll be selling cheap soap behind the pool hall to fund your brush problem. "C'mon man, I need a few bucks for a Simpson Chubby." Be prepared for the spiral.

 

[bodhi]

DeeAnna: Two-stage saponification? That's strong soap Kung Fu. What kind of old boys are you spending time with?

You do realize that you're close to a full-blown shaving soap addiction, don't you? Very close. A 9-iron, perhaps. There's no turning back now. You're into bamboo flyrods, fountain pens, and old Land Rover territory here. My friend Jessica went down this ugly path and though her boyfriend insists that she "smells like a dude," she's a lather freak with a permanent twitching jones for the high-suds soft Italian shave soap. The notion that you've started at the high-end with the de Candre just makes it worse: you're a junkie and can't go back. Soon you'll be selling cheap soap behind the pool hall to fund your brush problem. "C'mon man, I need a few bucks for a Simpson Chubby." Be prepared for the spiral.

Love this! Ok, where is your book already? Huh? C'mon man I need it to go with my bamboo flyrods and fountain pens! seriously.

DeeAnna, If i wasnt convinced previously... Your comments were the final nail in the coffin. I am a *this* shaving soap addict and -i have my own non shaving soap that i adore for shaving, AND- i haven't even made this one yet!

 

[DeeAnna]

"...You do realize that you're close to a full-blown shaving soap addiction, don't you? ... that you've started at the high-end with the de Candre just makes it worse..."

Why start at the bottom and work one's way up when starting at the top is so easy? Marlene Dietrich, tux, and top hat ... here I come!

Seriously, though, I look forward to tinkering more with this type of soap. I wanted to try Songwind's shaving soap since you experienced shavers seem to really like it -- I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.

But I see you fellows tweaking recipes and trying different fats and different proportions of KOH and NaOH solutions, so I know there's room for experimentation even at the top. It should be fun, now that I have a bit of a clue.

"...bamboo flyrods, fountain pens, and old Land Rover territory..."

And don't forget the classic wooden canoe. http://www.wcha.org/

Many thanks, Mark, for giving me a lovely laugh to start my morning....

 

[Paintguru]

Once molded and cut, does this recipe produce a bar that holds together reasonably well? I'm wondering if it would be better to put it into individual containers. Of course then there is NO air circulation around it, so that may cause it to go bad without some added preservatives. Hmmmmm.....

 

[DeeAnna]

It's a soft soap, yes, but I don't think it needs a preservative, especially if you let it dry properly between uses. It's not like a liquid or true cream soap that has water added after the cook. The only reason why this soap is soft is that we're using KOH not NaOH. If we had been using NaOH, it would make a firm bar soap.

My batch is going on 4 weeks old now, and it has firmed up some but is still pliable like a soft wax. The soap does not crack or crumble. I use it as-is in the shower, but you could easily press it into a shaving mug or jar for use with a shaving brush.

 

[Mark the Box Guy]

Dee... are you still enjoying the shaves? And while I still am not clear on who exactly "DH" and "DS" refer to, and can only assume it's Dear Husband and Dear Someone Else, do they have an opinion?

 

[DeeAnna]

Hi, Mark -- You are right: DH = dear husband. DS = dear son.

Yes, I do very much like the soap. DH has continued to use it to shave with as well -- he has a half dozen other bars of soap to lather up with, but he is consistently grabbing the shaving soap when he reaches for his razor. (I am monitoring his shaving activities with a stealthy hawk's eye -- I figure if I pry, he will get self conscious and use the shaving soap just to please me, but if I just watch, I can gather the unbiased info I want.)

I have given samples to several friends, but I have yet to get a sample to my stepson (aka DS) who lives a few hours away. I have one bar earmarked just for him. Hubby eagerly begged a couple of samples to give to the gals who work in his office. After all that sharing with others, I have almost nothing left of my first batch.

Such a sad state of affairs -- I get to make more soap!

I have been reading about shaving soaps off an on. It seems as if there are several broad groups, only a few of which that I've read about. The first, obviously, are the coconut oil based soaps like the MdC (probably the least common type?) You and FFC talked about soap that have added lanolin such as Mitchells Wool Fat (kind of an old-school recipe?). Another type I'm picking up on are the soaps that have tallow as the main ingredient (I'm thinking of Williams Mug Soap). Any other types that you know of?

I can see each type has its ardent fans and detractors -- the reports and ensuing debates are amusing to read. I think it would be fun to develop two distinct types of shaving soaps. The MdC type is obviously one I am going to play with more. What would you say is another generally popular type that would be worth learning about and developing?

 

[Mark the Box Guy]

Such a sad state of affairs -- I get to make more soap!

I have been reading about shaving soaps off an on. It seems as if there are several broad groups, only a few of which that I've read about. The first, obviously, are the coconut oil based soaps like the MdC (probably the least common type?) You and FFC talked about soap that have added lanolin such as Mitchells Wool Fat (kind of an old-school recipe?). Another type I'm picking up on are the soaps that have tallow as the main ingredient (I'm thinking of Williams Mug Soap). Any other types that you know of?

I can see each type has its ardent fans and detractors -- the reports and ensuing debates are amusing to read. I think it would be fun to develop two distinct types of shaving soaps. The MdC type is obviously one I am going to play with more. What would you say is another generally popular type that would be worth learning about and developing?

Well well well... you are getting hooked, aren't you. That's a good thing. Shaving soap is fun. Most of us use several brands and types, and switch between them every few days or so. They generally fall into two types, and a few sub-types.

First: there are creams, which have the consistency of toothpaste and are often smeared on your face before attacked vigorously with a brush. This technique is called face-lathering, and we've all either done it or do it regularly. Two popular brands that are typically in every shave den are Proraso Green (which is mentholated and great in the summer,) and Taylor of Bond Street Sandalwood (which is mostly sold in a tub.) No one has ever regretting owning either. My favourite cream is this one; it's for a "Viking and a Gentleman" and worth the nutty price. Miklagard

Then we have the soaps. Soaps generally fall into three types, the English hard puck, the Italian soft soap, and the stick. I'll tell you of the stick first, but only because it's unlikely that you would would make this, and it's a bit of niche product. The stick is a hard soap, like an English puck, but is shaped like a solid deodorant, and rubbed on your face before being face-lathered. I love the Palmolive, hate the Valobra, and am not disposed to try the Arko because some say that it smells like a urinal cake. Enough said, ok?

The Italian soaps are generally soft like clay or PlayDo, and make crazy lather. Though they sometimes are sold in a tub, the ones I like are wrapped in plastic and then squeezed into a tub of my own choosing. The de Candre soap in this thread is mostly like this. Though I like the Valobra and would try the Cella, my favourite is the Vitos Extra-Super Almond, because there's no reason to doubt a soap that declares itself "Extra-Super," and they sell it in huge kilo blocks for sharing.

The English hard pucks are likely the ones you'll try first, mostly because they are similar to the CP soaps you already make. And please, don't try and emulate the Williams soap; I wouldn't shave my neighbour's cat with that trash. All the big English brands, like Taylor of Bond St, DR Harris, and Trufitt & Hill make pucks, and though I would be vilified and banished to walk the desert alone for eternity if I wrote this on a shaving site, I'm comfortable telling you that these are mostly the same. Though tallow soaps are often thought to make the best pucks, my sense is that this is mostly myth and bravado, and likely the result of blindly believing that the older soaps are the best. I enjoy taking that view and love Mitchell's Wool Fat, which is a very old Great British recipe that likely has only Tallow and Lanolin in it. My guess is that a Lard / Coconut Butter would behave identically, but I wouldn't shave my balls with it because it only wants to be elegantly peculiar like The Fat and instead would only be a weak and worthless clone.

Look up the shaving soap and lathering videos on YouTube for hours of gripping entertainment. And don't forget to watch the uberlather or scuttle videos either. Missing them would somehow be too wrong to consider.

I hope this helps.