My first shaving soap is a success!

[LBussy]

PS: what "non-saponifiables" in tallow are you thinking of?

I have no idea what they are and that's one of those things I prefer not to think about. :mrgreen: I just know there's a deficit when you look at the SAP number vs. the actual weight - something is left over. I chalk that up to "the flavor" and leave it at that.

That's why my veg version uses so much Shea - it has a lot of unsaponifiables and the feel is a lot closer to a tallow soap.

 

[dudeitsashley]

Finally got it done, I'm going to have to pick up a shaving brush to really test it but just with my hand I love the lather, and it shaves really nicely (not that I have much to compare it to personally except syndets and canned shaving cream, which I used to use)
I ended up going with peppermint/basil, and I thought the cooling effect was really nice, though I can see what you mean by it not really having a good bite to it just using the oils

I know that this is from an older post but, I am hoping that someone can tell me where I might get those jars.

 

[LBussy]

I know that this is from an older post but, I am hoping that someone can tell me where I might get those jars.

Hm .... is this some sort of test? I see broken links, no images.

 

[DeeAnna]

Refresh your browser, Lee? I see them. Here --

 

[kchaystack]

I know that this is from an older post but, I am hoping that someone can tell me where I might get those jars.

THe look like simple clear jars like these:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/2-oz-clear-heavy-wall-plastic-jar-58-400.aspx

Not sure how much they hold from the pic tho.

 

[LBussy]

I see them in your post DeeAnna, just not the others. Strangeness .....

 

[Saponomancer]

I know that this is from an older post but, I am hoping that someone can tell me where I might get those jars.

oops I didnt see this!

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/3-oz-natural-low-profile-plastic-jar-top.aspx these are the ones

 

[dudeitsashley]

oops I didnt see this!

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/3-oz-natural-low-profile-plastic-jar-top.aspx these are the ones

Thank you!

 

[Saponomancer]

Thank you!

No problem!

 

[gdawgs]

I'm still working my way through this thread, but there was some talk early on about PVC molds and getting them to work well with this soap. I made(well that's kind of an overstatement, I just assembled parts from the plumbing aisle) this mold and a ram rod to pack the mold during filling, and to remove the soap once it has cooled. So what I did was scoop some hot soap into the mold, then pack it in with the rod. Then add more, pack, etc. To get the soap out once cooled, I just wacked the ram rod on the ground. It took a little persuasion, but it wasn't too bad to remove.

Here are the two parts. The tube in the back is the mold. It is just 2" PVC with a cap on the end. The front one is the ram rod. That is 1.25" PVC with a cap on it.

Here's a pic of the ram rod just being inserted into the mold. You can see it has a nice tight fit. But has a little clearance to let the air out as you compress.

Here's my batch after I got it out of the mold. There's a bulge at the left end. That part of the soap was out of the mold while I was still whacking the ram rod on the ground to remove the soap. So that section compressed together a bit. I'll have to be more careful with that next time.

Here's the cut batch. I may have misjudged my batch size. This is a lot of soap! Disregard the one in the upper left corner and the one on the table. Those were done in a silicone muffin pan.

 

[pmartin]

So, I'm ready to start my third batch. My first two came out good but not as slick as I think they should be. What contributes to slickness (besides clay).

 

[LBussy]

I believe you will find tallow contributes quite a bit to perceived slickness. I use 20% and noted that 40% was too "greasy" for me - even using the same superfat.

Also, if you are not adding glycerin, make sure you do so. I use 11%, you can use a little more if you like.

 

[pmartin]

Thanks for the reply, i was hoping you would answer.

I do use tallow and glycerin.

I'm thinking maybe it should be what NOT to use or maybe smaller percentages to give slickness. Could it be other oils added after cooking that give slickness?

My best recipe so far is -
45% stearic acid
30% tallow
15% coconut
10% shea butter

Superfat is 4%
11% glycerin

potassium and sodium hydroxide 70/30 split

Do you think too much stearic acid subtracts from slickness? Also I was touching the glycerin and it feels sticky. Does it make the soap sticky or does it change somehow in the batter? I bought some lanolin oil and it is really sticky so I'm afraid to use it since my goal with this batch is slick, slick, slick!

 

[LBussy]

Try a 100% KOH recipe and see what you think. I believe it's slicker than NaOH (hard to prove but worth an experiment). Make sure to use enough water. As you note glycerin is sticky without enough water and KOH does like more water. With enough water, glycerin is not sticky.

I really like lanolin in the soap, the amount we use is not enough to make it sticky to my thinking. It's very easy on the skin and leaves a nice feel afterwards.

More tallow will definitely make it slicker if that's really what you want. At least it did for me. Try 5% more tallow and 5% less of the SA and see if that helps.

I don't think stearic subtracts from slickness per se, and you definitely need it for that dense lather. Tallow has a good bit of stearic in it so dropping one and subbing in the other is a reasonable experiment.

It's hard for me to think about a soap according to your recipe that's not real slick. Is there a commercial soap that has the slickness you are trying to emulate?

 

[Mendawing]

Where do I find this recipe? I am new on this site and I would love to give it a try. Just to clarify, this is hot process?

 

[shunt2011]

Where do I find this recipe? I am new on this site and I would love to give it a try. Just to clarify, this is hot process?

Read through this thread and you will glean a whole lot of information. Yes, shave soap is made hot process due to the high stearic content. Welcome!

 

[Mark the Box Guy]

I'm just stunned that this thread still has life. I still use my tub o' soap... it's got legs.

 

[Gtrs-N-Golf]

After reading the entire thread I decided to give shaving soap a try. For my first run I started with the recipe that started the whole thread (52/48 SA/CO). I made 1/3 lb as that's as low as I can go on my less than ideal scale. The only change I made was instead of 15% PPO glycerine I did a combo of glycerine, shea and lanolin. All were added after the ~1.5 hour cook. I also added sodium lactate to the lye water. For the scent I tried to dup. one of my favorite scents in the shaving world -- the nancy boy original shave cream -- which is a wonderful peppermint/lavender/rosemary blend. I was a bit too tentative in my use of peppermint and the overall scent strength, but it was my first try.

It made enough to fill this large cappuccino mug and 3/4 and it probably a year's worth of soap! It only has about a 12 hour cure, so it's still got some time to age, but I must say I'm quite pleased. The performance reminds me a lot of the MdC, LASS, LPL style of soap. It lathers quickly and easily, it isn't very thirsty and has what I'd consider average slickness and protection.

With this under my belt I'm going to give a tallow soap a go to see if I can improve on slickness and cushion.

All in all a wonderful experience to be my first attempt!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Nice. But the slickness from the glycerine is important- it's not something that comes from an oil-type ingredient. For example, I use Shea, avocado and lanolin in my superfat, but still add the full amount of glycerine in. It's not an either/or arrangement, rather both are needed.

 

[LBussy]

Water is important but obviously too much water makes thin lather. Glycerin is that which allows the lather to hold more water without thinning it out. I agree with Craig - go 11-15% glycerin and count fats as superfats.

Put just a drop of glycerin on top of the soap next time you make a lather and see the difference a touch more will make. I think you will enjoy the difference.