My first soap recipe

[coolgoatz]

Hello!

I've just joined this community and I'm about to create my first batch of soap. My plan is to make a goat milk soap, I understand the process of making a goat milk soap is a bit more complex than using water but I wanted to try it out despite being a newbie.

I found the following recipe online and it looked simple and good enough:

* Olive oil – 56%
* Coconut oil – 26%
* Shea butter – 11%
* Castor oil – 7%
(5% superfat, water and lye amount based on soapcalc.net, replacing the water with the milk)

Now first of all I wonder if this recipe looks good, I'm aiming for a moisturising soap since I have a bit sensitive skin. Also I wonder if there is anything else I'm missing or that is good to add?

I have done some research and it looks like (from what I've read) a coconut oil percentage above 20% can be a bit drying, so for the next batch I might want to make a new recipe that has a slightly lower amount of that, also I really want to try and do a lard soap next. But I've figured I'll maybe have to try my first soaps first before learning what to change.

Do you have any overall suggestions about this recipe or any great recipes that I can do after this one?

 

[KentuckySilks]

Looks too soft of a soap, aim is to have 50-60% hard oils, rest soft ( liquid at room temperature, also coconut oil is great for bubbles and is generally not too drying up to 25% or even a bit more. I would put in lard between 30-40 %, hardens n moisturizes, too much olive oil in my opinion too- you’re on your way tho!!!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Using soap calc, try the following:
20% CO
20% Shea Butter
55% OO
5% Castor
5% Superfat
Change to 'Lye concentration' and set it 33% - don't use the default setting of water as percent of oils (assuming you are making cold processed soap)

The recipe is not perfect but is a good start. I would suggest using only half the water amount as goats milk for your first try. If you use all goats milk instead of water it might get a bit thick and gluggy - not good for your first try at making soap.

Have a read of this article. It might be helpful ultimately in understanding what fats you might need to make a better soap:
https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/blog/the-most-popular-fatty-acid-profiles-in-soapmaking/

 

[bookworm42]

I second @KiwiMoose's recipe! It's a great starting point.

My husband has sensitive skin and loves soap with about 10% CO. With lard I can increase to 15% and he's fine but everyone's skin is different.
For lard soap I highly recommend this recipe. It's one of my favorites!

 

[coolgoatz]

Thanks a lot for the replies I appreciate it!

For now I'll start out with the recipe posted by @KiwiMoose, using half water and half goats milk. I'll probably also make a second batch with the recipe recommended by @bookworm42. Really excited to see the results and based on that I'll make some tweaks in the future and experiment more on my own recipe.

Will give it a try and I'll be updating with the results in this thread as well as share some photo once they've cured.

 

[akseattle]

@coolgoatz ,

welcome!
below is your recipe run through soapcalc. (soapcalc.net)

I left it at the default for water as % of oil. That is good for a beginner as it gives you more time. But, your soaps will shrink ALOT during cure. So, you could us a little less water (or higher lye concentration) and you'll have less shrinkage. End the end, the soap is the same,

When I made my first bar, I went on the internet and found the recipe that had the most shea butter- like 33%. I wanted a really conditioning bar. But , my soaps were disappearing in the shower. That started to bug me. ( and one of my son's kept saying "Mom, why does this soap melt away in the shower??) Eventually, I realized that longevity was an important quality to me.

Your LONGEVITY value is 18. ( add palmitic + stearic OR subtract cleansing from hardness). So, your bar will not last long when exposed to water. In my usual recipe, I use the same four oils you use (different proportions) but I also add either lard or tallow as a fifth oil/fat. That increases the hardness and longevity.

So, I would want to know why you selected the particular recipe you selected?
What quality were you after? Looks like your bar will be very conditioning.
If, when run through soapcalc, it has the qualities you wanted, and you are aware of the possible drawbacks ( as you said, coconut oil higher than 20% could be too drying for some people, also not great longevity), then keep your recipe.

You could play around with soapcalc until you find the balance that you want. Keep us posted!

 

[coolgoatz]

@akseattle thanks for the reply noticed it after already answering the other comments!

I chose that initial recipe because it looked simple with nice ingredients that are also easy for me to come by. I was aiming for a bar that is "conditioning", however it's not like I have super sensitive skin but mostly just like the concept of a soap that is a bit on the milder side.

Now that you mention it longevity sounds important for me too, hadn't considered that at all when I looked at that recipe. Ideally I want a soap that isn't too drying while also not melting like you described your first did, other than that some bubbles are a plus (I have a Marseille soap and that one doesn't lather much at all). So to sum it up a good soap that I can use myself and proudly share with family and friends, in the future I'll probably experiment with some scents too.

I played around some with the calculator and came up with this:

This one has a slightly higher hardness of 27 (still at the low end of the recommended rage), it's still pretty high in conditioning. The cleansing might be a bit low though so maybe can balance the oils/fats better (however my Merseille soap should be even lower since it's mostly olive).

Atm not sure which recipe I'll go for, or if I'll try two different but I'll make sure to share updates along the process!

 

[AliOop]

I left it at the default for water as % of oil. That is good for a beginner as it gives you more time.

I must respectfully disagree. I believe it is best for beginners to learn right away that working with lye concentration (rather than water as percent of oils) will give more consistent and predictable results, regardless of batch size.

To give more working time, you can recommend that a beginner use 30% lye concentration rather than the more typical 33%.