New guy on the block..

[ryoc]

Hi all, I recently did a soap making course (a birthday treat from my wife!). I was the only guy there, and apparently the only guy ever to do the course! We used the hot process, with lye etc. and I really enjoyed the day.. Would like to find a simple and moisturising vanilla soap bar recipe, just a small batch to start with, any ideas? Thanks - Paul (West London UK)

 

[Hazel]

Hi Paul -

Welcome to the forum!

I think it's great that you've decided you like soapmaking and there are quite a few male members on the forum.

Soap isn't moisturizing. You can increase the percentage of olive and castor and decrease the percentage of coconut to make a batch more conditioning. What oils do you have? We can help you formulate a recipe. There are also recipes listed on the forum in the Soap Making Recipes & Tutorials section.

You could also look at these websites.

http://www.millersoap.com/
http://smftutorials.com/drupal/

By vanilla, do you mean you want the batch to have a vanilla scent? It that's what you mean, then you're best off to use a vanilla fragrance oil. I can't make any recommendations for this because I don't know what's available in the UK. Hopefully, UK members will see your post and be able to make recommendations. You may have to post a question about vanilla FO in the Fragrance Oils/Fragrance Reviews section if you don't get a response in this section.

BTW, Happy Belated Birthday!

 

[ryoc]

Thanks for the reply. A vanilla fragrance is what I am looking for. I have made a batch of orange fragrance, but I got the maths wrong and it would not 'froth up'. Have not got to much oil left, but can get what's required locally. I actually have a vanilla paste that I am hoping to use instead of essence. 8.5% vanilla and 2% seeds on a glucose base. I will have a look at recipes on the site too. Cheers - Paul

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome Paul!

Another good learning site is http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapm ... e-Soap.htm.

That vanilla paste sounds yummy. If it were me, I would bake with it instead of putting it in soap. Natural vanilla extract or paste won't produce a scent that is as strong (if the scent even comes through at all) or as long lasting as a fragrance oil that has been formulated to be used in CP soap. The beans will make for nice exfollient, though, I bet.

Happy belated birthday from me, too!


IrishLass