New Soaper First Recipe

[airbag-bob]

Hello,

So I am new to making soap and am about to order some oils and attempt my first couple batches. I wanted to post the recipe I was thinking about using and would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you had.

First I will say what I am looking for in my bar of soap / base oils.

I would like to come up with a recipe i use often. With money being tight, I would prefer not to use a ton of different oils each time i make soap. I understand certain recipes call for certain ingredients but a lot of the recipes i see use different oils and i am sure i don't always need to copy the recipe exactly and overtime i can add to my oil inventory but it would be nice to standardize and buy in bigger bulk. I haven't made a single batch of soap yet so all this planning is just in my head and i am sure as life does my plans will change as experience has a way of doing that.

I would like my bar of soap to be ( Hard ( long lasting ) /not drying on the skin / nice latter / creamy bubbly suds.

So after looking at a ton of different recipes and reading about different oil properties I was thinking of ordering for my first base oil mixture

Coconut Oil - 25%
Olive Oil - 20%
Hemp Oil - 20%
Castor Oil - 8%
Palm Oil ( sustainable) 20%
Shea Butter - 7%

superfat - ? ( not sure maybe 7% )

Question - I see recipes calling for beeswax - I am not sure when I am suppose to add that ingredient or not ? I know its for hardneing - so I am assuming if the oils I choose don't have harding properties then you want beeswax

I think the Coconut /Olive / Palm have harding properties so I don't need beeswax

The hemp / Shea butter is for moisturizing and the Castor for lather ( bubbles)

Question - how important is organic ? I noticed organic adds about double to the price when looking at certain suppliers ?

When looking at Coconut Oil there is virgin / RBD / Organic ? I was going to use RBD - I think thats the correct Oil I just don't k now if double the price for Organic is really worth it ?

Question - when n do I need to add antioxidants / preservatives ? not sure i understand that concept yet. Also adding vitamin E ?

By the way I will be making Cold Process soaps.

Thanks for taking a look and I am excited to hear what you guys think and any advice is appreciated.

Regards,
Jeremy

 

[cmzaha]

You you have nothing against lard and tallow, they are the best and usually cheapest ingredients. I keep CO less than 15%, use either 40% palm or a combination of lard/tallow 25%/45%, (my favorite), 5% castor and the balance any soft oil. Sunflower, Avocado (my personal favorite), Safflower, Canola High Oleic etc. Shea does not add anything special to soap and hemp is expensive, high in linoleic and Linolenic fatty acids lend a short short shelf life which can help to contribute to DOS. As for Organic I do not use them, the cost is just to much and not much if anything other than soap will survive the lye. Remember soap is not moisturizing, it is just less stripping with balanced recipes

 

[Millie]

You are clever to ask before you buy your ingredients!

I haven't used hemp but I think it is prone to rancidity because of its very very high linoleic and high linolenic content so skip that one for now. Then you don't have to worry too much about additives to extend the shelf life of your soap. Skip the beeswax too. Go ahead and purchase the rest! You can make many wildly different soaps just by playing around with the percentages of those oils.

For the percentages, everyone has their own favorites but it looks like you have a good recipe to start playing with. 5% castor oil is plenty. A high superfat can be nice but it cuts lather. I like high superfat for my hands but low superfat for the shower so 5% is a good all around starting point.

Organic oils don't make a difference in soap. Some people use them anyway for environmental concerns.

Good luck and post photos of your first batch!

Edit: Didn't see Carolyn's post but she is one of the masters on the forum, so heed her recommendations. Her review of avocado oil led me to my favorite ingredient of the year

 

[Susie]

You you have nothing against lard and tallow, they are the best and usually cheapest ingredients. I keep CO less than 15%, use either 40% palm or a combination of lard/tallow 25%/45%, (my favorite), 5% castor and the balance any soft oil. Sunflower, Avocado (my personal favorite), Safflower, Canola High Oleic etc. Shea does not add anything special to soap and hemp is expensive, high in linoleic and Linolenic fatty acids lend a short short shelf life which can help to contribute to DOS. As for Organic I do not use them, the cost is just to much and not much if anything other than soap will survive the lye. Remember soap is not moisturizing, it is just less stripping with balanced recipes

^^^What Carolyn said!

My favorite recipe is this, and all the oils can be purchased at Walmart (see below). I use this recipe exclusively for the soaps my family uses:

Lard 65%
Olive Oil 15%
Coconut Oil 15%
Castor Oil 5%

Superfat 5%

To save additional money, I order my castor oil from Amazon (I have Prime), as is it much cheaper than buying it at Walmart. I also buy my coconut oil from Big Lots, and my lard from HEB in 25 lb buckets. However, the lard at Walmart is next cheapest. I buy my Olive Oil at Sam's, as it is cheaper there, and it is a very consistent olive oil. (I understand that it may be adulterated, but I don't think so.) Some people get there Olive Oil from Costco, I think it is cheapest there.

 

[navigator9]

I agree with the above about not using the hemp or shea, at least for now. Basic oils and butter can make a fantastic bar of soap, it's much more about coming up with the right balance of the ingredients that will give you the amount of conditioning, lather and hardness that you like best. Fancy oils and butters are often used for label appeal. I agree with Carolyn, avocado is the one kind of fancy oil that I like to use, I also like buttermilk and coconut milk, and finely ground oatmeal. These are all nice in soap and don't cost a lot. Lard is another great addition, and it's not expensive either.

For your first attempt, I would go as simple as possible, no milks or additives and no color or fragrance. Just a basic bar of wonderful soap. You will have plenty to keep track of with that first batch, so don't over complicate it for yourself.

And here's a recipe you can try at some point. I just made this recently, and I think it's my new favorite.
Lard 50%, coconut 20%, olive 15%, avocado 10%, castor 5%. Superfat 5. I used buttermilk and finely ground oatmeal. I'm loving this soap!

 

[WeaversPort]

^^^What Carolyn said!

My favorite recipe is this, and all the oils can be purchased at Walmart (see below). I use this recipe exclusively for the soaps my family uses:

Lard 65%
Olive Oil 15%
Coconut Oil 15%
Castor Oil 5%

Superfat 5%

This recipe is almost exactly what my first recipe was - only I used avocado oil instead of olive oil. I'm absolutely in love with the soap that it made, and I'm looking forward to making a second batch. I recommend it!

I buy a bunch of oils from Target, but I hear Costco is a favorite for getting olive oil. I just don't have the membership.