New to soap

[Tylermcm]

I'd like to make a simple coconut oil/olive oil soap. I've heard you should not go far beyond 30%/70% ratio. I've also read that olive oil can take as much as 6 months to cure, how can I accelerate this? I will be using CP.

 

[maiseycat]

Welcome to a fun and addicting hobby

If you have access to another hard oil like palm, lard, or tallow, you could do a 3 oil soap 50% olive, 30% coconut and 20% of the third, which will reduce cure time. Another way to reduce cure is to go with a more concentrated lye solution, but I would not recommend this for a first batch as it will really accelerate trace, I haven't even tried it myself yet.

 

[Tylermcm]

Would adding the third oil reduce the cure to closer to 4-6 weeks? Would the 50/30/20 soap be gentle enough for my 7 mo old daughter?

 

[maiseycat]

Yes to the first one, possibly no to the second. I don't have children, so I have never tried other soap on a baby, but their skin is pretty sensitive. I imagine a pure olive oild soap woud be the best for a baby, but that will require several months to cure.

 

[Hausfrau007]

Any three-oil soap would be better for your baby than anything you buy in the store.

 

[Tylermcm]

Are there more economical hard oils than palm that are plant derived?

 

[Genny]

You could add a butter, like shea, instead of palm.

Even a castile soap (100% olive oil) is perfectly safe & gentle to use for a baby after a 4-6 week cure. The soap just won't be as wonderful feeling as if you'd cured it for 6 months.

 

[Gryfonmoon]

You could also do a HP castile soap that would be ready after 2 weeks or so (that's been my experience).