Thank you!!I use 35% salt. I have used up to 100% but I find 35 performs best for my area.
Thank you!!I use 35% salt. I have used up to 100% but I find 35 performs best for my area.
I bought myself a couple of packs of brightly coloured index cards for this purpose at the dollar store. I tape them to my shelf below each batch
Thanks for this, QQ. I thought I was doing well with my documentation, but you (and other participants on this thread) have shown me I have improvements to make!I bought myself a couple of packs of brightly coloured index cards for this purpose at the dollar store. I tape them to my shelf below each batch
I write the soap name, additives I used or didn't use (silk / coconut milk / no palm / whatever), as well as date made, cut date & approximate date I expect them to be fully cured, when I expect to be able to sell them, and also weigh a few samples from each batch every 10 days or so to begin.
I have found this to be super helpful. I end up using both sides of the cards so they do double the duty.
I hesitate to ask, since it sounds like another rabbit hole to fall down, but... you make your own?? I guess I'll go search on how that's done!I also make my own whenever I have time, which is far superior to anything in a can or carton.
At risk of repeating myself...One of the things I've been mulling over was trying to find a core recipe that avoids palm (because of the ecological issues associated with that oil) but retains the good qualities that palm oil brings to soap. If I'm reading right, lard or tallow might be the right replacement, but then you risk putting off people who won't use animal products. I realized 'I can't please everyone,' so now I'm leaning toward lard as one of my main base oils.
... to keep costs down, you don't need to use 67% shea butter in your core recipe. Just sub it for the palm.4. - NOTE: Shea Butter is the best sub for Palm/Lard in a balanced recipe. For a really great soap with a high% of shea butter that kept me coming back for more:
67% SHEA BUTTER CP - INS 155
I also need stronger shelving. Soap is heavy! The 'rigid plastic' shelving I bought last year for storing camping gear on turned out to be far from rigid. I may have to break down and buy steel shelves.
I can easily see myself there in a few years! Impressive!For strong shelving, plan ahead. Here’s what 2,197 bars of soap looks like!
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...-gc-membership-decal.87646/page-8#post-937330
Sometimes repetition is just what I need. Thanks for the follow-up!At risk of repeating myself...
... to keep costs down, you don't need to use 67% shea butter in your core recipe. Just sub it for the palm.
I bought myself a couple of packs of brightly coloured index cards for this purpose at the dollar store. I tape them to my shelf below each batch
I write the soap name, additives I used or didn't use (silk / coconut milk / no palm / whatever), as well as date made, cut date & approximate date I expect them to be fully cured, when I expect to be able to sell them, and also weigh a few samples from each batch every 10 days or so to begin.
I have found this to be super helpful. I end up using both sides of the cards so they do double the duty.
As you mention you cannot please everyone and I for one still use palm, I love it and do not apologize for it, so I will not post my vegan recipe and I am Not trying to start the whole ecological argument here, but think about the children that have food on their tables because their families have no other resources to make money without the palm industry... We see one side here. It is a sad fact but true and our country is one of the least users of palm.One of the things I've been mulling over was trying to find a core recipe that avoids palm (because of the ecological issues associated with that oil) but retains the good qualities that palm oil brings to soap. If I'm reading right, lard or tallow might be the right replacement, but then you risk putting off people who won't use animal products. I realized 'I can't please everyone,' so now I'm leaning toward lard as one of my main base oils. It's readily available and affordable here. Combined with a pomace olive oil, I could have an affordable base soap to build on, keep my purchasing and cost tracking simple... I'm not making any final decisions, as I want to try the recipes I'm gathering from this thread, and I have time! But if I can find a simple two- or three-oil recipe that can become my standard, I'll be a happy soaper.
My favorite Shea Butter Bar which makes a great facial bar is:
59% Shea butter
24% Rice Bran Oil or liquid oil of choice
12% CO
5% Castor Oil
1.2% Sorbitol
1.2% Sorbitol
Superfat 3%
Lye Concentration 30%
I like a lemongrass, Litsea EO blend, let these cure a min of 6 months for the best lather, curing longer is even better. A little note is not to add in gm because you do not want to kill the lather.
I know that feeling! Me too!sometimes repetition is just what I need.
You're welcome!Thanks for the follow-up!
@Christine Beale joined in May 2018; made that post in April 2022. So, think 4 years out? What I liked was the depth of her shelves long the wall and also, how she stacked the shelves on casters. Food for thought.I can easily see myself there in a few years! Impressive!
GM or gm = Goat Milk as in GM Soap.Could you clarify what 'gm' is? It's not an acronym I recall seeing before.
Thanks for this, QQ. I thought I was doing well with my documentation, but you (and other participants on this thread) have shown me I have improvements to make!
I also need stronger shelving. Soap is heavy! The 'rigid plastic' shelving I bought last year for storing camping gear on turned out to be far from rigid. I may have to break down and buy steel shelves.
Old fashioned notebooks - the ones you write in - rock
I agree with you, philosophically, and my large collection of notebooks bear that out, but I write so slowly that my thoughts overrun my pen and I end up with choppy, often unusable written notes. I'm truly glad that paper works for you! I'm perhaps an unusual tech person in that I am as likely to use OneNote at home as I am in my work running SharePoint sites...
But your overall advice to find what works for me... that I wholeheartedly agree with, within the bounds of good manufacturing practice and labeling, of course! (in case Soap Big Brother is reading... hah!)
Carolyn, Do you use unrefined shea in this recipe? It’s coming out as 34 for longevity in the SMF c@lculator, which is more palmitic + stearic than I usually use, but maybe the unsaponifiables in the shea make it a bit softer?As you mention you cannot please everyone and I for one still use palm, I love it and do not apologize for it, so I will not post my vegan recipe and I am Not trying to start the whole ecological argument here, but think about the children that have food on their tables because their families have no other resources to make money without the palm industry... We see one side here. It is a sad fact but true and our country is one of the least users of palm.
Aside from that my go-to non-palm recipe is 40/20% tallow/lard, 3-5% castor oil, 15-18% PKO/CO split, and the balance is liquid oils of choice, I personally hate OO so none for me with a 2% superfat. I have trouble with high lard soaps going dossy and when I was still selling in outdoor markets many of my soaps could hang around for a couple of years due to my carrying a large selection of 40-50 different soaps so I wanted them to last.
My favorite Shea Butter Bar which makes a great facial bar is:
59% Shea butter
24% Rice Bran Oil or liquid oil of choice
12% CO
5% Castor Oil
1.2% Sorbitol
Superfat 3%
Lye Concentration 30%
I like a lemongrass, Litsea EO blend, let these cure a min of 6 months for the best lather, curing longer is even better. A little note is not to add in gm because you do not want to kill the lather.
I’m asking a technical question about the recipe she shared above. Plus, she doesn’t have to share if she doesn’t want to. I certainly appreciate the vast amount of knowledge and experience @cmzaha has shared in the forum and I’m pretty sure she knows that.I don't share that unless it's the most basic recipe you can get. It's important for people to experiment to learn whats best for them. You don't learn, or appreciate, if it's free.
Enter your email address to join: