Pretty New

[ThatOneGuy]

Hello everyone and thank you all for your input. I have read quite a bit and still learning. I found this forum to be very helpful. I’m still very new and I will be asking questions if I can’t find one being answered in the forum. Thank you again.

 

[Misschief]

Welcome!

 

[dmcgee5034]

Hi and welcome

 

[Zing]

Have you made soap? Inquiring minds want all the details and photos!

 

[BWt]

Welcome @Hugo19926 your observation is correct. This forum is extremely helpful. And lots of shared ideas and tips!

 

[TheGecko]

Welcome

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum. Ask questions by all means. We have some very knowledgeable members.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Have you made soap? Inquiring minds want all the details and photos

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Hello and thank you, yes I have made my first batch but…. You will see.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

I do know I did mix the trace to quite a bit thickness. Colors couldn’t mix the way I wanted. Since I have bought more mills and soap cutters. I’m going to be making a load one of these days but not sure what to change.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

not sure what to change

This is just me but I've been soaping for 20 years and I advise you to start with a basic starter formula like the Basic Trinity of Oils that features the 3 oils that comprise a good soap for all skin types.

Once you understand what each leg of the trinity brings to the final result, you can try subbing one oil for another to experience the difference it makes and add castor oil, butters, etc., to achieve a bar more to your liking.

Put off adding color and fragrance until you have a combo you like that succeeds every time you make it. That way, when you test fragrance, colors, various additives, etc. you will know how they affect the soap and whether or not it's something you want in your soap.

Making small batches of 16 oz oils like the one you shared is a good idea.
Make as many small batches as you can as often as you can and play with different ingredients you are drawn to.

HAPPY SOAPING!

 

[TheGecko]

I do know I did mix the trace to quite a bit thickness. Colors couldn’t mix the way I wanted. Since I have bought more mills and soap cutters. I’m going to be making a load one of these days but not sure what to change.

When starting out, it's best to keep things simple. Start with a simple recipe...no colorants, no scent, and a small batch. The simplest recipe as noted by @Zany_in_CO is a combination of Olive Oil (35%), Coconut Oil (25%) and Palm Oil (40%). My original recipe included those three plus a little Castor Oil. It is a good start and once you get a several small batches under your belt, you can then start experimenting with other oils/butters and colorants and scents.

And you don't need a lot of equipment to get started. An inexpensive Stick Blender, Digital Scale and mold, a bowl to mix your soap batter in, a measuring cup to mix your Lye Solution, and a spatula. The first three items you can get from Amazon and the rest from your local Dollar store.

Now I looked over your recipe and it's not bad, but I do have a few suggestions and it falls under the heading of 'keep things simple'. First is that it is always best to use percentages for your recipe as it make resizing easier. Second is understanding what your oils and butters bring to the table. Castor Oil is great for adding bubbles to your soap, but if used to too large of an amount can make your soap sticky. Coconut Oil in a lotion or suntan oil is great, but in a soap can be quite drying, but it's a matter of personal preference. Also, higher amounts of Coconut Oil make your soap more water soluble so it won't be as long last.

Also, you are using Water as % of Oils at the default of 38. This works for Hot Process Soap, but for Cold Process you want to use Lye Concentration and a good starting point is 33%.

With all this in mind, I have modified your recipe:

33% Cocoa Butter
32% Coconut Oil
30% Olive Oil
5% Castor Oil

33% Lye Concentration
5% SuperFat

And it's great that you are starting with a small batch of soap. I had bought a kit when I first started out, so I had a 50oz mold, but after several 'opportunities to learn' (another word for failures/mishaps), I bought a couple of 4" Square Silicone Molds that hold 20oz total and do all my testing in them.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

This is just me but I've been soaping for 20 years and I advise you to start with a basic starter formula like the Basic Trinity of Oils that features the 3 oils that comprise a good soap for all skin types.

Once you understand what each leg of the trinity brings to the final result, you can try subbing one oil for another to experience the difference it makes and add castor oil, butters, etc., to achieve a bar more to your liking.

Put off adding color and fragrance until you have a combo you like that succeeds every time you make it. That way, when you test fragrance, colors, various additives, etc. you will know how they affect the soap and whether or not it's something you want in your soap.

Making small batches of 16 oz oils like the one you shared is a good idea.
Make as many small batches as you can as often as you can and play with different ingredients you are drawn to.

HAPPY SOAPING!

Thank you, I will be doing that pretty soon. I will start with the 3. I do realize I wanted to start with more but I do need to understand the way the oils work quite a bit more.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

When starting out, it's best to keep things simple. Start with a simple recipe...no colorants, no scent, and a small batch. The simplest recipe as noted by @Zany_in_CO is a combination of Olive Oil (35%), Coconut Oil (25%) and Palm Oil (40%). My original recipe included those three plus a little Castor Oil. It is a good start and once you get a several small batches under your belt, you can then start experimenting with other oils/butters and colorants and scents.

And you don't need a lot of equipment to get started. An inexpensive Stick Blender, Digital Scale and mold, a bowl to mix your soap batter in, a measuring cup to mix your Lye Solution, and a spatula. The first three items you can get from Amazon and the rest from your local Dollar store.

Now I looked over your recipe and it's not bad, but I do have a few suggestions and it falls under the heading of 'keep things simple'. First is that it is always best to use percentages for your recipe as it make resizing easier. Second is understanding what your oils and butters bring to the table. Castor Oil is great for adding bubbles to your soap, but if used to too large of an amount can make your soap sticky. Coconut Oil in a lotion or suntan oil is great, but in a soap can be quite drying, but it's a matter of personal preference. Also, higher amounts of Coconut Oil make your soap more water soluble so it won't be as long last.

Also, you are using Water as % of Oils at the default of 38. This works for Hot Process Soap, but for Cold Process you want to use Lye Concentration and a good starting point is 33%.

With all this in mind, I have modified your recipe:

33% Cocoa Butter
32% Coconut Oil
30% Olive Oil
5% Castor Oil

33% Lye Concentration
5% SuperFat

And it's great that you are starting with a small batch of soap. I had bought a kit when I first started out, so I had a 50oz mold, but after several 'opportunities to learn' (another word for failures/mishaps), I bought a couple of 4" Square Silicone Molds that hold 20oz total and do all my testing in them

When starting out, it's best to keep things simple. Start with a simple recipe...no colorants, no scent, and a small batch. The simplest recipe as noted by @Zany_in_CO is a combination of Olive Oil (35%), Coconut Oil (25%) and Palm Oil (40%). My original recipe included those three plus a little Castor Oil. It is a good start and once you get a several small batches under your belt, you can then start experimenting with other oils/butters and colorants and scents.

And you don't need a lot of equipment to get started. An inexpensive Stick Blender, Digital Scale and mold, a bowl to mix your soap batter in, a measuring cup to mix your Lye Solution, and a spatula. The first three items you can get from Amazon and the rest from your local Dollar store.

Now I looked over your recipe and it's not bad, but I do have a few suggestions and it falls under the heading of 'keep things simple'. First is that it is always best to use percentages for your recipe as it make resizing easier. Second is understanding what your oils and butters bring to the table. Castor Oil is great for adding bubbles to your soap, but if used to too large of an amount can make your soap sticky. Coconut Oil in a lotion or suntan oil is great, but in a soap can be quite drying, but it's a matter of personal preference. Also, higher amounts of Coconut Oil make your soap more water soluble so it won't be as long last.

Also, you are using Water as % of Oils at the default of 38. This works for Hot Process Soap, but for Cold Process you want to use Lye Concentration and a good starting point is 33%.

With all this in mind, I have modified your recipe:

33% Cocoa Butter
32% Coconut Oil
30% Olive Oil
5% Castor Oil

33% Lye Concentration
5% SuperFat

And it's great that you are starting with a small batch of soap. I had bought a kit when I first started out, so I had a 50oz mold, but after several 'opportunities to learn' (another word for failures/mishaps), I bought a couple of 4" Square Silicone Molds that hold 20oz total and do all my testing in them.

Thank you so much. I will be keeping it simple in the next couple batches. I did buy the o M&P kit and thought was so easy and decided to go all out but I will show down with doing this from scratch. Thank you also for modifying my first batch and I also didn’t realize about the percentage part so thank you. You guys are awesome!

 

[ThatOneGuy]

When starting out, it's best to keep things simple. Start with a simple recipe...no colorants, no scent, and a small batch. The simplest recipe as noted by @Zany_in_CO is a combination of Olive Oil (35%), Coconut Oil (25%) and Palm Oil (40%). My original recipe included those three plus a little Castor Oil. It is a good start and once you get a several small batches under your belt, you can then start experimenting with other oils/butters and colorants and scents.

And you don't need a lot of equipment to get started. An inexpensive Stick Blender, Digital Scale and mold, a bowl to mix your soap batter in, a measuring cup to mix your Lye Solution, and a spatula. The first three items you can get from Amazon and the rest from your local Dollar store.

Now I looked over your recipe and it's not bad, but I do have a few suggestions and it falls under the heading of 'keep things simple'. First is that it is always best to use percentages for your recipe as it make resizing easier. Second is understanding what your oils and butters bring to the table. Castor Oil is great for adding bubbles to your soap, but if used to too large of an amount can make your soap sticky. Coconut Oil in a lotion or suntan oil is great, but in a soap can be quite drying, but it's a matter of personal preference. Also, higher amounts of Coconut Oil make your soap more water soluble so it won't be as long last.

Also, you are using Water as % of Oils at the default of 38. This works for Hot Process Soap, but for Cold Process you want to use Lye Concentration and a good starting point is 33%.

With all this in mind, I have modified your recipe:

33% Cocoa Butter
32% Coconut Oil
30% Olive Oil
5% Castor Oil

33% Lye Concentration
5% SuperFat

And it's great that you are starting with a small batch of soap. I had bought a kit when I first started out, so I had a 50oz mold, but after several 'opportunities to learn' (another word for failures/mishaps), I bought a couple of 4" Square Silicone Molds that hold 20oz total and do all my testing in them.

And also, thank you for the cold and hot process percentages that I’ve been doing wrong.

 

[TheGecko]

And also, thank you for the cold and hot process percentages that I’ve been doing wrong.

No problem. It's all a learning process and it takes time.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

I have noticed that with high percentage of coconut oil soaps I’m getting more bumps and some in my back. I do have sensitive skin. What can I substitute coconut oil with and/or replace a percentage of it?

 

[Ephemerella]

HI there and welcome! You'll enjoy the process of learning about the ingredients. This is a nice article that discusses the properties of oils and butters and gives recommendations for baseline usage rates:
https://www.brambleberry.com/ingred...eginners-guide-to-common-soapmaking-oils.html

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I have noticed that with high percentage of coconut oil soaps I’m getting more bumps and some in my back. I do have sensitive skin. What can I substitute coconut oil with and/or replace a percentage of it?

It could be that you started using it too soon and haven't allowed the soap to cure long enough -- after 4-6 weeks it should be much milder and easier on the skin.

PKO (Palm Kernel Oil) is a good sub for Coconut Oil. To me, it has a more elegant feel. Zany's Palm Olive Soap was my dear hubby's favorite. Give it a go and see what you think.

I also have sensitive skin. It's the reason I started soaping. I couldn't use commercially made soap at all. At that time, my dermatologist recommended I use Aleppo Soap. It did feel good on my skin but it stank to high heaven! LOL No doubt due to curing 9 months in a dark dank cellar in Aleppo, Syria. I make my own now and it smells wonderful. Just Olive Oil + Laurel Berry Oil with a bit of essential oil for fragrance.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

It could be that you started using it too soon and haven't allowed the soap to cure long enough -- after 4-6 weeks it should be much milder and easier on the skin.

PKO (Palm Kernel Oil) is a good sub for Coconut Oil. To me, it has a more elegant feel. Zany's Palm Olive Soap was my dear hubby's favorite. Give it a go and see what you think.

I also have sensitive skin. It's the reason I started soaping. I couldn't use commercially made soap at all. At that time, my dermatologist recommended I use Aleppo Soap. It did feel good on my skin but it stank to high heaven! LOL No doubt due to curing 9 months in a dark dank cellar in Aleppo, Syria. I make my own now and it smells wonderful. Just Olive Oil + Laurel Berry Oil with a bit of essential oil for fragrance.

I will be trying this, I have palm oil but I will need to get palm kernel oil, I do u have the other oils. Thank you…..So many things to try and so little time!