Rebatch to Increase superfat?

[Cindy1961]

I made my first HP facial bar and it isn't as moisturizing as I'd like. Is it possible to rebatch it to add superfat?

My recipe is:

Olive oil at 40%
Sunflower oil at 25%
Castor oil at 10%
Shea butter at 10%
Coconut oil at 5%
Meadowfoam oil at 5%
Rice bran oil at 5%

I also added 1 Tbsp of honey at the end of the cook and 10 drops of rose geranium so.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Carly B]

I made my first HP facial bar and it isn't as moisturizing as I'd like. Is it possible to rebatch it to add superfat?

My recipe is:

Olive oil at 40%
Sunflower oil at 25%
Castor oil at 10%
Shea butter at 10%
Coconut oil at 5%
Meadowfoam oil at 5%
Rice bran oil at 5%

I also added 1 Tbsp of honey at the end of the cook and 10 drops of rose geranium so.

Thanks for your help!

Yes. When I rebatch, I generally use a little aloe liquid or oat milk (not the stuff you buy, the stuff you get from soaking rolled oats in water) and whatever oils I want to add. Depending upon how much liquid you add, it can take a few days for it to firm up, And of course, if your soap you used for rebatch isn't cured, you will need to factor in that time too.

 

[Cindy1961]

Yes. When I rebatch, I generally use a little aloe liquid or oat milk (not the stuff you buy, the stuff you get from soaking rolled oats in water) and whatever oils I want to add. Depending upon how much liquid you add, it can take a few days for it to firm up, And of course, if your soap you used for rebatch isn't cured, you will need to factor in that time too.

Thanks, Carly!

It's my first rebatch and I wasn't sure.

 

[AliOop]

Please know that lye soap is not and cannot be moisturizing. It can be less cleansing (stripping), usually by choosing oils that are lower in cleansing, or by adding superfat, which serves to inhibit the lather and cleansing action. I don't say that to be critical, but it's important to use the correct terms. In the US, any seller who claims that their soap is moisturizing can be fined by the regulators if the soap doesn't follow the FDA's cosmetic labeling requirements, as opposed to the simpler soap labeling requirements.

 

[Cindy1961]

I appreciate the info. At this point, it's just for me. If I was to sell it, could I safely claim that it was gentle?

Please know that lye soap is not and cannot be moisturizing. It can be less cleansing (stripping), usually by choosing oils that are lower in cleansing, or by adding superfat, which serves to inhibit the lather and cleansing action. I don't say that to be critical, but it's important to use the correct terms. In the US, any seller who claims that their soap is moisturizing can be fined by the regulators if the soap doesn't follow the FDA's cosmetic labeling requirements, as opposed to the simpler soap labeling requirements.

F

 

[AliOop]

I appreciate the info. At this point, it's just for me. If I was to sell it, could I safely claim that it was gentle?

The best way to learn the labeling requirements, and what you can and cannot say about your soap, is on MarieGale.com. The website is phenomenal, with guidance about what terms can be used for what types of products.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

I made my first HP facial bar and it isn't as moisturizing as I'd like. Is it possible to rebatch it to add superfat?
My recipe is:
Olive oil at 40%
Sunflower oil at 25%
Castor oil at 10%
Shea butter at 10%
Coconut oil at 5%
Meadowfoam oil at 5%
Rice bran oil at 5%
I also added 1 Tbsp of honey at the end of the cook and 10 drops of rose geranium so.

I know your question was about rebatching, but I have some thoughts/questions about your original process. I make a lavender/lemongrass hot process soap that leaves my skin feeling moisturized. I superfat it with 5% melted mango seed butter after the cook. The SoapMakingFriend calculator lets you enter the data for hot process soap and mark "superfat after cook" in section 4. This allows the recipe to calculate the lye concentration correctly. Just don't include your superfat oil in the recipe for calculating the amount of lye and liquid; but remember to add it after the cook.
Anyway, my thought process is that if you add the oil that you want to superfat after the cook, you may get something closer to what you are looking for.
I probably have not been very clear, so if that is so and you want a working example let me know. I will write a more detailed response with an example.

 

[Cindy1961]

I know your question was about rebatching, but I have some thoughts/questions about your original process. I make a lavender/lemongrass hot process soap that leaves my skin feeling moisturized. I superfat it with 5% melted mango seed butter after the cook. The SoapMakingFriend calculator lets you enter the data for hot process soap and mark "superfat after cook" in section 4. This allows the recipe to calculate the lye concentration correctly. Just don't include your superfat oil in the recipe for calculating the amount of lye and liquid; but remember to add it after the cook.
Anyway, my thought process is that if you add the oil that you want to superfat after the cook, you may get something closer to what you are looking for.
I probably have not been very clear, so if that is so and you want a working example let me know. I will write a more detailed response with an example.

I think I understand, but would be very grateful for an example. Thank you so much!

The best way to learn the labeling requirements, and what you can and cannot say about your soap, is on MarieGale.com. The website is phenomenal, with guidance about what terms can be used for what types of products.

Thanks you! I've bookmarked it for reference and it does seem to have a lot of really helpful info.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Ok @Cindy1961 , here is a picture of the SoapMakingFriend printout. I assumed a small batch, total oils 12 oz. Also, I used a Liquid:Lye Ratio of 2.6:1. This is my personal preference for Hot Process, but you may prefer something different. Additionally, I assumed the Meadowfoam Oil as the superfat.
So follow your Hot Process using all the oils, but Meadowfoam. After the cook add the Meadowfoam, the honey, and the rose geranium fragrance. Then pour your soap in a mold. I usually still cure my hot process soaps for 4 - 8 weeks.

 

[Cindy1961]

Ok @Cindy1961 , here is a picture of the SoapMakingFriend printout. I assumed a small batch, total oils 12 oz. Also, I used a Liquid:Lye Ratio of 2.6:1. This is my personal preference for Hot Process, but you may prefer something different. Additionally, I assumed the Meadowfoam Oil as the superfat.
So follow your Hot Process using all the oils, but Meadowfoam. After the cook add the Meadowfoam, the honey, and the rose geranium fragrance. Then pour your soap in a mold. I usually still cure my hot process soaps for 4 - 8 weeks.
View attachment 59673

Than

Ok @Cindy1961 , here is a picture of the SoapMakingFriend printout. I assumed a small batch, total oils 12 oz. Also, I used a Liquid:Lye Ratio of 2.6:1. This is my personal preference for Hot Process, but you may prefer something different. Additionally, I assumed the Meadowfoam Oil as the superfat.
So follow your Hot Process using all the oils, but Meadowfoam. After the cook add the Meadowfoam, the honey, and the rose geranium fragrance. Then pour your soap in a mold. I usually still cure my hot process soaps for 4 - 8 weeks.
View attachment 59673

@Nona'sFarm I appreciate your help and will definitely do it that way next time. I'm curious about your lye/water ratio. I'm still new to the soap making world and always anxious to learn something new! Why that ratio? Did you just change the numbers in the calculator and what is the benefit of your ratio? Thanks for helping a newbie out!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

@Nona'sFarm I appreciate your help and will definitely do it that way next time. I'm curious about your lye/water ratio. I'm still new to the soap making world and always anxious to learn something new! Why that ratio? Did you just change the numbers in the calculator and what is the benefit of your ratio? Thanks for helping a newbie out!

First of all I am not guaranteeing that you will get the results you are looking for, it might take some additional tweaking. For example, I don't like the feel of soap with more than 5% castor oil, but you may like it. If it was me, I would go with 5% castor oil and up the coconut oil, but that's just me. How it feels on one's skin is a somewhat individual experience.
So one thing you might want to do is a SEARCH on this forum for hot process (HP) and read as many of the entries as possible. I have learned a lot just reading old posts. In general, it is recommended to use a higher water ratio for HP than cold process (CP), since some water evaporates during the cook process and it's just easier to work with a higher water content in HP. Yes, in the SoapMakingFriend program, just change the liquid to lye ratio. You can also change the superfat %, if you want to try a different superfat. I usually stick in the 5% range, but you will learn there are times you may want to increase or decrease that.
Most of all, have fun!

@Cindy1961 , this is a good article on superfatting.
https://classicbells.com/soap/superfat.asp

 

[Cindy1961]

@Cindy1961 , this is a good article on superfatting.
https://classicbells.com/soap/superfat.asp

@Nona'sFarm Thanks for the great info! I really appreciate all the help I get from people like you in this forum!