Recipe Advice

mutinyintl · Dec 12, 2020

I've been using many recipes and like most of us playing with different properties. Attached is what I've been using lately. But I'd like to increase the bubbly and maybe the cleansing without losing any hardness. Any advice? I prefer not to use animal fats. I don't sell per se except to family and friends. So this question is because a family member mentioned my soap is very creamy but not very bubbly.

violets2217 · Dec 12, 2020

I'm surprised its not bubbly with the CO and castor. I only use 5% castor and I've not made a non-sudsy soap. Maybe the have really hard water. I hear you could add some sugar its suppose to help with bubble or maybe use some milk. I like to add coconut milk to most of my soaps, the suds feel more creamy and bubbly when I do...that could be only my imagination but... maybe not. I'm sure someone more experienced with pop in soon!

Zing · Dec 12, 2020

I don't use animal fats either and my basic go-to recipe is avocado, castor (4-5%), coconut, palm -- and I just switched to rice bran oil after years of olive oil.

People in my house like my shea butter soaps and its creaminess-- me, not so much, it feels too lotion-y. Daddy loves the bubbles! Many soapers on here don't recommend high coconut but I routinely use 24% or more without an issue of drying out my very sensitive skin.

My son just asked for a soap with "all the butters" so I recently tried a new recipe. Because I wanted to avoid creaminess and increase lather, I upped my coconut oil. Despite the large amount of butters, I am really pleasantly surprised at how bubbly my soap is! I used:
avocado oil 12%
castor oil 4.5%
coconut oil 30%
rice bran oil, 23.5%
cocoa butter 15%
shea butter 15%
With a creamy score of 32, bubbly at 24, hardness at 48.
Hope that helps. Keep us posted!

Obsidian · Dec 12, 2020

Drop the coco butter and add that amount to your palm oil.
Butters can reduce bubbles and you really don't need three hard fats in a recipe.
The palm will make it harder and allow more bubbles.

Alternatively, you can drop the olive to 20% and add 10% to the coconut but that could make a drying soap that isn't as long lasting.

lsg · Dec 12, 2020

I agree with Obsidian. I don't go over 15% with butters. You could add the extra 5% to the coconut oil.

mutinyintl · Dec 14, 2020

Thanks everyone. I’m going to keep playing with the recipe. That’s part of the fun for me right now! I’m still learning so much.

cmzaha · Dec 14, 2020

I would drop the OO and use either SAO or AVO. Personally, I would not up the CO, but I never use 20%. As Obsidian I would up the Palm as much as 40% and lower the butter to 10-15%. Adding Sorbitol can make a huge difference in bubbles and if you have hard water adding in 0.5-1% EDTA or Sodium Gluconate or a combination of the two per batch weight can really make a difference in soap scum and lather. I use sorbitol in all soaps and 1.1% of my batch weight. Most of my vegan soaps contain 40% palm with 10% shea 3-5% Castor oil. The combination makes a long-lasting bar but is a fairly quick moving recipe so I use a 30% Lye concentration.