Recipe Recommendation

[Gammy1]

Hello everyone
I just got notification that my supplies are here. I would like to try for the first time a cold processed recipe.
Can anyone recommend a recipe for a naked type soap for my first try?
I'm super nervous but anxious at the same time.
Thanks
Lemons to Soap

 

[Jersey Girl]

Hello everyone
I just got notification that my supplies are here. I would like to try for the first time a cold processed recipe.
Can anyone recommend a recipe for a naked type soap for my first try?
I'm super nervous but anxious at the same time.
Thanks
Lemons to Soap

What oils do you have on hand? My first soap was Soapqueen’s Lot’s of Lather recipe. It’s a good starter recipe.

 

[shunt2011]

If you let us know what you have available we can help. If your not opposed to animal fat,
And makes and amazing soap and is easy to work with. Lard, coconut oil, liquid oil (olive, avocado, sunflower etc) and a bit of castor.

 

[Gammy1]

What oils do you have on hand? My first soap was Soapqueen’s Lot’s of Lather recipe. It’s a good starter recipe.

I've been gathering a variety of oils. I'm going to head over to the Soapqueen's channel to see what catches. Thanks for the direction.
Lemons to Soap

 

[shunt2011]

I've been gathering a variety of oils. I'm going to head over to the Soapqueen's channel to see what catches. Thanks for the direction.
Lemons to Soap

There are a lot of recipes that have been shared on the forum as well. Better than soap queens personally.

 

[Kamahido]

Like the others said, that would depend on what oils are available.

 

[AliOop]

If you want to tell us what oils you have around, many of us could give you some nice basic recipes that should work well for a first soap. But without knowing what you have, it's hard to know what to offer.

 

[AlexanderMakesSoap]

15-25% coconut oil
5-7% castor
5-40% natural butters
5-40% oils

some essential oils
a touch of natural clays seems to help with lather

6+ weeks of waiting, and....

BOOM - AWESOME SOAP!

[works for me]

 

[TheGecko]

How do you know what supplies to order if you don't have a recipe?

 

[Gammy1]

I've been gathering a variety of oils. I'm going to head over to the Soapqueen's channel to see what catches. Thanks for the direction.
Lemons to Soap

So I've decided on a Soapqueen recipe. I chose the Back to Basics, Simple & Gentle Soap.
Question? Since the recipe is listed, do I still have to use the lye calculator?
Is it a good practice to plug the numbers into the calculator just to confirm and if I do, where do I get the superfatting level from if it's not listed in the ingredients?
Wow, that was a lot for me to ask. Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the feedback.

 

[lenarenee]

Yes, it's always good to run even a SoapQueen recipe through a lye calculator. Even though the potential of error is small, it's wise to always focus on preventing a lye mistake.

For a mild to moderate amount of coconut oil in a recipe, (up to 30% or so) 5% superfat is standard. Saponified coconut oil strips the natural oils off your skin. Just as an example, a soap made with 100% coconut is usually given a 20% superfat, so that there's lots of unsaponified coconut to leave a layer on the skin.

That's not a lot of questions at all! People here love to help newbies get started on the right foot!

 

[Gammy1]

There are a lot of recipes that have been shared on the forum as well. Better than soap queens personally.

I been reading a lot of the post, I'll check for those. Thanks again.

 

[TheGecko]

Question? Since the recipe is listed, do I still have to use the lye calculator?

Probably not since her recipes are reliable, but it’s a good habit to get into because I have run across recipes where measurements were way off.

My recipe:

35% Olive Oil
20% Coconut Oil
20% Palm Oil
10% Cocoa Butter
10% Shea Butter
5% Castor Oil

1 tea Sodium Lactate PPO
1 tea Kaolin Clay PPO

33% Lye Concentration
5% SuperFat

I provide my recipe in percentages to make it easier to adjust the batch size. I master batch* now, but I started with frozen distilled water to make my lye solution (keeps the fumes down and is cooler, faster). I used to melt my hard oils in the microwave, but the results weren’t always consistent so I started heating them in stainless steel ‘Dutch over no over a medium heat. Cocoa Butter first, then Palm Oil, then Coconut Oil. When everything is melted, remove from heat and add the Shea Butter in small chunks and let the residual heat melt (overheated Shea will turn grainy). I then add the melted oils to my soft oils and Sodium Lactate to my lye solution (stir it mix). I then take a little bit of water and add my clay to it, mix it well and then add to my oils and stick blend in. Then I add my lye water, give it a good mix with a whisk and then stick blend to emulsion if I plan on splitting the batch or doing swirls and stuff. Else wise I blend to a medium trace and pour.

* ETA MasterBatch definition: Basically your prefixing your oils/butters and your lye solution (separate containers) in large quantities and then when you want to make soap, you just weight out what you need and mix. I usually make up 640 oz of oils/butters and a gallon and have of 33% Lye Concentration Solution.

 

[Janewoc17]

So I've decided on a Soapqueen recipe. I chose the Back to Basics, Simple & Gentle Soap.
Question? Since the recipe is listed, do I still have to use the lye calculator?
Is it a good practice to plug the numbers into the calculator just to confirm and if I do, where do I get the superfatting level from if it's not listed in the ingredients?
Wow, that was a lot for me to ask. Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the feedback.
My opinion: A very important aspect of soap making is safety. Always run a recipe through a soap calculator because that is one of the first steps, no matter what. Asking lots of questions is also important. SMF is such a terrific resource.