Shave soap specialty additives

[KiwiMoose]

Hi All and Merry Christmas! We're all done and dusted now in NZ, in fact I've just had the last of the trifle as my late night snack before going to bed.

On to the topic at hand...

Shave soap on the agenda again! What additives do you like/would you like in your shave soap? In particular I'm looking at adding aloe vera for water, vitamin E, bentonite clay, but I wonder about witch hazel - can that go in soap? And if so how much?

Are there any 'special' ingredients that you think work well for shave soap - specialty oils or other ingredients?

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

i have made 1 shave soap and this interests me too so following

 

[Misschief]

In one batch, I added a bit of menthol. My husband quite likes that one. I blended it with mango fo.

 

[Jackie Tobey]

following

 

[DeeAnna]

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I like to add about 5% lanolin in my shave soap.

 

[Jackie Tobey]

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I like to add about 5% lanolin in my shave soap.

Thanks

 

[KiwiMoose]

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I like to add about 5% lanolin in my shave soap.

When adding lanolin, do you calculate it into your recipe, or just add it at trace as an additional ingredient/superfat?

 

[DeeAnna]

I include the lanolin as a normal fat in the recipe calculations. I use a 5% superfat.

I add the lanolin at the start of soap making to ensure it gets mixed in really well. I don't think adding lanolin at trace does anything much except make it more likely I'll forget to add it. And I avoid adding anything after saponification is over, because the soap is so stiff and hard to stir. I do add fragrance at that point, but only because I can't see how to add fragrance any earlier and get a good scent.

Of all the things I've added to soap, lanolin at about 5% ppo is the only additive that leaves a faint, but definite film on the skin.

 

[Carolyne Thrasher]

I throw evening primrose oil in at the end of my process (as super fat) along with vitamin e oil, and a surprising amount of sodium lactate. I don’t actually “cook” my shave soap even though I use a crockpot and a ridiculous amount of water. I pour into molds just after it goes from applesauce to smooth. That’s when I throw in my additives too.

 

[Zgrumpyoldman]

KiwiMoose you again !! lucky me.
Ok, as you know I just joined this forum and I will try to be careful posting my opinion which is not a point of fact but rather an opinion. But I have to state what I have learned in the last few months from my "little" experience in making shaving soaps and what I have learned from this forum and another Wet Shaving forum.
Lanolin is a wonderful ingredient I came to discover and try in my shaving soap. Not only Lanolin adds to aftershave feeling, I personally found it adds to slickness as well. I tried it at 5% as DeeAnna has suggested and I tried it at 1% also.
Since I am a cold water shaver, I found that slickness was ok at 5% but residual slickness was really lacking, face was tacky and sticky, i.e. "dangerous", and since Lanolin is temperature sensitive, I would bet that DeeAnna uses her soap in warm or hot water.
One of the most famous shaving soaps available commercially, Michel's Wool Fat uses at maximum 1% or less according to wet shavers on the other forum, and I tried 1% of Lanolin in my other sample and I love it. Very slick and nice after-shave feel.
I thought I will post this finding since you might be selling your soap commercially and not aware of good percentage of us , cold water shavers.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Thank you @Zgrumpyoldman - that is indeed very helpful. It is certainly your opinion I am seeking, and everyone is different so I appreciate your reply. I have ordered some 'vegetable lanolin' because I aim to keep my soaps vegan.

 

[sirtim100]

Lanolin is a good additive, used it in two batches.

Bentonite I'm not so sure about, I don't think it makes a great deal of difference.

Shea butter figures in some recipes.

I'm toying with the idea of making shaving soap with goat milk. There's a German brand that makes shave soaps with lanolin and goat milk and I like the idea.

Any thoughts on that?

 

[KiwiMoose]

Whats the diff between bentonite clay (sodium) and bentonite clay ( calcium)?