So far all my recipes are drying. Any advice?

[McSpin]

I'm a beginner and have experimented a lot and I've found a couple things helpful. First, I make every recipe in the range of no more than 8oz to 16 oz total fat weight. This way, if it doesn't suit me, I'm not wasting much. Just give it away to a friend with a different skin type.

I also, have experimented quite radically with the SF. Nothing that says you can't try superfat at 15%-20% with any recipe. My other recommendation is to keep it simple, changing one ingredient at a time to see if you can narrow down a what is bothering you. No fragrance, no colorants. Make a formula with no more than 3 fats to make it easy. Start out high on the superfat. It's easy to bring it down if the soap seems to need it. Good luck.

 

[ClaraSuds]

I think I've been keeping palm around that % to keep me happy with my soap calc results. But maybe I need to balance my oils better.

While many soapers go by the numbers on things like soap calc, I often found for myself, that they weren't that indicative of whether or not I would actually enjoy using the soap. Talking about cleansing, emolliency etc numbers not things like lye or water balance.

And a lot of people agree that not all oils/fats suit all people. That's why there is such a wide variety of soap available. While it's good to look at the numbers it's also good to make soaps without regard to them at all and just experiment and see what you get. If your current soap formula's aren't producing a soap you like, maybe toss the formula and go for something entirely different. There are a large number of soaps made with only 1 or 2 oils that people swear by, even though their numbers don't necessarily indicate worlds greatest soap. So much of this hobby is personal preference and if you're making soap for yourself, your preferences should be front and centre.

In my time I've sent many a batch into the laundry soap box. :shh: I started with tallow and lard soaps and have to agree they are very lovely on the skin even if as ingredients they don't sound so. They are also an easy soap to make because the oils are solids and trace quickly at low heat levels. I switched to olive for cost and personal preference.

 

[chloe]

Thanks for the tips! You all are so helpful. I'm going to try upping the superfat, knocking out some of the cleansing oils (perhaps palm), adding in sugar and salt and see how it goes.

 

[Susie]

Don't forget the magic ingredient...time. A soap at 4 weeks is not nearly as awesome as one at 8 weeks in my humid climate. You are going to have to decide for yourself what your soap's "optimum" age for use is.

 

[chloe]

Don't forget the magic ingredient...time. A soap at 4 weeks is not nearly as awesome as one at 8 weeks in my humid climate. You are going to have to decide for yourself what your soap's "optimum" age for use is.

Ahh yes! Time! I'll try to be patient

 

[Rigneylane]

I have found that my skin finds Fragrance Oils drying. That was a hard one to give up. So now I am remaking some of my recipes with no scent or with EO. I'm still waiting for them to cure. Some of my old notes say the formula is finally moisturizing at a 5 month cure (olive oil). My notations of a nondrying bar usually includes around 20% of some combination lard/shea/cocobutter, or just around 20% lard. 25-30% of hard suddsing oils. The remaining using soft oils. Remember that the saponification reaction yields glycerine and the sodium-salt of the soap. I personally think it's the sodium salt of the soap that is drying. Just my 2 cents. So now I am now incorporating an automatic 3.5% addition of glycerine to insure moisturizing. I also use at least an 8% (or higher) lye discount. It's can be disappointing to go through all the work & waiting and end up with a batch you don't like. Been there several times. This is a real complex science. Make your own rules; explore the limits. Don't throw in the towel!

 

[chloe]

I have found that my skin finds Fragrance Oils drying. That was a hard one to give up. So now I am remaking some of my recipes with no scent or with EO. I'm still waiting for them to cure. Some of my old notes say the formula is finally moisturizing at a 5 month cure (olive oil). My notations of a nondrying bar usually includes around 20% of some combination lard/shea/cocobutter, or just around 20% lard. 25-30% of hard suddsing oils. The remaining using soft oils. Remember that the saponification reaction yields glycerine and the sodium-salt of the soap. I personally think it's the sodium salt of the soap that is drying. Just my 2 cents. So now I am now incorporating an automatic 3.5% addition of glycerine to insure moisturizing. I also use at least an 8% (or higher) lye discount. It's can be disappointing to go through all the work & waiting and end up with a batch you don't like. Been there several times. This is a real complex science. Make your own rules; explore the limits. Don't throw in the towel!

Thanks for sharing your notes! Wow, I've never thought of adding glycerin. Do you add that at trace?

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Remember that the saponification reaction yields glycerine and the sodium-salt of the soap. I personally think it's the sodium salt of the soap that is drying...."

Oy. Soap, by definition, is a salt produced by the reaction of an alkali (NaOH or KOH) with tryglicerides (fats). The "sodium-salt" you refer to -- that's the soap, the whole soap, and nothing but the soap.

Glycerin is a byproduct of the saponification process, but it is not, by definition, a soap. You can make soap, remove all of the glycerin, and the product without the glycerin is still soap. You can add extra glycerin to a soap, if you want, but there won't be any more soap in the end product than there was before you added glycerin.

"...I've never thought of adding glycerin. Do you add that at trace?..."

It can be added anytime up to the point at which you put the soap into a mold. Handcrafted soap already contains roughly 10% to 14% glycerin content by weight just as a natural byproduct of saponification. Adding even more glycerin might possibly make a harsh soap feel a bit milder, but the added glycerin will also reduce lather and make a bar soap softer and have a shorter life in the shower. I use glycerin in my shaving soap, but my regular bath soaps do not need added glycerin to be mild and pleasing to use.

But, as always, everyone's mileage varies.

 

[chloe]

"...Remember that the saponification reaction yields glycerine and the sodium-salt of the soap. I personally think it's the sodium salt of the soap that is drying...."

Oy. Soap, by definition, is a salt produced by the reaction of an alkali (NaOH or KOH) with tryglicerides (fats). The "sodium-salt" you refer to -- that's the soap, the whole soap, and nothing but the soap.

Glycerin is a byproduct of the saponification process, but it is not, by definition, a soap. You can make soap, remove all of the glycerin, and the product without the glycerin is still soap. You can add extra glycerin to a soap, if you want, but there won't be any more soap in the end product than there was before you added glycerin.

"...I've never thought of adding glycerin. Do you add that at trace?..."

It can be added anytime up to the point at which you put the soap into a mold. Handcrafted soap already contains roughly 10% to 14% glycerin content by weight just as a natural byproduct of saponification. Adding even more glycerin might possibly make a harsh soap feel a bit milder, but the added glycerin will also reduce lather and make a bar soap softer and have a shorter life in the shower. I use glycerin in my shaving soap, but my regular bath soaps do not need added glycerin to be mild and pleasing to use.

But, as always, everyone's mileage varies.

Thank you! You guys are really helping me out! Much appreciated!