Super Fat @ 5% - Make Hands Feel dry

[pschoe]

I have made
2 different soaps but my hands still dry out a lot.

When I make my soap I'm really anxious to see if I have bubbles and if the lather feel soft and silky. So as soon as I've cut my soap I was my hands with the fist piece of soap.
In the beginning while working up a lather the soap feel soft and creamy and I have beautiful bubbles, I feel happy and excited, but a few minutes after I washed my hands my hands feel extremely dry.

Is my super fat to low? Or am I washing my hands to soon? I know the soap have to cure for 4-6 weeks but I can't wait that long to see if I have bubbles.

In my first soap I used
coconut oil,
Shea butter,
Olive Oil,
Castor Oil,
Lard

In my second batch I used
coconut oil,
Shea butter,
Olive Oil,
Sunflower Oil
Castor Oil,
No Lard was added to the second batch.

 

[TeresaT]

I have made
2 different soaps but my hands still dry out a lot.

When I make my soap I'm really anxious to see if I have bubbles and if the lather feel soft and silky. So as soon as I've cut my soap I was my hands with the fist piece of soap.
In the beginning while working up a lather the soap feel soft and creamy and I have beautiful bubbles, I feel happy and excited, but a few minutes after I washed my hands my hands feel extremely dry.

Is my super fat to low? Or am I washing my hands to soon? I know the soap have to cure for 4-6 weeks but I can't wait that long to see if I have bubbles.

In my first soap I used
coconut oil,
Shea butter,
Olive Oil,
Castor Oil,
Lard

In my second batch I used
coconut oil,
Shea butter,
Olive Oil,
Sunflower Oil
Castor Oil,
No Lard was added to the second batch.

What are the weights of the oils and what is the weight of the NaOH and water? Did you zap test the soap? You've probably just washed your hands with the soap too soon; however, without the recipe the experts (which I'm not) probably won't be able to tell you.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Yeah, you really use that too soon. Cp soap can still be caustic when cut, not even finished saponifying!

How your soap is now is no indication of how it will be in 4 weeks - none at all. Wait it out a little. If you plant a seed, you don't dig it up a day later to see if it has started to sprout, do you? Just let it takes its course for a while.

At two weeks you can give it a test lather, but that will still be a world away from how it will be at four weeks

 

[lionprincess00]

To see if your recipe is drying, we need exact measurements. That said, it is probably cutting and using immediately as to why it is drying.
*Do you zap test before washing the first time?

It can take (depending on whether or not you gel) anywhere from hours to days until the lye is fully saponified. Then, it continues to cure out and most definitely can remain harsh for a couple weeks until you reach that full cure.

 

[pschoe]

Thanks I remember in elementary school we had a bean growing project and I peaked every day to see if my beans were sprouting, I guess there's no peaking in soap making

Do you think my qualities are good?
Hardness 43
Cleansing 20
Conditioning 51
Bubbly 22
Creamy 25
Iodine 59
INS 149

 

[pschoe]

I did cover my soap and did looked like gel - it was also very hot under towels I used.

Here is the recipe I used.
Thanks for your help - I appreciate it.

Water as percent of oil weight 38.00 %
Super Fat/Discount 5 %
Lye Concentration 26.718 %
Water : Lye Ratio 2.7427:1

Coconut Oil, 76 deg 30.00
Olive Oil 30.00
Shea Butter 30.00
Rosehip Oil 2.00
Jojoba Oil a Liquid Wax Ester 2.00
Sunflower Oil 4.00
Castor Oil 2.00
Totals 100.00

 

[lionprincess00]

That's what we're here for
Many feel 30% coconut is harsh..
Try dropping it to 20% , and I like my cleansing much lower. My cleansing number only reaches 15-16 and that's when I am adding milks, otherwise I keep it anywhere from 5-14 or so.

Edit to add, do you zap test?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

30% butters have been known to reduce lather somewhat - not remove it totally, but certainly reduce it. You could use palm or lard or tallow instead - they also make a soap hard but don't adversely affect lather

 

[pschoe]

Thanks I will make a new batch with the suggested changes
Take care you all

 

[Dorymae]

I would agree that the coconut is a bit high for most people and that much butter will not give you maximum lather, also it is much too soon to judge the recipe. Some people like a lot of coconut oil, some can not tolerate it at all. Once it is cured you'll have a much better idea if the soap is drying, moisturizing, or in between. Well heck, seems I'm just repeating the gent! Just listen to him. :grin:

 

[snappyllama]

I was going to say something, but TEG and Dory have already said it so... ditto!

 

[not_ally]

I agree with all above (to EG's advice I would add that most people recommend topping out w/10% if you are going to add butters). Also that folks say that adding less than 5% of anything will not make a discernible difference in the soap. I would drop the expensive stuff like rose hip oil and jojoba completely, won't make a difference, expensive, and a pain to add in those little bitty amounts. Save them for body products. And up the castor to 5%, that is worth having for the lather stabilizing effect.

 

[ArtisanDesigns]

I have a recipe that I love that has 25% butters (superb bar). I have recipes I love that have high amounts of coconut. I also make sure I cure it out before using. I keep tiny end pieces to test with but even then I wait at least 4 weeks. I usually cure 6-12 weeks before testing a bar. I have a coconut salt bar and an olive (Castile) bar I plan on curing 6-12 months. The thing about CP and HP soap is you do not have instant gratification. If you just can not wait maybe try hot process or CPOP. You still do not have great soap until it is fully cured but it is more mild than raw batter.
A suggestion would be focus on the creation and do it a lot. It will take your mind off getting your hands on your baby soap LOL. See what you like and do not like. Everyone has different skin and water types. All affect what you product will feel like. I love 8-10% castor in my soap. I have water that makes it a great bar. Others may not. 4 weeks of focusing on creating totally different soaps and you be surprised at how fast the time goes and you can start testing your product!!! Good luck!

 

[Seawolfe]

I've had some recipes that high in CO - and if I bumped the SF to 6-7% I did not find them drying. But I think your biggest problem as everyone says is that you are trying them too soon. Do you know how to zap test to make sure they are at least safe to test?

 

[pschoe]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions I appreciate it.

Do you think if I add 10% stearic acid to my recipe I would be okay. I do not want my soap to be too soft so I was thinking of lowering some of my hard and soft oils with 10% using the lye calculator and then add 10% stearic acid?

 

[not_ally]

No, don't do that. That is a v. high percentage. Stearic in general will make your soap trace v. fast, NOT a good idea for a beginner.

 

[houseofwool]

No, don't do that. That is a v. high percentage. Stearic in general will make your soap trace v. fast, NOT a good idea for a beginner.

Not only that, but it can feel drying as well.

Something simple along the lines of

Lard/tallow/palm - 30%
Coconut - 15%
Olive - 55%

Super fat at 5-6%

Cure for 8+ weeks

 

[DeeAnna]

Don't get too hung up on hardness, as Soapcalc defines it. The "hardness" number is only a guideline that indicates the physical hardness of the soap at the time of unmolding based on the % of certain fatty acids in your recipe. Hardness is also affected by the amount of water in the recipe, whether the soap gelled or not, etc., and these factors aren't included in the Soapcalc hardness number. This number also says nothing about how hard (or long lasting) the soap is after a proper cure time.

I agree with the others. Stearic acid is fine in a shave soap, but is troublesome to soap with since it reacts almost instantly with lye and give you "soap on a stick". Stearic can also give a waxy feel to the finished soap. If you formulate your recipe well, you can get a physically hard and long lasting bar of soap without added stearic.

 

[pschoe]

Thanks for the advice I think I will skip the stearic acid - so glad I asked