Super Fat Help

[Minnette1212]

Hi! So I am fairly new to soap making, my first experience making CP soap went great however i find that my soap is very tacky to the skin, so after some research i found that I can up the super fat % to 25% and up to 30% for making coconut oil soap, so I tried that, and I made a 100% coconut oil soap batch using a 25% super fat so that It's not so tacky when used in bathing, my question is... If I'm making a different type soap, say for instance, A Shea Butter, Avocado oil, and cocoa butter soap mix can I still use a 25% super fat in that? Or is this only when making a 100% coconut oil soap... TIA...

 

[Zing]

Most soapers use 1-10% superfat. Mine is always 2-3%. Many soapers recommend a low superfat so that unsaponified oils don't clog your pipes. I've never made that 100% coconut oil soap but there are plenty of posts here about it and I know that high level of superfat is extremely unusual and the exception.

I do not recommend making soap using 100% of only one oil. Search the forum for the 'holy trinity' and really any and every single post made by @Zany_in_CO . The holy trinity uses thirds of olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. Each oil contributes a property, coconut brings the bubbles, palm brings the hardness, etc. I started with the trinity, tweaked a recipe for a year, and now have settled on palm, coconut, avocado, rice bran, and castor oils and shea butter.

Also, welcome to the forum!

 

[Minnette1212]

Most soapers use 1-10% superfat. Mine is always 2-3%. Many soapers recommend a low superfat so that unsaponified oils don't clog your pipes. I've never made that 100% coconut oil soap but there are plenty of posts here about it and I know that high level of superfat is extremely unusual and the exception.

I do not recommend making soap using 100% of only one oil. Search the forum for the 'holy trinity' and really any and every single post made by @Zany_in_CO . The holy trinity uses thirds of olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. Each oil contributes a property, coconut brings the bubbles, palm brings the hardness, etc. I started with the trinity, tweaked a recipe for a year, and now have settled on palm, coconut, avocado, rice bran, and castor oils and shea butter.

Also, welcome to the forum!

Awesome, will do! And thank you kindly for your advice and response!

 

[dmcgee5034]

Agree with @Zing - while I do soap now at 3%, I started at 5%.

Hi and welcome

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Here's a link to the Basic Trinity of Oils starter formula @Zing recommended. Have fun with it! Try changing out one leg of the trinity at a time to see the difference between olive oil vs HO sunflower (or similar); coconut vs. PKO (Palm Kernel Oil); Palm vs. Lard, Tallow, or Shea Butter. Try adding 5% Castor Oil taken from the OO to see the difference castor makes in a basic recipe.

I made a 100% coconut oil soap batch using a 25% super fat so that It's not so tacky when used in bathing,

I know of only one soapmaker like that. Zonella Gould who co-authored the book Soap and Other Obsessions made 100% coconut with 20% SF and cured it for one whole year before giving it to her kids for their acne. Be sure to save at least one bar from that batch to test drive once a month until it's a year old. It will be a good lesson on how much better a soap gets over time. "The longer the cure, the better the soap!"

If I'm making a different type soap, say for instance, A Shea Butter, Avocado oil, and cocoa butter soap mix can I still use a 25% super fat in that? Or is this only when making a 100% coconut oil soap

Nope. NOT recommended. Think of SF as a lye discount, i.e., some of the FAs (Fatty Acids) in the recipe are left unsaponified to create a slicker bar that may/or may not feel nice on the skin. A lot depends on the oils used in the recipe.

For example, Zany's No Slime Castile is made at 0% SF because without it, 100% Olive Oil contains "unsaponifiables" that produces a bar with a "slimey" texture.

5% SF is the "default" setting on SoapCalc. That's pretty standard with most soaps you'll make.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Here's an excellent explanation from @DeeAnna 's Soapy Stuff - All About Superfat.

 

[Suchisam]

Agree with @Zing - while I do soap now at 3%, I started at 5%.

Hi and welcome

Does a higher superfat make soap more tacky? What made you switch to 3% instead of 5%?

 

[DeeAnna]

Does a higher superfat make soap more tacky? What made you switch to 3% instead of 5%?

I haven't found that to be true in my experience with soap superfatted in the 2% to 5% range. I haven't played around with soap that's superfatted higher than that, except for a couple of batches of coconut oil soap with high superfat.

What I do know is higher superfat reduces lather. And I also know if a soap is already mild due to the blend of fats used, then using a higher superfat doesn't make that soap any milder.

 

[AliOop]

Does a higher superfat make soap more tacky? What made you switch to 3% instead of 5%?

I can't speak for @dmcgee5034 but I lowered my SF for the reason mentioned in the post above by DeeAnna, as well as:

1. More SF = more soap scum and more unsaponified oil down the drain (potentially clogging your plumbing)

2. More SF = more money spent on oils that aren't made into soap.

Conclusion: less SF (for me, and the recipes I use) = less soap scum, less clogging of pipes, less money on oils that don't become soap, better lather, and equally gentle soap.

 

[Suchisam]

I can't speak for @dmcgee5034 but I lowered my SF for the reason mentioned in the post above by DeeAnna, as well as:

1. More SF = more soap scum and more unsaponified oil down the drain (potentially clogging your plumbing)

2. More SF = more money spent on oils that aren't made into soap.

Conclusion: less SF (for me, and the recipes I use) = less soap scum, less clogging of pipes, less money on oils that don't become soap, better lather, and equally gentle soap.

Thanks!

 

[dmcgee5034]

I can't speak for @dmcgee5034 but I lowered my SF for the reason mentioned in the post above by DeeAnna, as well as:

1. More SF = more soap scum and more unsaponified oil down the drain (potentially clogging your plumbing)

2. More SF = more money spent on oils that aren't made into soap.

Conclusion: less SF (for me, and the recipes I use) = less soap scum, less clogging of pipes, less money on oils that don't become soap, better lather, and equally gentle soap.

You can always speak for me, @AliOop
Ditto, yup, exactly