The elusive perfect bar of soap

[SoapSisters]

Thanks, @DeeAnna!

 

[MadScientist]

Did you read the article I gave a link to? It's all in there!

Doh! I shoulda had more coffee before looking at the forums. My brain missed your link.

 

[DeeAnna]

My brain needs a good cuppa coffee to get going too.

 

[runnerchicki]

Edited because I have two favorites:

1) Olive, lard, coconut, and castor, with milk (all different kinds) for 1/2 the water. I was enamored with tallow for a while, but I have recently converted my loyalty to lard.

2) Olive, lard, coconut, cocoa butter, almond oil, castor with milk for 1/2 the water.

I like playing with the liquid I'm using more than other additives.

 

[cmzaha]

I usually use 50% because I like to master batch and do not recommend masterbatching vinegar, at least no more than you will use during your soaping session. Distilled is what I use. If out of master batch I use 100%

 

[Microchick]

Not Carolyn, so I can't offer her perspective. But here's what I do know --

Vinegar reacts with NaOH to form sodium acetate. Sodium acetate adds hardness to bar soap. Here's my article on this topic: https://classicbells.com/soap/aceticAcid.asp

Thanx!

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I don't know that mine is the perfect bar. I do have about 4 favorite recipes I stick to.

I guess my cheapest is

Olive oil 40%
Coconut oil 30%
Palm Oil 20%
Castor Oil 5%
Almond Oil 5%

But my favorite-est has a bunch of different oil in it:

Olive oil 31%
Coconut oil 25%
Palm oil 13%
Palm Kernel Flakes 7%
Avocado Oil 10%
Almond Oil 3%
Castor Oil 4%
Shea Butter 4,5%
Cocoa Butter 4.5%

 

[Carly B]

I don't know that mine is the perfect bar. I do have about 4 favorite recipes I stick to.

But my favorite-est has a bunch of different oil in it:

Olive oil 31%
Coconut oil 25%
Palm oil 13%
Palm Kernel Flakes 7%
Avocado Oil 10%
Almond Oil 3%
Castor Oil 4%
Shea Butter 4,5%
Cocoa Butter 4.5%

Is there anything that could be substituted for the Palm Kernal Flakes?

 

[DeeAnna]

Coconut oil or babassu oil.

 

[juliecole624]

Thanks for the info about the vinegar as I just started soaping with 100% Lemon Juice and couldn't work out why I could unmold my bars in under 24 hours and they become rock hard! So I will go and read up.
I have been playing with my recipes looking for that elusive bar of soap. I have gone away from tallow and don't use palm. The hard fat that I use/experiment with is Stearic Acid but I'm still playing around with percentages.
My first bar of Lemon Juice Soap was just Castor Oil & OO. Since then I have added Coconut Oil, RBO & Stearic Acid working at different temperatures but I find best it around 90 degress.
I got onto the Lemon Juice idea from Jackie at https://inmysoappot.co.nz/2018/06/15/lemon-juice-soap/
Lemon Juice Soap is such a mild beautiful soap. I lowered my superfat down to 2% as I thought that I would get a soft soap but no problems there and my soap was around a pH of 8 at 2 weeks cure so started using it.
I have soo many Lemons Year round and I couldn't keep up with them so I'm very happy to use them up in soap.
Cheers,