The "One Recipe" Theory - Question

[Quilter99755]

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse, but wanted you to know that I prefer the soap calculator on soapmakingfriend.com over any of the others. One reason is that I can put in the size of my mold (loaf molds) and it will resize the batch closer than I can guess or formulate. And it also has a Longevity bar so I don't have to remember which things to add or subtract. Use them all and then decide which one you want to use on a regular basis.

 

[rdc1978]

So maybe a recipe tweaker could explain something for me. So you change ingredient a to ingredient b or change the percent of c, or add ingredient d to make a more optimum soap. As a new guy maybe I am missing something but if one waits 4-6 weeks or even longer to evaluate the results of the tweak, what do you do in the meantime. Use your old recipe and in 6 weeks decide if the changes are an improvement? It seems the time from idea to testing is awfully long and then the testing seems like it is and has remained subjective. It seems that most likely outcomes include you like it more, less, or can't tell the difference. Then who knows how your end users feel as everyone has different perceptions and needs.

Now to be candid up until I started making soap I thought there were two kinds Irish Spring and for emergencies there was Lava Soap. So some of the soap nuances might be lost on me.

But I will cop to the one recipe to "make a pretty pour" mindset. As a former glass artist I love this medium and pushing the envelope to make an artistic looking soap.

So clearly the soapiverse is large enough for all to express themselves as they are inclined. It can be the soapiest soap with unicorn oil and passenger pigeon feather oil or it can be oo, co, and palm. You can focus on the performance or the looks or some combo of both.

All I know is I like my soap better than my old standards. It's a treat to use. But how it looks is an absolute delight when it comes out right. Just my two cents and no one should pay me any mind because I am just a new guy.

There is a soaper on YouTube "thesoapman" I think. He makes beautiful soaps and is an experienced soapmaker. He doesn't sell his soap, but gives it to the homeless. He is great and always happy to share and interact. And he has a super soothing voice.

Anyways, I think I asked him what a good recipe was for a soap to swirl with and he said that for years his basic recipe for swirls was 50% oo and 50% coconut oil with like maybe a 10% or 20% superfat to account for the extra c/o.

It was as easy as that. An experienced soaper making beautiful soaps was perfectly fine with a super simple recipe. So like you said, there is room in the tent for all sorts of "soaplosophies"

LOL, my dad is an Irish Spring man through and through. I wonder if springs in Ireland smell like that at all!

I understand the concern about the cure time. Maybe that's why it takes years to develop that perfect recipe!

 

[linne1gi]

I've made about 25 batches over 2 years. I've collected recipes from various books and websites, some by AnnMarie. There are a few I like well enough, although many of them seem to have one problem or another: they distort the mica colors when added; they dissolve too quickly (less than 2 weeks) in the shower; they last for years; they don't hold the scent for very much past the curing weeks, etc.) Finally, I'm interested in advancing my artistic pouring skills, so I've been watching a lot of videos. It seems to me that most of you (and people with videos) have ONE recipe you love and make over and over, and then spend your focus on making a pretty pour. Is that true? Do most of you experienced soapers have one favorite recipe and you just switch it up with colors and fragrances?

I've really got no interest in using lye calculators. I spent far too much money already on extremely rare oils like "Left-handed Emus Who Prefer Dom Perignon Oil" and "Seeds of a Plant You've Never Heard Of - that grows only at the top of Mt. Everest and has to be picked by Sherpas on a Thursday Oil". You wouldn't believe how much time I spent on a recent trip to London trying to find "woad"!!! (Or in an Indian market in Chicago trying to find "Alkanet" - which doesn't translate in Gujarati OR Hindi, apparently!)

Summary: Do most of you have just one recipe you do most of the time?

NO, emphatic because I have been making many different recipes. I started soap making over 7 years ago and I have several recipe combinations that I love. 100% Olive Oil can be nice and gentle, 100% Coconut Oil also has its place, especially when adding salt. Those are just examples. I think It’s best to learn Soapcalc and try out recipes for yourself.

 

[linne1gi]

The other thing I would like to point out, is there are lots of typos in books and in articles online. It is safer to enter every recipe you see into a lye calculator because you don’t want to make a mistake with lye. Also, as someone said you can change out an oil if you don’t have that oil with a lye calculator. Each oil has a different saponification value so you can’t just switch out an oil without first checking the lye calculator. I personally like SoapCalc because all the information is on one page. I like to print out the recipe I create on SoapCalc and add in my colors, additives, fragrance, etc and keep that printout handy for when I might want to make that soap again. I also enter any problems, like the fragrance I used didn’t behave well, for example.

 

[amd]

There is a soaper on YouTube "thesoapman" I think. He makes beautiful soaps and is an experienced soapmaker. He doesn't sell his soap, but gives it to the homeless. He is great and always happy to share and interact. And he has a super soothing voice.

Anyways, I think I asked him what a good recipe was for a soap to swirl with and he said that for years his basic recipe for swirls was 50% oo and 50% coconut oil with like maybe a 10% or 20% superfat to account for the extra c/o.

I would take his advice with a grain of salt. the 50/50 recipe wouldn't be a good soap for me (hyper dry skin). I'm not sure what his skin is like, so maybe this soap does work great for him - or maybe he doesn't use it because he donates it and doesn't know. I've tried a few of his recipes, and didn't care for any of them.

 

[rdc1978]

I would take his advice with a grain of salt. the 50/50 recipe wouldn't be a good soap for me (hyper dry skin). I'm not sure what his skin is like, so maybe this soap does work great for him - or maybe he doesn't use it because he donates it and doesn't know. I've tried a few of his recipes, and didn't care for any of them.

I think the idea is that there is room in the tent for multiple recipes and approaches to formulation. There is likely no one "right recipe" or "perfect recipe" for everyone and for some people it needn't be very complicated and there can be a number or variables.

I'm not sure if I used his 50/50 approach, but I'm pretty sure I used something close to it for a column pour and it worked out okay for me, but it probably wouldn't work out well for someone else.

Customizing soap for taste, preference and need is one of th coolest things about soaping.

 

[linne1gi]

I would take his advice with a grain of salt. the 50/50 recipe wouldn't be a good soap for me (hyper dry skin). I'm not sure what his skin is like, so maybe this soap does work great for him - or maybe he doesn't use it because he donates it and doesn't know. I've tried a few of his recipes, and didn't care for any of them.

I have to agree with you - I personally don't care for any recipe with more than 20% Coconut Oil (excepting 100% for a salt bar), I use other butters to harden my soap besides coconut oil.

I think the idea is that there is room in the tent for multiple recipes and approaches to formulation. There is likely no one "right recipe" or "perfect recipe" for everyone and for some people it needn't be very complicated and there can be a number or variables.

I'm not sure if I used his 50/50 approach, but I'm pretty sure I used something close to it for a column pour and it worked out okay for me, but it probably wouldn't work out well for someone else.

Customizing soap for taste, preference and need is one of th coolest things about soaping.

Absolutely, and one of my favorite recipes for swirling is 40/40 Lard/Olive with 10-15% Coconut/Cocoa Butter and the remaining Castor Oil. Traces very slowly - gives me time for a lot of colors.

 

[dotgiorgio]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a website to learn how to make your own recipes?

 

[linne1gi]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a website to learn how to make your own recipes?

Go to soapcalc.net - and just play around to get a nice recipe. Here's a tutorial to help. https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...0baeGwzrGRi5n2vuZre5YI3-d8SVvz2PUMH-1voqn4Jv8

 

[shunt2011]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a website to learn how to make your own recipes?

Find a recipe in the beginners section that appeals to you then go to a calculator and play with it. You can adjust percentages or switch out one oil for another.

 

[Redhat]

So maybe a recipe tweaker could explain something for me. So you change ingredient a to ingredient b or change the percent of c, or add ingredient d to make a more optimum soap. As a new guy maybe I am missing something but if one waits 4-6 weeks or even longer to evaluate the results of the tweak, what do you do in the meantime. Use your old recipe and in 6 weeks decide if the changes are an improvement?


So clearly the soapiverse is large enough for all to express themselves as they are inclined. It can be the soapiest soap with unicorn oil and passenger pigeon feather oil or it can be oo, co, and palm. You can focus on the performance or the looks or some combo of both.

All I know is I like my soap better than my old standards. It's a treat to use. But how it looks is an absolute delight when it comes out right. Just my two cents and no one should pay me any mind because I am just a new guy.

Don't disqualify your self for being new! You have the right mindset..."All I know is I like my soap better than my old standards" I used to have a similar question. I've been making soap for 26 years. Starting with cold process, soon learned I like the immediate gratification of hot process and, tweaking, and finding results quickly is just one of many benefits of that method. There are many ways to do hot process, lots of tutorials out there. You might be a candidate for that

 

[amd]

https://classicbells.com/soap/soapCalcNumbers.asp
Read this, lots of good advice to apply. It isn't a straightforward answer, but it will help you understand what to change to achieve different results in soap.

 

[Rogue-Soaper]

Welcome to soap making. Everyone's soaping is unique. I started making soap because my son had eczema. I was trying to find something to help relieve the dry itch of his skin. He was hooked, would not let me stop. I began by making a basic recipe I found in a book I bought to learn soap making. Then, after a few batches, changed it a little, then a little more, then a little more, then...well you get the idea. I am a form follows function kinda gal, so it was years of making soap before I decided to "try" a little color, and some NEW fragrances, I haven't looked back since then. So, on this soapy path, travel at your own speed, don't be afraid to ask lots of questions, you will get great advice here from some very knowledgeable soapers, who generously share their knowledge. WELCOME!!

 

[ravenscents]

When I started 6 months ago, I was like a kid in the candy store, ooooh I want to do this swirl and this recipe and add these clays. Now I am working on the same basic recipe that traces slow and I am making lots of notes on oil and lye temp. What TD, AC and additives do to the same recipe what each of my FO's do to the recipe. The same exact recipe gelled and not gelled. What the soap looks like in 6 weeks as opposed to the day it unmolded.

So for me I have to have a basic recipe that doesn't vary to find out how all these other variables change the end product.

My basic recipe is
35% lard
30% OO
25% CO
10% Grapeseed oil

33% L:ye Ratio
6% superfat
I soap at about 80-85 degrees

This recipe traces slow and is a stable medium for me to learn how to swirl, slide and create different looks.

I know what to expect so when something goes south I can pinpoint the problem. The Mica? TD? The Mica and FO combination? False trace because I soaped at too low of a temp?

When I can soap this recipe with me eyes closed, I'll start experimenting with the fancy stuff.

I will tell you what I don't like. I was using silk, but it feels slimy to me, castor oil is sticky at the cut even at 5%, I like to gel except when I use honey and then I freeze.

 

[cmzaha]

Not to go off topic... but where did you find that information? As far as I have been able to find, it is legal in the US to make and sell breast milk soap. It's even legal to sell breast milk itself (I have a few mom friends who have done it in addition to donating).

Unfortunately, it has been several years since I read it and I am not sure if it was on FDA's site. Sorry, but I did read it. When we were selling online and FDA searched our site I did a lot of research on CDC's, FDA's, Consumers Affairs, and even ATF's sites. But I think it was somewhere on FDA's site. Who knows today maybe it has changed.

 

[amd]

But I think it was somewhere on FDA's site. Who knows today maybe it has changed.

Your information is out of date. FDA does not regulate breast milk soaps or for that matter, breast milk donation banks. They do not recognize breast milk as food, drug, or human tissue.

 

[linne1gi]

I've made about 25 batches over 2 years. I've collected recipes from various books and websites, some by AnnMarie. There are a few I like well enough, although many of them seem to have one problem or another: they distort the mica colors when added; they dissolve too quickly (less than 2 weeks) in the shower; they last for years; they don't hold the scent for very much past the curing weeks, etc.) Finally, I'm interested in advancing my artistic pouring skills, so I've been watching a lot of videos. It seems to me that most of you (and people with videos) have ONE recipe you love and make over and over, and then spend your focus on making a pretty pour. Is that true? Do most of you experienced soapers have one favorite recipe and you just switch it up with colors and fragrances?

I've really got no interest in using lye calculators. I spent far too much money already on extremely rare oils like "Left-handed Emus Who Prefer Dom Perignon Oil" and "Seeds of a Plant You've Never Heard Of - that grows only at the top of Mt. Everest and has to be picked by Sherpas on a Thursday Oil". You wouldn't believe how much time I spent on a recent trip to London trying to find "woad"!!! (Or in an Indian market in Chicago trying to find "Alkanet" - which doesn't translate in Gujarati OR Hindi, apparently!)

Summary: Do most of you have just one recipe you do most of the time?

I don’t understand your statement, I’ve really got no interest in using lye calculators. First, every recipe even if found in a book or online, you should enter in a lye calculator. Typos happen, mistakes happen and you’re working with lye! You need to be safe. When you make your own recipe you do so with the oils and butters that you can easily obtain - no emu oil, or any other exotic ingredients. You are really missing out, Not to mention that a statement like that makes you look ignorant. You don’t just throw foods in a frying pan and cook them, you work based on a recipe. Please educate yourself and learn the very basics of soap making, or perhaps realize this is not for you.

 

[rdc1978]

I'm not OP, but in her defense, if you're new to soapmaking and you get a book and you haven't gone super in depth you kinda expect that those recipes are sound.

My only soap book is one by Kelly Cable. She was the soaper and I wasn't, so I relied on her recipes. As I've come to look at other sources I've realized that some of the information maybe isn't the most sound or best advice.

But the same way I'd probably rely on the advice of many of the forum members because they are expert soapers there is the same temptation to rely on an author. And Ann-Marie is fairly well known and seems knowledgeable.

i also think that the lye calculators can be very intimidating to someone who is new to soaping.

i hope OP uses the lye calculator and doesn't just give up because she feels a little hen pecked. I think everyone has given her fantastic advice and some recipes! Which she should try running through a calculator to see her results!

It kinda sucks that OP relied on a book by a reputable source and because she relied on the author she felt like she had to make this huge investment in exotic oils. I may not love the book I had but she wasn't having me out here in the streets buying emu oil and what not. Everything she suggested could be bought at the store besides lye and palm oil.

 

[moodymama]

Walmart carries 100% lye, it's in the bathroom repair aisle. It's not the most economic in terms of cost but it does make nice soap. Instant Power Crystal Lye Drain Opener, 16 oz - Walmart.com

 

[artemis]

Walmart carries 100% lye, it's in the bathroom repair aisle.

Not every Walmart, I'm afraid.