Underrated and Overrated Soaping Ingredients

[artemis]

How much charcoal did you use for the mechanics soap? And what superfat? I was planning on trying my hand at it as soon as I can figure out what ingredients matter for it. Most recipes seem to just go for sand-paper-like exfoliation which I’m sure works but charcoal sounds like it might work differently

Search the forum for blacksmith soap.

 

[Rune]

Kaolin clay, a chelator (I have used citric acid with baking soda or with lye) and a small amount of potassium hydroxide (dual lye), those makes noticable positive differences, I would say.
I have tried silk, and in larger amounts too. I did not find it to do anything to improve the quality of the soaps.

 

[TheGecko]

How much charcoal did you use for the mechanics soap? And what superfat? I was planning on trying my hand at it as soon as I can figure out what ingredients matter for it. Most recipes seem to just go for sand-paper-like exfoliation which I’m sure works but charcoal sounds like it might work differently

I make a Mechanic's Soap...it's just my Regular Soap with Pumice Powder added. I only make 3 kinds...unscented, Peppermint and Lemon in Dark Blue, Dark Green and Dark Red. I went with 'powder' instead of regular pumice so it would be less harsh, but still provide extra scrubbing power.

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

How much charcoal did you use for the mechanics soap? And what superfat? I was planning on trying my hand at it as soon as I can figure out what ingredients matter for it. Most recipes seem to just go for sand-paper-like exfoliation which I’m sure works but charcoal sounds like it might work differently

I make an exfoliating soap that is super popular with everyone! My landscaper neighbour uses it for all his staff; my contractor brother uses it everyday; all my gardener friends use it; my mechanic cousin uses it; my jeweler friend uses it; and I find it's a great general exfoliating body soap. It's my regular soap recipe with the following additives:

Per 1Kg of oils
1 Tbsp (15g) Kaolin Clay Kaolin White Clay Candora Soap
1Tbsp (10g) Activated Charcoal Activated Charcoal Candora Soap
5 Tbsp (100g) Superfine Pumice Powder Pumice Powder, Superfine Candora Soap
8 Tbsp (160g) Soy Scrub (Soy Seeds) Soy Scrub Candora Soap

I use an adaptation of Katie Carson's Royalty Soap recipe that she puts in the description of all her YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/@RoyaltySoaps/videos). I use Apricot Kernel Oil instead of her Sweet Almond Oil. You're more than welcome to try it if you'd like!

There is also this SMF thread with a Borax soap that I've been meaning to try.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/borax-hand-soap-for-blacksmith-or-other-dirty-work.61277/

 

[Blufuz]

I make an exfoliating soap that is super popular with everyone! My landscaper neighbour uses it for all his staff; my contractor brother uses it everyday; all my gardener friends use it; my mechanic cousin uses it; my jeweler friend uses it; and I find it's a great general exfoliating body soap. It's my regular soap recipe with the following additives:

Per 1Kg of oils
1 Tbsp (15g) Kaolin Clay Kaolin White Clay Candora Soap
1Tbsp (10g) Activated Charcoal Activated Charcoal Candora Soap
5 Tbsp (100g) Superfine Pumice Powder Pumice Powder, Superfine Candora Soap
8 Tbsp (160g) Soy Scrub (Soy Seeds) Soy Scrub Candora Soap

I use an adaptation of Katie Carson's Royalty Soap recipe that she puts in the description of all her YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/@RoyaltySoaps/videos). I use Apricot Kernel Oil instead of her Sweet Almond Oil. You're more than welcome to try it if you'd like!

There is also this SMF thread with a Borax soap that I've been meaning to try.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/borax-hand-soap-for-blacksmith-or-other-dirty-work.61277/

Wow four scrubbing things! How come? Did you find they each contribute something different?
I’m curious how it compares to the borax soap

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

Wow four scrubbing things! How come? Did you find they each contribute something different?
I’m curious how it compares to the borax soap

I use Koalin Clay in all my soaps; I like the slickness it gives the soap. AC absorbs oil. Soy seeds gets rid of the large dirt and Superfine Pumice powder gets in the wrinkles and grooves and nails to help clean those areas. The exfoliating aspect is very mild so it's good to use often and daily as needed; like a mechanic, landscaper, gardener, or jeweler would. Harsher exfoliants aren't mean to be used often, only once in a while.

 

[Black soap n candle lady]

Hi everyone!
I’ve been searching the internet to better understand which soap ingredients matter more than others, and trying to weed out ingredients that have “label appeal” but no impact on the actual quality of the soap. Then I realized I could just ask!

As experienced soapers, what ingredients do you find are overrated, often used in soap but with little effect? And viceversa, what ingredients have you found to have a substantial benefit but are not often used?

I’m asking about anything, from additives to colorants, fragrance oils and base oils. The “effect” can be anything that would make a person trying the soap appreciate it without knowing what’s inside. Or something that achieves the same effect as a more expensive and fancy alternative.

Some ingredients are hard to get, others just expensive, and it would be nice to know where to invest and where to save money and effort.

For example, I got the impression that goat milk is overrated, not adding any more benefit than regular cow milk.
Instead, sunflower oil is quite nice as a light liquid oil, and more than sweet almond oil it’s really eco-friendly since it’s a robust high-yield crop that grows almost anywhere.

But what about all the expensive oils like Argan, Tamanu, or Neem? Does tea tree oil actually have antibacterial properties when mixed in soap? Does beer and wine do anything more than just a spoonful of sugar?
I’d love to hear all your thoughts

Hi! Here are some of my must haves: castor oil, peanut oil, salmon oil, camel fat. I especially love the last 3 oils. I like to use all milk even coconut. My secret there is to only use the highest percentage of fat. Low fat does nothing for me. I really prefer powders rather than produce purée. All you need is a dehydrator and blender. Soap making is so fun and can be as budget or luxurious as you make it!

 

[Blufuz]

Hi! Here are some of my must haves: castor oil, peanut oil, salmon oil, camel fat. I especially love the last 3 oils. I like to use all milk even coconut. My secret there is to only use the highest percentage of fat. Low fat does nothing for me. I really prefer powders rather than produce purée. All you need is a dehydrator and blender. Soap making is so fun and can be as budget or luxurious as you make it!

I’ve never seen anyone use salmon oil or camel fat! what do they do to the soap? Where do you find them?

 

[AliOop]

My secret there is to only use the highest percentage of fat. Low fat does nothing for me.

What does this mean? Are you referring to superfat?

 

[Zing]

I use Koalin Clay in all my soaps; I like the slickness it gives the soap. AC absorbs oil. Soy seeds gets rid of the large dirt and Superfine Pumice powder gets in the wrinkles and grooves and nails to help clean those areas. The exfoliating aspect is very mild so it's good to use often and daily as needed; like a mechanic, landscaper, gardener, or jeweler would. Harsher exfoliants aren't mean to be used often, only once in a while.

I love scrubbies and put a lot in my mechanics soap which is a borax soap with many thanks to @earlene . I use coffee grounds, poppy seeds, and shredded loofah. I'm a gardener and my hands get clean in a jiffy, same for my brother-in-law who works on cars.

 

[penelopejane]

There aren’t many of us on the forum that like OO soaps but I do and I use it in every soap at different percentages. Before you decide against OO in soap please try using real 100% OO. I use EVOO only and it it hugely different to mixed OO or pomace.

I think there is/has been a huge problem with OO in the USA and I think a lot of people got turned off OO when what was being sold wasn’t really OO.

Having said that everyone’s skin is different so when you find something that works for you and your skin stick with it!

 

[Ephemerella]

@penelopejane I'm still a greenhorn, but I do have to say I loff OO in soap. But I won't buy big box store OO. I use OO from soap suppliers as, apparently, the cheaper megastore brands can often be adulterated, but the soap suppliers often offer a higher grade (funny isn't that?). But that is anecdotal from reading, I haven't had that experience myself.

 

[MelissaG]

Have you tried making Zany's No Slime Castile?
I make the 85% OO, 10% Coconut, 5% Castor variation, although the 100% OO is quite nice, unscented for cancer patients undergoing chemo and calendula-infused OO for babies.

Cures quickly too. I start using it at the 2-week mark. No need to wait 3 months - 1 year to cure,

Here's a video that someone made. Her batch is slow to trace because she didn't follow directions (for temps) exactly as written.

I've been meaning to try a castille or bastille soap. Thank you so much.

 

[KiwiMoose]

@cmzaha - what percentage of neem oil to you use in your neem oil soap? I have one soap wiht neem oil, but I use just 5%. Wondering how much i should use if I'm actually going to call it 'neem soap'.

 

[contrinokathy]

@cmzaha - what percentage of neem oil to you use in your neem oil soap? I have one soap wiht neem oil, but I use just 5%. Wondering how much i should use if I'm actually going to call it 'neem soap'.

I use 15%

 

[contrinokathy]

There aren’t many of us on the forum that like OO soaps but I do and I use it in every soap at different percentages. Before you decide against OO in soap please try using real 100% OO. I use EVOO only and it it hugely different to mixed OO or pomace.

I think there is/has been a huge problem with OO in the USA and I think a lot of people got turned off OO when what was being sold wasn’t really OO.

Having said that everyone’s skin is different so when you find something that works for you and your skin stick with it!

I too think oo used by some soaps is not straight oo. I use oo (herbal infused and evoo) and in every soap. I love it and buy it from restaurant depot at a discount. I also use it in cooking

 

[MomInWA]

I don't much notice anything special in my soaps from using butters at 10% or less. It's not cost effective to use them at higher percentages, so I no longer use them. A must have oil for me is avocado oil at 10%.

Milk, beer, wine, honey, etc are a label appeal thing imo. Sugar does the same thing. I use them though, I switched to goat milk because I got asked for it so much.

Expensive oils are wasted in soap.

I’m actually curious about sugar in soap recipes. Does sugar make recipes spoil? And if so, would something like a simple syrup work?

 

[AliOop]

I’m actually curious about sugar in soap recipes. Does sugar make recipes spoil? And if so, would something like a simple syrup work?

Sugar doesn't make the soap spoil. It acts as a solvent, so the soap lathers more freely. It's an inexpensive way to get nice bubbles without having to add a lot of CO, PKO, or babassu oil to your recipe. And yes, you can use a simple syrup, or just sugar dissolved in a bit of liquid, or sorbitol (my fave), aloe vera gel or juice, honey (a heater), molasses (a heater), beer, wine, milks, etc.

 

[MomInWA]

Sugar doesn't make the soap spoil. It acts as a solvent, so the soap lathers more freely. It's an inexpensive way to get nice bubbles without having to add a lot of CO, PKO, or babassu oil to your recipe. And yes, you can use a simple syrup, or just sugar dissolved in a bit of liquid, or sorbitol (my fave), aloe vera gel or juice, honey (a heater), molasses (a heater), beer, wine, milks, etc.

Oh, very groovy! Thank you!

 

[klaw2]

Sugar doesn't make the soap spoil. It acts as a solvent, so the soap lathers more freely. It's an inexpensive way to get nice bubbles without having to add a lot of CO, PKO, or babassu oil to your recipe. And yes, you can use a simple syrup, or just sugar dissolved in a bit of liquid, or sorbitol (my fave), aloe vera gel or juice, honey (a heater), molasses (a heater), beer, wine, milks, etc.

How much sorbitol do you use and do you add it to your water before the lye? I use cane sugar and it just discolours the lye water a bit and I’ve seen it come in a liquid or powder, which do you prefer?