What soapy thing have you done today?

[linne1gi]

I only use RBO in balanced recipes with other oils. I agree with @KiwiMoose that it’s a way to up the hardness and longevity using a soft oil, but you definitely have to keep your eye on the linoleic FA. My base recipes have mostly been close to 9% for linoleic and linolenic combined. The recipes with RBO subbed in for some of the oleic are in the range of 12-15% for linoleic + linolenic.

I think a good choice would be Avocado Oil. Has a fair amount of Palmitic, with less linoleic acid. Have you tried it?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I think a good choice would be Avocado Oil. Has a fair amount of Palmitic, with less linoleic acid. Have you tried it?

Yes, and I like it. RBO is much less expensive, but I also feel it makes the soap a bit more yellow. I’m still trying to get through the 3 gallons of RBO I bought. It will be easier now that I’ve discovered that it’s nice for skin balms and lotion bars.

 

[linne1gi]

Yes, and I like it. RBO is much less expensive, but I also feel it makes the soap a bit more yellow. I’m still trying to get through the 3 gallons of RBO I bought. It will be easier now that I’ve discovered that it’s nice for skin balms and lotion bars.

Yes, you're right - and Avocado Oil has a light green tinge. It's okay in small percentages.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Yes, you're right - and Avocado Oil has a light green tinge. It's okay in small percentages.

Actually, I was thinking the RBO is a bit yellowish as well as avocado. I didn’t worry much about oil color until I started trying to use blue micas.

 

[sirtim100]

Just tried out the shaving soap recipe donated by @Zany_in_CO and it's very very good.

And it's CP, so I think that's cocks a snook at the HP/stearic acid/tallow school of thought, or at least at the firm belief that CP shaving soaps cannot work, ever ever ever.

And it leaves your skin feeling like a baby's bum...

 

[Zing]

Oh, the doubters, right? One of my sisters will not, under any circumstance, use handmade soap because it's made with lye. I've given up trying to explain it to her. I'll keep giving her soap and she'll just keep giving it to people who love it. Win, win in my book.

This just makes me so sad! People are actually related to a soap-maker and don't even realize how lucky they are?!
My friend just got back from Thailand and brought me several handmade bars. I have no idea what the ingredients are (I'm monolingual English) but love the bubbles and scent.

 

[amd]

I have found that Rice Bran Oil tends to give me DOS - have you noticed that also?

I have no problems with DOS when using RBO. I use it at 30-36% of my recipe with no issues. I made test batches using various oils when I first started selling and threw them in a box to time test and pull out when I consider making changes to my recipe. Last year when OO started to rise in price and RBO was super cheap at Lowe's, I pulled out my box and looked at my RBO soaps. All were good (and were 3 years old), so I switched. I haven't had problems since the switch either. When I have had DOS, it's only been in food puree soaps (those were made with my original OO recipe), and then only those that were exposed to extreme heat and sun during shows.

ETA: Or using low-oleic sunflower oil, lol. I almost forgot about that disaster.

Oh, the doubters, right? One of my sisters will not, under any circumstance, use handmade soap because it's made with lye. I've given up trying to explain it to her. I'll keep giving her soap and she'll just keep giving it to people who love it. Win, win in my book.

I had an aunt like that - until she found my mechanic's soap. My uncle (her husband) convinced her to buy a bar of it - she's a rancher so she uses a hard scrubby soap on her hands every day. On Friday she messaged me asking if I would be at Christmas (which was Saturday), she wanted me to bring more mechanic soap and some regular bars to try in her shower. She was really surprised by how much better her hands are even with all the washing compared to the commercial soap she was using, so she wanted some regular soap for bathing to see if it helps her skin. She has lupus, so her skin tends to be uber dry like mine. Sometimes you have to be sneaky to convince people that it's better.

 

[Misschief]

This just makes me so sad! People are actually related to a soap-maker and don't even realize how lucky they are?!
My friend just got back from Thailand and brought me several handmade bars. I have no idea what the ingredients are (I'm monolingual English) but love the bubbles and scent.

I know, right? However, that said, my mother and my other sisters and the rest of my family including my children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews all love my soap. I've even sent soap to family in the Netherlands because they wanted to try it; they all love it. So Gail has plenty of people she can pass it on to.

 

[Dawni]

Wrapped soap for the 4 aunts, 2 uncles and 6 cousins who are going to spend Christmas Eve with us at our home tomorrow. For the rest, some 16 of em, who I'll be seeing on the 28th (my beloved grandma's first year death pre-anniversary thingy) I'll wrap hopefully on the 26th lol

I'm tired. Lol

Haven't made soap in weeks and I don't see myself making any in the next couple

 

[KDP]

My gingerbread house soap, didnt do as much as I wanted but am exhausted, wonky chimneys and stuff lol I had planned to add more stuff but am just done in now anyway, also made half dozen of these snowmen soaps. I had made them already and wasnt very happy with the colour, it seemed yellowish? Meant to be crystal melt and pour, so Id already done these and wasn't happy so I cut the melt and pour bits off and redone the snowmen and snow etc and then melt and pour again, this time I added a little bit of silver sparkle which has helped a little with the weird yellowy tinge so...... Yeah am new to soaping so am quite pleased, not as good as I hoped but trial and error and all that stuff and the gingerbread houses smell amazing, it very much looks, smells and feels like chocolate to the touch lol am sure people will enjoy them anyway, hopefully lol

The gingerbread houses are adorable! Love them!

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

This just makes me so sad! People are actually related to a soap-maker and don't even realize how lucky they are?!

I have converted my older son (he lives in WA and says it brings home to him) but I highly doubt my younger son will ever use my soap--I have tried using scents that he likes but he likes his liquid, and since I will more than likely never make liquid soap...….....but it really doesn't bother me at all as he has been very supportive of me in every other way

 

[Martha]

Have been wrapping soap and sending it off to friends and family.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I have no problems with DOS when using RBO. I use it at 30-36% of my recipe with no issues. I made test batches using various oils when I first started selling and threw them in a box to time test and pull out when I consider making changes to my recipe. Last year when OO started to rise in price and RBO was super cheap at Lowe's, I pulled out my box and looked at my RBO soaps. All were good (and were 3 years old), so I switched. I haven't had problems since the switch either. When I have had DOS, it's only been in food puree soaps (those were made with my original OO recipe), and then only those that were exposed to extreme heat and sun during shows.

ETA: Or using low-oleic sunflower oil, lol. I almost forgot about that disaster.

.

So pleased to hear this AMD. I was starting to look up alternatives to use in my recipe so i could reduce it back to only 10% RBO. I haven't had any problems yet but my oldest soap with 20% RBO is only 10 months - so it could potentially still happen.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

On Friday she messaged me asking if I would be at Christmas (which was Saturday), she wanted me to bring more mechanic soap and some regular bars to try in her shower.

Luv, luv, luv stories like that! Thanks for sharing!

I'm tired. Lol

Aw, @Dawni, there's no hug Smiley. This will hafta do I guess.

 

[KeepItSimpleSoap]

Here are my Grease Cake Handle pictures. I was unable to add them to my original post. I hope these are in the correct forum. I thought of this once when I was removing the grease and it slid off of the fork back into the water creating a splash and small mess to clean up.

Tool in the solidified Lard grease cake

"Cake" on tool removed from pot to replace water

Removing grease from the tool putting into fresh water. Tool is made up from a piece of wood, a metal disc from a coffee maker and a carriage bolt from TSC. The disc should hang at least halfway down into the grease/cake. None of the parts react with grease or water and they will never be use with LYE.

 

[Quilter99755]

Here are my Grease Cake Handle pictures.

Thanks for the pics...IF (big IF) I obtain my source of tallow this coming year, I may have need for something like this. I haven't a clue how much tallow is from one beef but has to be more than just the amount from a few steaks! And if I had done this it would have made my life easier the only time I rendered tallow from our steaks.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Yes, you're right - and Avocado Oil has a light green tinge. It's okay in small percentages.

I always use Avocado oil @5%, I love it. I used to use 10% but as it's so expensive I reduced it to 5%. I'm thinking I might start using a higher quantity of Olive Oil. I've done a few swirls using a 45% OO recipe and they have been successful.

 

[Kiti Williams]

Here are my Grease Cake Handle pictures. I was unable to add them to my original post. I hope these are in the correct forum. I thought of this once when I was removing the grease and it slid off of the fork back into the water creating a splash and small mess to clean up.View attachment 43066 Tool in the solidified Lard grease cakeView attachment 43067 "Cake" on tool removed from pot to replace waterView attachment 43068 Removing grease from the tool putting into fresh water. Tool is made up from a piece of wood, a metal disc from a coffee maker and a carriage bolt from TSC. The disc should hang at least halfway down into the grease/cake. None of the parts react with grease or water and they will never be use with LYE.

I like this idea way better than the way I was doing it! I will be making me grease handle after tomorrow!

 

[KeepItSimpleSoap]

Earlier today I rendered a little bacon grease and then at sunset I made up a batch of Lard soap (CP). I used an electric mixer. I would do about 3 burst with mixer for about 5 seconds total every 5 minutes. From 20 to 22 minutes the batch went to trace and I got it into all the molds quickly and consistently. It has turned into the standby recipe. Here is the recipe if anyone wants it. It fits 12 cells of 3" oval bar molds and 1 "cupcake" mold.
25.25 oz rendered Lard
8 oz of distilled water or rain water
3.5 oz of granular 100% sodium hydroxide (LYE)
combine mix at ~120-125* F
It is a tad fatted recipe. Calculating 25.25 x .1388=3.5047 oz LYE. I use 3.5 oz

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I have no problems with DOS when using RBO. I use it at 30-36% of my recipe with no issues. I made test batches using various oils when I first started selling and threw them in a box to time test and pull out when I consider making changes to my recipe. Last year when OO started to rise in price and RBO was super cheap at Lowe's, I pulled out my box and looked at my RBO soaps. All were good (and were 3 years old), so I switched. I haven't had problems since the switch either. When I have had DOS, it's only been in food puree soaps (those were made with my original OO recipe), and then only those that were exposed to extreme heat and sun during shows.

ETA: Or using low-oleic sunflower oil, lol. I almost forgot about that disaster.


I had an aunt like that - until she found my mechanic's soap. My uncle (her husband) convinced her to buy a bar of it - she's a rancher so she uses a hard scrubby soap on her hands every day. On Friday she messaged me asking if I would be at Christmas (which was Saturday), she wanted me to bring more mechanic soap and some regular bars to try in her shower. She was really surprised by how much better her hands are even with all the washing compared to the commercial soap she was using, so she wanted some regular soap for bathing to see if it helps her skin. She has lupus, so her skin tends to be uber dry like mine. Sometimes you have to be sneaky to convince people that it's better.

AMD, do you EDTA and ROE or another chelator and/or antioxidant?