Help with my first shaving soap

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Uniwoe

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Hello!
I want to make my first shaving soap, but I have no experience with soapmaking. I read a lot and I created my first recipe.
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At the end I will add 4g of glycerin and 6g of fragrance.
Can it work?
 
Last edited:
I've only made shaving soap once and most of your recipe looks great.

I'd recommend the following:

- Remove the castor. I remember reading somewhere that castor makes larger bubbles when it comes to shaving soap, and that's not what you want. You want tiny tiny little dense bubbles that form a thick, luxurious foam. I'd probably just bump the coconut oil to 35%.

- Up the water. Because this is hot process, it'd be easier to work with at the standard 25% lye concentration. If this is the first soap you've ever made, the extra water should make the process a bit easier for you.
 
Thank you!
Why is this hot process? I thought I do the cold process. :confused:

Stearic acid has a very high melting point. It needs to be heated in a crockpot/double-boiler to remain liquid. The KOH also reacts extremely quickly with your stearic, so you want to keep the heat higher to keep the batter fluid long enough to add your fragrance, colourants, superfat and glycerine. If you tried cold-process, it would seize up as soon as you added your KOH.

This is the definitive thread on shaving soap here in the forum, it has a wealth of fantastic information: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264
 
That thread was also linked in the introduction thread which you started - I really do suggest reading that before asking too many more questions as it will answer the vast majority of them with all the back and forth around the answers and various views. It's a big thread indeed, but pretty much the foundation course in making and formulating shaving soaps
 
Thank you! I read that thread but it’s too long and I can’t find the informations I want.
Last question: when should I add the NaOH? When I add the KoH at the beginning or later?
 
One handy thing you can do with those super long threads is to click "Search this Thread" and enter your search terms. You could search for "NaOH" to see whenever it is mentioned in that thread.

But to save you some time, I will tell you that you can add both lyes to the same water solution.
 
One handy thing you can do with those super long threads is to click "Search this Thread" and enter your search terms. You could search for "NaOH" to see whenever it is mentioned in that thread.

But to save you some time, I will tell you that you can add both lyes to the same water solution.

Thanks man!
 
If you have a passion and a real interest in making soap albeit a shaving soap then read the entire long shaving soap thread as I did with huge interest, it is the most amazing free school for making shaving soap, go the shortrcut way if you want but be prepared for a lot of soap to wash the laundry with. Shaving soap is a particular type of soap as it is for a particular use and therefore has particular qualities, you would not know that unless you study it somewhat and no better way than the long thread and a HUGE gain from other peoples experiences, it really is worth the reading. Get that under you collar and then come back with all the questions, there will be many people on hand here to help you. Good luck and enjoy.
 
I have to agree with the others. If you have a true interest it would be very educational to read the entire thread and you will glean more than enough information (HP or CP) which from your statement you thought you could CP it revealed you didn't read the thread. I've read it more than once and make an excellent shave soap.
 
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