How many different recipes do you use on average?

I am wondering how many different recipes do you use on average? I am fairly new to HP and wondering if it's silly to think you can find a great go to base recipe that you can just change the scent, additives like silk fibers or replacing some water with milk, clays, exfoliants, yogurt and so on but having the soap base recipe the same - is that common? Or do you prefer the different qualities of different recipes?
Thanks for the input!!

Well...winter soap, summer soap, pot-scrubber soap, Castile, "I have a lot of lard" soap, and so on.

I'd say that, for the most part, I have four recipes I use a lot, and three or four more that are pulled out occasionally and modified by what I have on-hand or by what's about to go bad.

If you absolutely required me to do so, I could get it down to 3 recipes: winter, summer, and pot-scrubber. They're really very different.

If you threatened me, I could get it to two--my summer soap can do the job of the pot-scrubber, if not as well.

If you paid me...I'm not sure I could manage one. I really do prefer a gentler soap in winter.

I'm still fairly new to making soap, so I use different recipes almost every time, though there are I think three so far that I've made more than once. As far as how they leave my skin feeling, so far I'm not noticing a whole lot of difference between the recipes I have used, but then it may well be that I just don't have particularly sensitive skin. My repeats have been based on feedback I've gotten from friends and family that I've given soap to. Eventually I may wind up with two or three base recipes, plus specialty soaps like laundry and shaving soap.

I have 4. Salt soap, CO free, Palm Free and Lard Free. I just play with additives, fragrance and colors. My palm and lard bars are pretty much the same. Oops, forgot my shaving soap and laundry bars. Make that 6

I have:
two recipes for CP "shower" soap
salt bar
shaving
laundry
castile

For my two CP soaps, the only difference between the two is that I add some sunflower oil and recalculate the lye to fit my tall and skinny mold. I swap out my liquids - AVJ, coconut milk, beer, etc. - and color/fo/eo/scrubby stuff as needed within those two recipes.

Crud, yes, the laundry soap and the stain stick formulae. So add two more to mine as well...

I have a base recipe I use for almost everything, just making small tweaks here and there. Then a few specialized recipes like: a salt bar recipe, shaving soap recipe, liquid soap recipe.

Off the top of my head, I have 8:

1. Shave soap
2. Salt bars
3. Lard/Tallow soap
4. All-veggie soap
5. Super gentle soap (aka Genny's shampoo bar recipe which I use as a body soap and which has replaced 100% castile in my 'lineup')
6. High-coconut /high superfat, super-sudsy soap
7. Creamy/opaque liquid soap
8. Clear liquid soap

Of the above, my Tallow/lard soap and my All-veggie soap are the ones that get made most often, and which I use as bases for my specialty soaps that include things like goat-milk, honey, oatmeal, avocado puree, pumice, etc, etc........


IrishLass

I have two. My basic high lard and a salt bar.

I don't see any reason to make multiple bath soaps. It might be different if I sold.

I do occasionally make something different like a facial soap with argon oil, a liquid soap or shaving soap but that is maybe once a year.

I use 4 recipes all the time, high lard, lower lard, vegan/palm-free, and 100% coconut.

I do variations of all of them, such as salt, milk, beer, etc. I've also tried a tons of other recipes, but don't make them regularly.

I've been making soap since 2008 (I think). I'd like to have a basic recipe, I just can't seem to stick with a recipe without tweaking it or trying something new after 4 batches. I think I just like the experimentation.

I have 4 - my main go to everyday recipe, my "triple butter luxury" recipe, my castille (100% olive oil), and my mariners (100% coconut oil).
I also just play with additives and different liquids - such as clays, milks, silks, and exfoliates.

I cannot claim any of my soaps are vegan (even though my main everyday recipe is all vegetable oils) thoguh, because I master batch my lye with silk. However, if I get a request from someone and I either really like the person, OR it's worth my time, I will make a separate batch just for the request.

I'm pretty boring. I have 1 bath bar that I use as my base for everything. I'm not a fan of salt bars, but I do like a soleseife soap for my face, but that's just my regular bath bar made with brine. I make 2 LS: one is clear and made with rosin and apple cider vinegar for my KOH solution, and the second is opaque and made with oatmilk and shea; I use it as a body wash. Other than shaving soap, I don't make any other varieties. I hate soap-based laundry detergent, and for dish washing, I've always used Palmolive (although, since they "updated" the fragrance, I'm looking for suggestions!).

Saranac said:

I'm pretty boring. I have 1 bath bar that I use as my base for everything. I'm not a fan of salt bars, but I do like a soleseife soap for my face, but that's just my regular bath bar made with brine. I make 2 LS: one is clear and made with rosin and apple cider vinegar for my KOH solution, and the second is opaque and made with oatmilk and shea; I use it as a body wash. Other than shaving soap, I don't make any other varieties. I hate soap-based laundry detergent, and for dish washing, I've always used Palmolive (although, since they "updated" the fragrance, I'm looking for suggestions!).

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suggestion: Dawn dishwashing liquid, Fuji Cherry Blossom scent.

I have soaped for many years with a basic, vegan recipe of Olive, Coconut and Palm oils. Just played with scents, colours and designs. I do make shaving bars and shampoo bars. Am now trying lard.

I have to play around again because it has been years, but I think I will have 2
My Salt bars which is what I want to be my main soap, with different additives.
Base soap that is simple.

Seems once you do it for a long time you just want something simple

Lin19687 said:

I have to play around again because it has been years, but I think I will have 2
My Salt bars which is what I want to be my main soap, with different additives.
Base soap that is simple.

Seems once you do it for a long time you just want something simple

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Yes, I'm getting more that way too. What is special about your salt bars? That is something I have yet to try, don't know if I'll get around to that or not.

Nothing special about them Soapmaker, I just LOVE THEM :mrgreen:

I have a problem and I admit it. I am addicted to oils.

I am ashamed of my supply room and keep it hidden so no one can see my problem. I soap late at night and in secret so no one can see my addiction. I change the subject any time anyone asks me about my soaping habit and tell them it is not an issue and I can stop any time I want. My friends and family have threatened an intervention, but it is them who have the problem, not me.

My supply room has a large shelving unit with about 15 containers of specialty oils (each bottle holds about 7lbs of oil). Also in there I have 2 buckets, each 50 lb, of coconut and palm oil and I have 2 cubitainers (35 lb each) of rice bran and olive oil.

When I am doing research, I come across various oils which have some cool properties and have to try them out.

So, my recipes are varied based on what I am trying to achieve. I also receive requests for soaps that have a certain property or use a certain oil. I also have customers who like soaps made with uncommon/unusual/exotic oils and butters. I guess the air of mystery and intrigue makes bath time more fun.

Now, please do not ask about my fragrance and essential oil collection......

Traumabrew said:

I am ashamed of my supply room and keep it hidden so no one can see my problem. I soap late at night and in secret so no one can see my addiction. I change the subject any time anyone asks me about my soaping habit and tell them it is not an issue and I can stop any time I want.

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^This made me laugh so hard.

Also, I've used countless recipes in the past year or so, but the one I use now was based on single-oil tests. I incorporated the ones I liked the most, then fine-tuned the recipe from there. I use bars from older recipes I've done and I just don't like them as much as my current recipe. I adjust additives and fragrances, but I keep the base the exact same. I do make 100% coconut oil bars, but I make those as foot soap mostly.