Ok, I'm going to go against the grain here and put in my opinions. I think at times, we all can be a little too generic in our advice. It doesn't mean that all the advice you were given isn't sound, but it fails to take into account your abilities and experience with other things that lend themselves into making soap.
I would say for any new soaper, go with what you feel comfortable experimenting with. For some that might mean you need to stick with a CO, OO and PO soap. For others, your idea's might not be outlandish at all. Also, I think some of the best lessons you can pick up in the early stages, is the mistakes and/or problems. I can explain, and draw pictures in crayon for you about seizing soap, but my descriptions pale in comparison to the experience of actually seeing one seize.
I say, if you feel comfortable with the process, then proceed along. If you're making three batches, try one of them with the milk if you want. It will give you the ability to compare and experience the differences in the process and the product. Do your research and set out a good plan for each. Take lots of notes along the way, so you have some good references to fall back on in future recipes.
And sorry Craig, but I'm going to disagree with you on a couple of points.
Spacetransient,
First, just because it doesn't follow the Songwind recipe and/or the fanatical wet shavers ideals
, doesn't mean it's "not a shaving soap". It just means it isn't going to fit in with the "norm" of what a some consider a true shaving soap. However, there's lots of people making recipes similar to yours, into "shaving bars" because they don't want to use a brush, want to just use it in the shower, etc. Shaving isn't just for men with their straight razors. There's lots of opinions on what makes a good shave soap, even within the confines of "real shave soap" users. For instance, Craig hates mud in his soap, but from the different variations of SW's recipe I've tried, I find the slip, closeness of shave much better with clay than with Glycerin. It doesn't mean one is right and the other is wrong. It's just a matter of preference.
Again, Space... I say try some variables on all three recipes the way YOU, want to try them. See how you like them, then go over to the thread Craig has pointed out. It really is a wealth of information, filled with opinions and advice from lots of people that are more "exacting" on their opinion of shaving soap than I am.
Here's the thread.
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264
Second, Craig is saying there is no difference in using Shea in place of lard or Palm. I would say this comment is flawed. Just because the numbers on SoapCalc look the same doesn't mean they are going to react the same in a finished product. Shea Butter, for instance, has a different percentage of unsaponifiables in it than Palm or Lard. It therefore is going to impart differences in the soap. I could explain this more in detail, but I like this description that one of the Chemical Engineers on the forum DeeAnna posted. This is one of her posts, (btw, some good advice for you, pay attention to her posts if you want the "facts" on a subject. She's a wealth of knowledge), her quote:
"The numbers you are looking at have their uses, but I would not assume any two fats will produce similar soap, just because the hardness, bubbly, creamy, etc. numbers are somewhat similar. My husband and a body builder might weigh the same, but I suspect it might be inaccurate to decide the two guys are "similar" on the basis of their weights.
Asking your pardon in advance for trotting out even more numbers, here is more detailed info on these two:
The NaOH saponification number of Palm is running about 0.144; shea is about 0.131. The iodine number (a measure of polyunsaturation) is 48-58 for palm, 125-145 for shea, indicating shea has more unsaturated fatty acids. My notes show INS values of about 148 for palm and 112 for shea, more or less. All this means palm is going to saponify easier and give a harder, less conditioning bar.
Palmitic (saturated) and oleic (monosaturated) fatty acids predominate in the palm oil. Oleic and stearic (saturated) fatty acids are the main ones in shea. If you are concerned about DOS, both fats should work well, but palm gets the edge due to less polyunsaturation, looking back at the iodine numbers.
I don't have numbers for the unsaponifiable chemicals in the fats, but my understanding is that shea has quite a high % of unsaponifiables, which would add to the skin conditioning properties in a way that's not measured by the "conditioning, bubbly, creamy, etc." numbers. "
End of Quote.
I just recently had a 3 recipe experiment of mine hit full cure. Using the same basic recipe, one with palm and shea, one substituting all the palm for Shea and one all the shea for palm. There is a distinctive difference in all three bars and the one that I think turned out the best, in feel of the bar, and on the skin, is the one with both palm and butter. However, the all butter bar was more moisturizing than the all Palm. Very different soaps.
All oils are not alike, even if the "numbers" would point you in that direction. If the numbers were all that mattered in making a bar of soap. Everyone could just use the same oils and go for that magic number on the calculators and we'd all have the same perfect soaps. We all know that's not the case.
All skin is not the same. What may work great for me, might be less than sub par for the next person. I've seen recipes on here that I think, "wow, that would be really drying on my skin". But that doesn't mean it's a flawed recipe, just that it doesn't work for me. Find something that you like, that works well for you.
Most of all, I would say have fun. If you take this hobby all the way up to wanting to sell your products, then you will have to do a lot of experimenting, testing, etc. But when anyone is starting out as making soap as a hobby, I would say, it needs to be fun. If you're not having fun, then what's the point of having a hobby?
****, that was one long post. hahaha
