Gentle Cleanser

MunbynSMF
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HappyHomeSoapCo

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After a year of making soap, and coming up with what I believed was a great bar, I realized it could be gentler. Lots of brain racking and reading led me to this recipe. And it's all cut and curing. As I stare at it I can't help but 2nd guess myself. Feedback please :)

32% tallow
22.4% olive
16% shea
16.8% castor
12.8% coconut

7% super fat

40 hardness
11 cleansing
58 conditioning
26 bubbly
44 creamy

My goal is to have a gentle cleansing bar that still has a good bubbly lather but will be a good option for those with sensitive or young skin. It won't be advertised as "sensitive" or "baby soap" but I'd like to have a gentler bar for those who are looking for it.
 
My first thought is holy wow that's a lot of castor. But over half of your recipe is hard oils/butters, so it may not give you an issue. I know others have reported that castor, when paired with a high percentage of hard oils, doesn't give them the usual soft, slimy bar you expect from a high castor amount.
 
yeah it is going to be sticky with that much castor. Tallow has a higher cleansing number than lard. 11 still can give me dry skin. Something for a face I use, when out of my face cleanser, soap with high conditioning and very low cleansing number like 5, :))
 
I've yet to try adding sugar for extra bubbles. I've seen a range of 1tsp - 1 Tbsp. Would this also apply to honey? I don't want a "honey" soap but just looking for the sugar content to give extra bubbles since I lowered my coconut oil so much.
 
Yes, I add 1 Tbsp honey PPO. I add the honey at thin trace. Honey sometimes causes soap to overheat, so you might want to stick the soap in your freezer after pouring.
 
I add honey in the amount suggested by lsg but I like to add it to the cooled lye water. I've found if it heats up in the lye, it won't heat up the batter. You'll need extra time to cool your lye back down and don't be worried about what happens to it. It'll turn the lye water orange and give off a really unpleasant smell. It all goes away with cure and adds really nice bubbles. :razz:
 
Also, if adding honey to the lye water, do I not insulate? I normally wrap my molds in wool blankets. The molds are to big to fit in freezer. So do I leave out in the open for fresh air? Or insulate like normal?
 
If using 1 T ppo I would not insulate it. All I would do is put a light cover over the top and watch it if you don't want to put it in the fridge or freezer. I generally just watch as it can get hot and crack for sure.
 
Ok I'll just use cardboard to cover and watch closely.

The honey did not melt all the way. It turned the lye water a dark amber color but it is not completely dissolved. It did raise the temp up to 89*F which match my oils. I'd like to go ahead and mix now, but I'm not sure if I need the honey dissolved? I could put the container in a hot water bath. But not sure if that's necessary
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So I've had a long day, and finally just poured my soap. I went ahead and heated the lye solution that I added honey to. And since I added the honey and realized how it would affect my color and I knew I would want to label it as a honey bar so I completely changed my design from Lemon Lavender (no color with lavender buds) to a unscented Oats & Honey bar with an activated charcoal swirl. I can't wait to cut it!

Has anyone used coconut sugar for added bubbles in the lye water? Or is plain white granulated the most used for best results?

I can't wait to cut!

1430332955263.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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