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happyshopper

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So far I am only made soap with recipes that I have followed.

This is my first attempt at making up my own :shock:

I was thinking

60% olive
20% cocoa butter
20% shea butter
with coconut milk powder (will add to oils, I am not confident with using frozen milk yet)

I am looking to make a bar for my son who has eczema, I don't want bubbles, I hope to achieve a more creamy lather rather than bubbles.

I am confused with the calculator it comes up as cleansing 0 for this recipe, but doesn't all soap cleanse? isn't that what any soap does??

Any feedback welcome.
 
Last edited:
Pay no attention to the 0% cleansing number. Trust me, your soap will clean nevertheless. :)

That's a very intriguing Castile-type recipe (in a good way). Speaking only for myself, if it were me, I'd have no qualms about trying it out.


IrishLass :)
 
kchaystack said:
That is a really high % of butter... It probably won't really lather at all....
Click to expand...

ok thanks, what would you suggest is the highest % of butters I can use?

How about if I did 30% butters total? should I make it up with 70% OO or use another oil for the extra 10%
 
happyshopper said:
How long would you say this would need to cure? thanks
Click to expand...


I would give it a good 6-week cure at the least.


kchaystack said:
It probably won't really lather at all....
Click to expand...

She's not after bubbly lather, if that's what you meant. It should have plenty of creamy lather, though, which is her goal.


IrishLass :)
 
kchaystack said:
You are the expert.
Click to expand...

Not really (I apologize if my words came out that way) :oops:. It's just that I've made high butter soaps before that lathered just fine with plenty of creamy/lotion-y lather, although there wasn't much in the way of bubbly lather to speak of.


IrishLass :)
 
IrishLass said:
Not really (I apologize if my words came out that way) :oops:. It's just that I've made high butter soaps before that lathered just fine with plenty of creamy/lotion-y lather, although there wasn't much in the way of bubbly lather to speak of.


IrishLass :)
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I am after creamy/lotion-y lather. Thanks
 
All soap really needs at least a 6 week cure. If you want, you can try your soap as soon as it doesn't zap, but withhold your final judgement until 6 weeks.

Regarding cleansing: In my opinion, I only worry about the cleansing number if I want to make a soap for cleaning really greasy, dirty hands. The average person doesn't need that for their typical daily washing. My understanding is that cleansing number refers to the soap's ability to remove oil, which is why a soap with a high cleansing number is harsh, because it removes your skin's natural oils.

I gift a friend a soap with rosemary and mint EOs and she said it really helped her son's eczema.
 
I will give it 6 weeks cure at least, I was wondering if it would need longer due to the high OO content.

Thanks for the tip about the EOs I wasn't sure whether to add them or not, I want to keep it as plain as possible but have concerns about how it will smell. My cocoa butter is de-scented as it worked out too expensive to order the unrefined one. However my shea is unrefined and it stinks :(
 
Well, hoping to avoid the Irish lash (LOL)

I usually use 10% butters in my soaps. In my first 2 batches I used no FO or EO and there was very little smell of Shea or chocolate in the finished product.
 
While lather may not be required, if it is going to used by someone with a skin condition I do think that a draggy bar is not going to be great at all!

Why the butters? For hardness? Once saponified, they stop being the same as using a butter on the skin and start being a salt. In the same way that coconut oil will be great for your skin, but saponified coconut oil will dry it right out. So if skin goodness is your goal, something else might be a better idea.
 
The reason for the high butters is I thought they would be good for the skin and creamy as well as hardness as I am avoiding coconut oil in this bar. I know that oils/butters are different once saponified but I don't know what they turn into. If anyone has a link to a site that explains the qualities of saponified oils that would be really helpful, there are plenty or resources that explain the benefits of raw oils/butters but I can't find one that explains the benefits/qualities once saponified.

I think the only way to really see is test it as seawolf mentioned. I will do a small batch. I will change the butters to 30% total and make up the 10% with almond oil or maybe lard.
 
I agree on the lard. I make a 50% olive oil, 50% lard that is super gentle, creamy and has no drag. If you still wanted some butter, you could try

40% olive
40% lard
20% shea

I like shea better in soap then coco butter. I ue the unrefined and the scent doesn't stick around, thankfully:)
 
Another thumbs up on the lard. Makes a great gentle, creamy soap. Obsidian's recipe would be an awesome soap. I too prefer Shea over Cocoa Butter for some reason in soap. Unrefined here too and not scent after curing.
 

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