First Batch: Thoughts?

[fofekow]

Hello,

Happy 2024!!

I finally tried my very first batch. For the recipe, I used what I had at that time: 47% EVOO, 18% coconut oil, 6% castor oil, 20% palm kernel oil, and 9% shea butter. For the water:lye ratio, I used 2.5:1, the calculator just gave me this. I also used a fragrance, because why not ?
The total oil quantity was 290g, so a small batch just because it was my first time, and to be honest although I did a lot of research, I wasn't very comfortable in what I was doing...

I brought the solid oils into liquid using the microwave. Then as soon as I started to stir everything together, I noticed the oil-mixture turned yellow. Not sure if I was expecting that... Maybe the EVOO is the responsible ? I used an "unfiltered" EVOO, because that's the one I had...

After around 20 minutes I had something that I suppose (and hope) was a medium trace, according to various youtube videos...

I poured it into a silicon mold, and let it rest for 2 days.

In the end of the second day, I unmolded it to cut. The first thing I noticed was that the top surface, which was exposed to the air while still in the mold, turned white. All other three surfaces were still yellow. Is that normal ?

I cutted it in 7 bars with around 1 inch each. I used a knife to cut it, and when it went through the soap it was really hard to pull it back without damaging the adjacent surfaces. Is there anything I can do in this case ? I used my fingers to hold the soap while pulling the knife back, but in this case I had my fingerprints in the soap surface...

I will let it cure for 4 weeks, and check the final result... Meanwhile I would like to try another recipe. Please, could you provide your thoughts, so I can learn something from this first batch before doing my second one ? Is there a way to test the soap before the full curing cycle to know if the recipe is OK, or I really need to wait 4 weeks to evaluate it ?

Thanks!

 

[AliOop]

Great job! Your soap looks much nicer than my first batch, for sure. You were also smart to make a small batch to start!

The whitish stuff on the top is harmless soda ash. You can remove it by planing or steaming, but it is just cosmetic. The most likely cause is the high amount of water you used. For cold-processed soap, a more typical water:lye ratio is 2:1, or a 33% lye concentration. You can change that setting in your lye calculator of choice. You can also cover the soap after pouring, to limit exposure to the air until saponification is complete.

Are you sure you used palm kernel oil, and not palm oil, aka palm fruit oil? Palm kernel oil (PKO) is very different from palm oil (PO). Between the PKO and the coconut oil, you have a total of 38% "cleansing" oils. That's really high! You will have lots of bubbles, but it is likely to be very drying to the skin. Soap calculators are a little misleading in this area, in that they suggest that a cleansing number up to 22 is in the ideal range. Even if the soap has a 0 cleansing number, it will still get you clean. Many folks try to keep their cleansing number at 12 or below to avoid drying out their skin.

I find it very difficult to cut soap with a knife. A bench scraper (aka pastry knife) will give more consistent cuts, because the "blade" is the same thickness at the top and the bottom, and from the tip to the handle.

The yellow color is probably from the olive oil and the shea butter. You can use light olive oil and refined shea butter if you want a lighter color. However, fragrance oils can also change the color of the soap. Speaking of which, what fragrance did you use, and how do you like it? Are you excited to make your next batch??

 

[Savage Daughter]

I cutted it in 7 bars with around 1 inch each. I used a knife to cut it, and when it went through the soap it was really hard to pull it back without damaging the adjacent surfaces. Is there anything I can do in this case ?

You can try spraying your knife with alcohol before cutting, which can make it much easier to release from the soap.

I will let it cure for 4 weeks, and check the final result... Meanwhile I would like to try another recipe. Please, could you provide your thoughts, so I can learn something from this first batch before doing my second one ? Is there a way to test the soap before the full curing cycle to know if the recipe is OK, or I really need to wait 4 weeks to evaluate it ?

You can try it now, but you may find it's somewhat drying for your skin. Cut a small piece off a bar & test it over the period of a couple of weeks & you will notice the change your soap continues to go through. I do this with all of my soaps.

 

[fofekow]

1Great job! Your soap looks much nicer than my first batch, for sure. You were also smart to make a small batch to start!

The whitish stuff on the top is harmless soda ash. You can remove it by planing or steaming, but it is just cosmetic. The most likely cause is the high amount of water you used. For cold-processed soap, a more typical water:lye ratio is 2:1, or a 33% lye concentration. You can change that setting in your lye calculator of choice. You can also cover the soap after pouring, to limit exposure to the air until saponification is complete.

Are you sure you used palm kernel oil, and not palm oil, aka palm fruit oil? Palm kernel oil (PKO) is very different from palm oil (PO). Between the PKO and the coconut oil, you have a total of 38% "cleansing" oils. That's really high! You will have lots of bubbles, but it is likely to be very drying to the skin. Soap calculators are a little misleading in this area, in that they suggest that a cleansing number up to 22 is in the ideal range. Even if the soap has a 0 cleansing number, it will still get you clean. Many folks try to keep their cleansing number at 12 or below to avoid drying out their skin.

I find it very difficult to cut soap with a knife. A bench scraper (aka pastry knife) will give more consistent cuts, because the "blade" is the same thickness at the top and the bottom, and from the tip to the handle.

The yellow color is probably from the olive oil and the shea butter. You can use light olive oil and refined shea butter if you want a lighter color. However, fragrance oils can also change the color of the soap. Speaking of which, what fragrance did you use, and how do you like it? Are you excited to make your next batch??

Thanks for your answer!

Indeed, it is PKO. I did the second batch, now with only coconut oil to keep the cleansing on 11.
I used Lard, just to know how it will look like, since the first was with vegetable oils. The recipe I used was 60% lard, 15% coconut oil, 5% castor oil, 9% shea butter, and 11% canola oil. I used less water as well, as suggested ,keeping water:lye in 2:1, and 5% superfat.

In the first one and also in this recipe I used a fragance ratio of 33. It is called black raspberry vanilla. I am leaving it in the closet to cure, and when I open the door the entire room is smelling the fragance. Was it too much in terms of ratio ? I am afraid my family will not support this while still curing, so when it is time to use they will not tolarate the smell no more

This second one using lard was waaaay more time consuming to emulsify it. I poured in a very thin trace. After 3 days I unmolded and cutted it. I notice this one was more white, but in the bottom surface there were yellow marks. What is it ?

I have some pure soy wax for candle purposes... Did you already tried to use it in soaps ?

 

[KiwiMoose]

Sometimes I get discolouration like that from my red or brown silicone molds. It's most likely to the that.
I use soy wax at 20% in my soap - but sure it is pure soy with no additives.

 

[AliOop]

In the first one and also in this recipe I used a fragance ratio of 33.

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by this. The amount of fragrance is typically 3% to 6% of the total oil weight. The actual percentage depending on the manufacturer's recommendations. The fragrance does tend to lessen during the cure.

This second one using lard was waaaay more time consuming to emulsify it. I poured in a very thin trace.

Yes, that is very normal for lard, especially if you are comparing it to your last recipe, which would have traced very quickly. This is one reason people who like making fancy soap designs may use a fair amount of lard in the recipe - it gives them more working time.

I notice this one was more white, but in the bottom surface there were yellow marks. What is it ?

I agree with Kiwi that the orange is probably discoloration from the silicone mold. Soap batter is highly alkaline and can cause the color to leach out of the silicone into the soap. This is especially try if you are using a mold that was intended for baking rather than soapmaking.

All in all, your soap looks very nice. Have you tested one of the end cuts yet? You know, for science (not because you are impatient, no, no).