New here, a little reassurance needed!

[fox]

Hi everyone, I'm new to all this but am becoming obessed! Was inspired after my gf bought me some Lush soaps. Loved the smell and the way they made my skin feel. GF's gone now but the soap obsession remains!

I've made two smallish batches in the last week and all seems well so far.
Bought about 50 EOs as well and loving them. I really do feel they have some psyholgical and physiological effect on the body. And I'm not the sort of person that usually believes in all that stuff!

Recipe 1:

olive oil 150g
palm oil 60g
coconut oil 90g
NaOH 44g
Water 100g

Which I reckon to give about 3% superfat. Used cedarwood, orange and mandarin EOs. Unmolded and cut it after about 36 hours. It cut fine except the edges did crumble very slightly. Passed the zap test and the bars seem to be hardening up nicely. Should I be worried about slight crumbling around the edges? Only talking bisciut cumb size. Maybe the knife I'm using is too thick. 100% sure I measured the ingredients accurately.

Recipe 2:

olive oil 200g
coconut oil 200g
NaOH 60g
Water 134g

Which gives about 8% superfat. Used Frankinsence, Ginger and Cinnamon Leaf EOs and it smells very warming. Should be ready for the impending English winter which is not pleasant when you have to get up at 6 every morning (I'm a primary school teacher)

I'm thinking of making a salt bar tomorrow - any ideas on scent?

PS - what is 'gel' and what is its significance?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

First recipe looks fine except that I usually soap with a standard 6% lye discount (superfat). I suggest you stick to that (especially when working with such a small recipe) as you can end up with a soap that is lye heavy. Our kitchen scales can be inaccurate and your 3% superfat can become 0% quite easily. Sometimes when you're adding something in small amounts, like sprinkling in caustic soda because you're nearly at the desired weight, the amount won't register. Hope that makes sense.

I keep an identical empty container close by and if in doubt, I will put empty container on the scale, press tare and then put the container with the caustic soda back on to check.

I wouldn't expect that first recipe to be crumbly so don't know what the problem is there. Yes, may be the knife.

Some essential oils can be irritating to the skin (cinnamon) so be careful and do your research on them.

Most of all, have fun, enjoy the journey, and read all that you can on this wonderful forum. Keep copious amounts of notes on everything you do. Welcome to the addiction. :wink:

 

[dagmar88]

Please start making batches where all of the oils and butters combined are at least 500 grams.
With that first recipe, you only have to be off by one gram to end up with lye heavy soap...

 

[fox]

Please start making batches where all of the oils and butters combined are at least 500 grams.
With that first recipe, you only have to be off by one gram to end up with lye heavy soap...

Good point, thanks.

 

[fox]

First recipe looks fine except that I usually soap with a standard 6% lye discount (superfat). I suggest you stick to that (especially when working with such a small recipe) as you can end up with a soap that is lye heavy.

Is the zap test a reliable way of testing whether it is lye heavy?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Apparently it is. I'm not into licking soap so prefer to use a reasonable lye discount and then wait to test the soap by washing with it. :wink:

 

[Soaplady22]

I might add that lye heavy soap lathers profusely.

 

[fox]

I might add that lye heavy soap lathers profusely.

Washed my hands with the soap I made last week, left them silky smooth all day long. No skin dissolved at all! Winner!