Pine Tar soap questions...

[wookie130]

Okay, so I bought some dog food at our local Tractor & Supply Co. this morning, and discovered that they carry little cans of pine tar in horse section. I've seen many posts on here and elsewhere about making pine tar soap and it's benefits, and my oldest stepson does have periodical trouble with eczema. I've performed searches on this site about pine tar, and I've gleaned a lot of info from that, but I still have some questions.

*My typical soap recipes include coconut oil, which I like for the cleansing/hardness factor...but I'm seeing that many people are using a high percentage of olive and lard, with little else in the way of oils. I've been tinkering with various lye calculators for pine tar soap, and using such a high lard and/or olive oil %, I come up with a very conditioning soap, but little in the way of cleansing and bubbliness, even with a bit of castor added. Would there be something wrong with using coconut oil in a pine tar recipe? I guess I have a hard time giving up any of the cleansing/bubbles when I use a soap.

*I know that pine tar needs to be soaped cool...would an ice bath like I use for my GM soaps be recommended for my lye water in this case?

*It's best to add the pine tar to my melted oils, stick blend just the oils together, and then add my lye water...after that, I stir by hand to avoid soap on a stick? I also know to have my melted oils just warm, as the object is to soap cool...

*Once it's in the mold, would it be recommended to pop my mold into the freezer? I always use a 3# wooden log mold. I'm sort of used to doing this when I make my GM soaps...but is it recommended or helpful in pine tar soap?

*The recipe I'd like to try is as follows...any feedback would be most helpful:

24 oz. lard
14.4 oz. coconut oil (not sure about this one...again, coconut oil doesn't seem to be too popular in PT soap, but I hate to sacrifice it in my recipe, if at all possible)
9.6 oz. pine tar
6.43 oz lye
18 oz distilled water

I've run it through soapcalc, and I'm fairly happy with the numbers...thanks for reading my long ramblings!!!

 

[Dixie]

I've never made pine tar soap. But from what I have read on the internet I'm chicken to. lol I understand it sets up super quick. Someone will be along soon, I think kitn has made pine tar soap.

 

[needtosoap]

I can only tell you what I do

I keep my coconut at 25% or less of the recipe. The reason is that PT soap is usually used for irritated skin and coconut is a harsh oil. You can add some olive oil to make up the difference. Then in order for your PT soap to be "therapeutic" it needs to be at least 20% PT.

I use GM in my PT soap - I mix my GM and lye in an ice bath, then I mix my RT oils and lye mixture. After emulsion I add my PT and stir with a spoon DON'T use your SB. When I do it this way I have plenty of time to work but I still need to work fast. Make sure your mold is ready and next to you because once it starts to thicken it goes really fast.

I freeze my mold before using and even then this last batch overheated on me - I'm sure the milk contributed to it, along with the bazillion degree temperature outside and the fact that you need to work with PT when melted (warm) - so yes, it might be a good idea to pop it in the freezer.

The way I work with my PT is put the can outside and let the summer heat liquify it, then I pour it in a measuring cup that I used earlier to measure out my oils that way it doesn't stick to everything. I've not had to throw any of my cups or spoons away this way. Just clean everything immediately or it will be a mess!

Good Luck!

ETA: You probably already know this but don't discount the water.

 

[Guest]

I have made several batches and it can move fast , no stick blender needed most times. I did not chill my mold . You can use any recipe that you like , but this is what my results are based on.
I used lard, co ,oo, po, castor and evening primrose . For a 4lb batch I added 8 oz of pine tar which I added to my melted oils to get it dispersed well, then I let it cool to room temp , added my room temp lye . The second batch I made needed the sb for a minute , It was very slow to trace , but the first batch went much faster .I would have your sb handy , just in case. When it is at trace pour into your mold , I just covered it with saran and left it sitting on my soaping table , it is awesome soap .One of my tester's , uncle has psoriasis horribly pretty much all over his upper body . He has found a great deal of relief from the soap. So has my hubby , he only had the psoriasis on his knees , it is gone .

HTH

Kitn

 

[wookie130]

Thanks so much for the responses! That helps me considerably!

 

[donniej]

Other than accelarating trace, what effects does it have on processing and the finished soap? Does it clean better, add fragrance or make a harder bar?

Thank you.

 

[dagmar88]

it seems to have beneficial effects on problem skin.

 

[Guest]

Other than accelarating trace, what effects does it have on processing and the finished soap? Does it clean better, add fragrance or make a harder bar?

Thank you.

The one that I use has a mild smokey scent ( there are some pine tars that do not smell very good ) . I have heard that people do add scent to them , I like the scent the way it is .It does help some skin conditions in my experience , eczema and psoriasis . It also helps my dry itchy skin in the winter . The pine tar soap I make is a 6.3 for hardness and 6.7 for moisturizing and 5.7 for bubbles and 5.9 for stable lather on the SoapMaker3 program.

HTH

Kitn