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I'd take the grapeseed over the OO (although I enjoy the flavor of OO). My mother did and her cholesterol went way down. I've yet to get my cholesterol tested ... one of these days. -Dave

I like my lard-based shave soap. I know that you don't like it as much as tallow-based shave soap. I do concur with your opinion regarding the lardy smell ... but with that said, my latest batches (which now incorporate shea butter as the superfat, and extra glycerine) are, IMO, very nice. At...

By embedding microbeads, filled with natural repellents, the soap is able to ensure long-lasting repellency. Article here. Interesting. -Dave

The chart shows cholesterol increases from lauric acid (C12:0), myristic acid (C14:0), and palmitic acid (C16:0) which are found in coconut oil, palm oil, and butter. Elaidic acid (trans-C18:1), which is present in hydrogenated fats, is the worst because it increases LDL and decreases HDL. The...

Hot process, man! -Dave

Indeed. You might find this interesting: http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/fattyacids2.html Especially the chart about halfway down the page. I use grapeseed oil a lot nowadays. -Dave

I've got 2 quart-sized yogurt containers filled with mixed fats ... beef grease (from meatloaf), chicken runoff ... all mixed with a liberal dose of olive and grapeseed oils used for cooking. Also some bacon grease. I'm wondering if I should try the "Spanish superlye cleaning soap" recipe for...

Now that I've read the rest of the thread and it's drifted into food territory ... are you interested in sharing? I bake sourdough and I'm generally interested in European breads. Thanks. -Dave

That seems to go against some of the other comments in the thread. Can those that use preservatives in their diluted soap respond to this? -Dave

That's interesting. Maybe I'll skip the citric and go straight to EDTA. Thanks for sharing! -Dave

+1, although I have yet to try it. It's on my list ... maybe the next batch of shave soap ... I just read the entry on wikipedia. To really scare people, the article should say "the food and drink preservative made from cyanide" (!!!). -Dave EDIT: Thanks EG, for merging the posts. Too much...

Out of curiosity, why are you looking for such a thing? -Dave

EDTA and editor ate are chela yours to prevent soap scum. Not sure that it affects firmness. Using KOH will make softer soap...it's not avoidable. -Dave

What sort of water+lye solution were you using? If you use less water, the final product will be 'harder' or 'stiffer.' Also, you may want to consider increasing the stearic. My shave soap is 50-25-25 stearic-lard-coconut oil...last 2 batches were KOH only and low(ish) water...I can knead the...

DeeAnna: In this application, would a 100% CO soap made from potassium hydroxide work more effectively than one made from sodium hydroxide? -Dave

I made a batch of shave soap this morning. It's been since October of 2014 since I last soaped... Felt good to make something that I need, use, and enjoy. I made some tweaks to the recipe ... went with 1% SF using HP, after no zap I added 5% (by oil mass) glycerine and 5% (by oil mass) shea...

Can the curing process (for Castile) be accelerated with elevated temperature? -Dave

How about shea butter and extra glycerine? -Dave

DeeAnna: Found this .... Rain Drops Non-Phosphate Water Softening Powder ... ... ... sodium citrate, sodium carbonate Calgon Water Softener Powder ... ... ... sodium carbonate, trisodium citrate dihydrate, sodium sulfate Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda ... ... ... sodium carbonate Calgon...

Interestingly, Arm and Hammer sells a "water softener powder" ... on Amazon it sells for 1/4 the price of the Calgon product. Interesting. -Dave