58:42 Sat/Unsat Ratio

[KiwiMoose]

I'm in the throes of tweaking my standard recipe to include some cocoa butter and extra soy wax (5% of each) at the expense of 10% OO from my recipe. My aim is to increase palmitic and stearic and reduce oleic.

One of my reasons for doing this is because of @Mobjack Bay 's soy wax fatty acid profile, and also some of the discussions that @Shirley-D has been having in her recent thread.

Anyhoo - this now means my Sat:Unsat Ratio will be 58:42 instead of my usual 50:50. Does anyone foresee any problems?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

That sounds high. Is that with the custom profile for GW415 plugged into the calculator? For most of my recipes, palmitic + stearic is in the range of 29-30, with oleic at 40, and the saturated fat total percentage in the 40s.

 

[Shirley-D]

Hi @KiwiMoose, if you have been happy and successful with your lovely soaps, why change them?! The numbers on paper are not as important as the feel and function of the real soap bars. Yours appear to be great already.

 

[AliOop]

I honestly don't pay much attention to sat:unsat ratio. Otherwise, I couldn't use my 75% lard bars, my 80%OO Bastile bars, my 100% CO salt bars, or my 60% shea bars - all of which I love.

That's not to say that it can't be a tool in the toolbox, but like longevity, that ratio is definitely a lesser consideration for me than soap feel. Then again, I don't sell; perhaps ignoring those things is a luxury more suited to hobbyists?

 

[cmzaha]

My sat fat averages 44:56 in my vegan recipes using palm and shea and in my tallow/lard recipes it averages 48:52. I am thinking 58% may be a little high, but I have never soaped with soy wax.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

My answer was in the context of @KiwiMoose being an accomplished swirling queen who wants a balanced recipe that will stay reasonably fluid and without using lard, tallow, palm or pricey butters.

 

[KiwiMoose]

That sounds high. Is that with the custom profile for GW415 plugged into the calculator? For most of my recipes, palmitic + stearic is in the range of 29-30, with oleic at 40, and the saturated fat total percentage in the 40s.

No I haven't used the custom profile Mobjack. In actual fact I'm ok with my soap presently, but I do notice that I get a bit of oleic slime in all of mine - and I hadn't considered that amount of oleic acid that was in the soy wax.
I'll try a batch and see how I like it (and if I can still swirl and stuff!) and report back.

 

[Marsi]

I can't really comment much, except to say I chose to use a 60/40 blend with the second batch (Soy Wax, Cocoa, Olive/Avocado and Coconut/Castor).
I used extra honey to counter the hardness of the bar and increase solubility/bubbles. I used a low superfat and high lye concentration.

The bars are solid, feel smooth and bubble well for 5 day old soap.
The bubbles start soft and large, then settle into a creamy lather (until more water is added).
The soap performs well in less than ideal conditions - keeping it on a damp cloth results a slightly softened exterior, but doesn't result in oleic goop.

I can't wait to see how they go after the cure.
(I want more of the fluffy bubbles, so I'll be using some KOH in the next batch)

I am interested in what you will think of your higher saturated fat recipe @KiwiMoose

 

[Becky1024]

It might come to trace faster.

Try it and report the results!

 

[Marsi]

Update:
The soap (at 60/40) on the wet cloth test (that's where it lives) got some surface cracks when it was left to dry out (mild, but noticeable).
The puddle test (soap kept in water) is doing really well, doesn't get goopy (it softens a little and gets lighter in colour) and is nice to wash with!
It also got complimented (by the menfolk) for feeling "so smooth".

It's not a ratio I would want for a standard recipe, but it might have a place

 

[cne625]

45:55 sat:fat. sub water with Aloe Vera . Does anyone see any problems with this recipe?

 

[AliOop]

45:55 sat:fat. sub water with Aloe Vera . Does anyone see any problems with this recipe?

That would be way too cleansing for me. I keep my cleansing number around 12, which means using 20% or less of CO.

Also, unless you are planning to HP this soap, or make a really complicated design, consider changing your lye setting from 38% water as percent of oils, to 33% lye concentration.

Pomace OO accelerates the batter terribly on its own. When combined with all that CO, PO, and shea butter, you are going to have one fast-moving recipe.