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Lina

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What do you think of this recipe? Thoughts on things I should change to make it better? I know EG will ask me what I want of the bar. What I adore is a hard mild bar with creamy lather that is not too drying. I have sensitive skin. The Cocoa butter is a must because it feels so awesome to me in soap. Your advice is so valuable to me. I have learned so much here :smile:

OO 32%
PO 20%
CO 18%
Avocado Oil 10%
Cocoa Butter 7.5%
Shea Butter 7.5%
Castor 5%

Water 2:1, SF 5%, whole cream 5% of oils, silk powder 1tsp ppo, sodium lactate 1 tsp ppo, kaolin clay 2 tsp ppo.
 
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I think you ought to use Cocoa Butter @ 15% in one batch, then Shea Butter @ 15% in the next to see which you prefer.

I also think you should eliminate the Avocado Oil, as it is expensive, and you really are not going to notice 10% in a wash off product. Save it for a leave on product. Add that amount to the palm oil.

Why are you wanting to use silk, SL, and kaolin all in the same batch? Have you tried them all separately to see what you get from each one?

Also, why the heavy cream vs. just adding milk as a partial water replacement?

Sugar @ 1 tsp PPO will help boost your bubbles.
 
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Ah Lina - you know me so well :)

That really does help to feedback, actually.

I would swap the palm and olive amounts around. You can drop the co to 15% if mild and creamy is more important than bubbles, especially if you add the sugar as has been suggested (by Susie the bubble-lover).

As has also been said, strip that recipe right down and it up again - do you need both butters? What do they bring? Have you made a soap with neither and just one of each? The additives, too - add one at a time to really feel what each one does.

That way you can see if the recipe as a whole could actually be better with something removed (many people dislike clay in a soap, for example)
 
What do you find the difference between milk vs cream?
 
I haven't done cream in a soap, but I've used whole milk as 50% water. I obviously don't have a comparison but, I did some math. The conclusion is this, with 5% cream in the recipe as opposed to full milk in place of water, you will be adding less milk fat and way less sugars and protein. So, I'm thinking you'll get less of the milk benefits by going the 5% cream route.
 
What do you hope to get from the clay? Some people find it drying. Hubby and I adore the glide, bounce and extra cleansing of clay, but we are grubs, and don't have dry skin.
 
What do you hope to get from the clay? Some people find it drying. Hubby and I adore the glide, bounce and extra cleansing of clay, but we are grubs, and don't have dry skin.

I love the slip clay and silk add to soap. I didn't know clays were drying! Great to know. I guess I will use less b/c I love that slip!
 
Like above, use only one butter so you can compare. I like a bit of cocoa butter but not in every soap. Try the simplest ones. I was like you wanted to put everything into soap. I had, then I am stripping my formulas to 4 oils. Avocado I use for body butters. Shea butter is awesome in body butter even in small percentage is good for the face cream. Silk I use in lotions. Clays. I like the clay 1 tsp PPO but it always slip from my hands and the bar is not big, All the time it hits my toes in the shower. My skin like clay, I use kaolin in soaps. Most of them anyway
Using milk I would watch for superfat not to go to high, :)) Good luck with a perfect soap bar:))
 
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