Close to perfection . Looking for feedback

[Mike E]

Hi everyone . I know am really close to getting these recipe down . I was wondering your thoughts on these two recipe . And if there is better tweaks that are still low cost. Im trying to keep everything palm free.

Olive oil promace - 50%
Coconut oil - 34%
Shea Butter - 10 %
Castor - 6 %

5 % super fat
33% lye concentration

I would like to have a recipe that I can switch out the Avocado oil with Hemp Oil. And change out the shea butter with Cocoa Butter & Mango Butter. I just want to a good balanced soap . My main focus is on this bottom recipe .

Olive oil promace - 45 %
Coconut oil - 34 %
Shea butter - 10 %
Avocado Oil - 6 %
Castor oil - 5 %

5% superfat
33% lye concentration

Thanks for your times . Looking forward hearing from you .

I’ve attached the soapcal print out .

I’m excited to hear what everyone has to say .

Happy soaping

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Close but no cigar! LOL

The cleansing value at 23 is higher than the recommended range due to the 34% coconut oil in the recipe. Happy to see you're working in grams. Suggest you make a 450g batch of each recipe, give it some time (at least 4 weeks) to cure, then tweak from there if you find the soap to be too cleansing for your skin.

I may have mentioned this before. Not sure. But for the oils you are working with, take a look at the Basic Trinity of Oils. It's a well-balanced starter formula that you can then tweak to your heart's content.

Use Shea Butter for the "palm" portion; take 5% from the Olive portion and give 5% to the castor oil. See whatcha think. Once you've made a 450g batch of BTO compare it to your recipes.

HAPPY SOAPING!

 

[cmzaha]

Perfection is different for everyone. That recipe is not even close to perfection in my opinion. Cleansing is much to high and I hate OO. My customers would have never purchased a soap made with either recipe. Sorry, I am not trying to sound mean but you asked. Also that recipe will make a very soluble, (melts fast in shower) soap that will not last long.

 

[AliOop]

I have to agree with with @cmzaha. Based on the oils you said you want to use, I'd suggest:

25% Shea
25% cocoa butter
25% soft oil of choice, or mix of soft oils (olive, avocado RBO, HO sunflower/safflower)
20% CO, PKO, or mix of both
5% castor oil

FWIW, olive pomace makes the soap accelerate for most people. It is also very expensive for me, as I have to get it shipped to me. Light OO from Costco is very well-behaved and much more reasonably priced.

 

[Mike E]

Perfection is different for everyone. That recipe is not even close to perfection in my opinion. Cleansing is much to high and I hate OO. My customers would have never purchased a soap made with either recipe. Sorry, I am not trying to sound mean but you asked. Also that recipe will make a very soluble, (melts fast in shower) soap that will not last long.

That's okay . This is me learning and figuring this out . Im just trying to stay away from palm and keep cost down

I have to agree with with @cmzaha. Based on the oils you said you want to use, I'd suggest:

25% Shea
25% cocoa butter
25% soft oil of choice, or mix of soft oils (olive, avocado RBO, HO sunflower/safflower)
20% CO, PKO, or mix of both
5% castor oil

FWIW, olive pomace makes the soap accelerate for most people. It is also very expensive for me, as I have to get it shipped to me. Light OO from Costco is very well-behaved and much more reasonably priced.

Okay thank you .

No palm soaps are more expensive to make . Been hard to lower cost for me

Close but no cigar! LOL

The cleansing value at 23 is higher than the recommended range due to the 34% coconut oil in the recipe. Happy to see you're working in grams. Suggest you make a 450g batch of each recipe, give it some time (at least 4 weeks) to cure, then tweak from there if you find the soap to be too cleansing for your skin.

I may have mentioned this before. Not sure. But for the oils you are working with, take a look at the Basic Trinity of Oils. It's a well-balanced starter formula that you can then tweak to your heart's content.

Use Shea Butter for the "palm" portion; take 5% from the Olive portion and give 5% to the castor oil. See whatcha think. Once you've made a 450g batch of BTO compare it to your recipes.

HAPPY SOAPING!

Thanks for everything I really appreciate it . Back to the lab I go

That's okay . This is me learning and figuring this out . Im just trying to stay away from palm and keep cost down

Also just wondering . Whats an average bar of soap you sell cost you ?

 

[KiwiMoose]

Neither of those recipes will have much longevity. To have soap last longer you need to increase the palmitic/stearic fatty acid content to at least 25% combined. To that end i would consider increasing your butter content to at least 15%, if not 20%.

I would also keep the CO down to 20% or 25% maximum if you are wedded to idea of using lots of it.

I'm not sure of the price of RBO in Canada - but it's very cheap here and I use it at 20% and OO (the cheapest, lightest i can find) at 20%. Also, I may have mentioned in another thread that I use soy wax at 20% to help harden the bar (a cheap, palm-free and vegan option).

My bars (average 105g) work out to about $NZ 2.40 each cost price.

 

[Mike E]

Neither of those recipes will have much longevity. To have soap last longer you need to increase the palmitic/stearic fatty acid content to at least 25% combined. To that end i would consider increasing your butter content to at least 15%, if not 20%.

I would also keep the CO down to 20% or 25% maximum if you are wedded to idea of using lots of it.

I'm not sure of the price of RBO in Canada - but it's very cheap here and I use it at 20% and OO (the cheapest, lightest i can find) at 20%. Also, I may have mentioned in another thread that I use soy wax at 20% to help harden the bar (a cheap, palm-free and vegan option).

My bars (average 105g) work out to about $NZ 2.40 each cost price.

Thank you for your info . Everything help and make sense . I’ve been formulating all day . All the tips and trick help .

 

[Terri E]

As was already stated, everyone likes something a bit different but keeping what you have listed try this in a 1 lb batch and see what you think.
I use Sodium lactate to help with unmolding, sodium citrate and xylitol in most batches.

 

[Mike E]

As was already stated, everyone likes something a bit different but keeping what you have listed try this in a 1 lb batch and see what you think.
I use Sodium lactate to help with unmolding, sodium citrate and xylitol in most batches.
View attachment 71910

Okay sounds good. Thank you very much for you help

 

[Mike E]

I just made 2 soaps . Im have to wait for them to cure . Same recipe but one with 5 % cast one with 7% castor oil .

Would there be a big different is how your skin feel when getting out of the shower ?

 

[Terri E]

In my opinion, I don’t think it will make a huge difference but I like it at about 6-7%. I like castor oil because of the way it increases the lather and gives your soap a rich, creamy and bubbly feel. A good cure always makes mine feel best out of the shower. I add a chelator as well because we have spring water.

 

[Mike E]

In my opinion, I don’t think it will make a huge difference but I like it at about 6-7%. I like castor oil because of the way it increases the lather and gives your soap a rich, creamy and bubbly feel. A good cure always makes mine feel best out of the shower. I add a chelator as well because we have spring water.

Great info. Thank you

 

[CecileBC]

Hi Michael,

I thought I would share as I'm also playing with a recipe I could twist.
This is my last one:

Visual:

three days old only... haven't tried it for lather yet.

From all your comments above, I guess I could:
- increase my castor oil and lower the shea ?
- 5% super fat ok ?
- I see most of you use a lye concentration of 33%, when I have always used 40%: does it make a difference ? (I believe 40% helps prevent soda ash, but does not allow much time for swirls right?)

Thanks a million for your tips !

 

[Mike E]

5 % superfat is good.

I didn't make the recipe so I might not be the best person to talk to. I went back to using palm for now. I can't see your Fatty Acids but here's a chart that will help you.

Fatty Acid

Fatty Acid	Range
Lauric + Myristic	20 to 30
Palmitic + Stearic	20 to 30
Oleic	32 to 41
Linoleic	7 to 14
Linolenic	0 to 1
Ricinoleic	4 to 7

I got told to check out www.lovinsoap.com . I ended up taking one of there courses to learn about Fatty acid and how to replace them . They also have charts on their website with listing of oils and there fatty acid properties and what oils can be change out for each other.

The percentage of water will help cure your soap and unmold faster.

You can also prevent soda ash by immediately spraying the top of your soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol right after you pour it, then by spraying it again after about 10 - 15 minutes. The alcohol will help create a protective barrier on top of your soap bars.

Your soap looks good . There so many details and tweaks on formulating soap ( different climates , ingredients, different skin types, what you add on top of your formulation ). I couldn't see your full recipe sheet so I can't go through it completely. Im still in the learning process myself. I don't want to give you miss information . I got one recipe that 100 % amazing. But the Palm free I haven't perfected yet . Everyday im trying something new. I love chatting about soap . Message me anytime .

Happy Soaping

 

[CecileBC]

5 % superfat is good.

I didn't make the recipe so I might not be the best person to talk to. I went back to using palm for now. I can't see your Fatty Acids but here's a chart that will help you.

Fatty Acid

Fatty Acid	Range
Lauric + Myristic	20 to 30
Palmitic + Stearic	20 to 30
Oleic	32 to 41
Linoleic	7 to 14
Linolenic	0 to 1
Ricinoleic	4 to 7

I got told to check out www.lovinsoap.com . I ended up taking one of there courses to learn about Fatty acid and how to replace them . They also have charts on their website with listing of oils and there fatty acid properties and what oils can be change out for each other.

The percentage of water will help cure your soap and unmold faster.

You can also prevent soda ash by immediately spraying the top of your soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol right after you pour it, then by spraying it again after about 10 - 15 minutes. The alcohol will help create a protective barrier on top of your soap bars.

Your soap looks good . There so many details and tweaks on formulating soap ( different climates , ingredients, different skin types, what you add on top of your formulation ). I couldn't see your full recipe sheet so I can't go through it completely. Im still in the learning process myself. I don't want to give you miss information . I got one recipe that 100 % amazing. But the Palm free I haven't perfected yet . Everyday im trying something new. I love chatting about soap . Message me anytime .

Happy Soaping

Thanks a lot Mickael !
BTW, was the course on Lovin' soap studio interesting ? I have gathered all my info on the net for the past 3 months, with some favourite bloggers like Elly's everyday, whom I find clear and informative, but haven't tried any course yet...
Have a nice day !

 

[Mike E]

Thanks a lot Mickael !

Anytime !

 

[Mike E]

As was already stated, everyone likes something a bit different but keeping what you have listed try this in a 1 lb batch and see what you think.
I use Sodium lactate to help with unmolding, sodium citrate and xylitol in most batches.
View attachment 71910

Hi Terri , do you have experience working with extracts . What is the best method adding them to soap ?

 

[Terri E]

With extracts I save them for my creams and facial serums. I don’t think extracts hold up well in CP soap. The wonderful benefit they would bring would be mostly consumed by the lye though some could remain. I do add a lot of different elements to my soap though. I love colloidal oats, powdered goat’s milk, kefir, clays, charcoal, aloe, ground herbs & spices and natural salts. I usually add most of these at light trace and blend them in.
With the sodium citrate I dissolve it in a small amount of water, add my oats, clays and powdered milk to the liquid (it is on the thick side) and blend it in at light trace. Sodium lactate goes into the lye water.
I have used frozen aloe as well as milks and blended the lye into it. I hope this is what you are asking

 

[Mike E]

With extracts I save them for my creams and facial serums. I don’t think extracts hold up well in CP soap. The wonderful benefit they would bring would be mostly consumed by the lye though some could remain. I do add a lot of different elements to my soap though. I love colloidal oats, powdered goat’s milk, kefir, clays, charcoal, aloe, ground herbs & spices and natural salts. I usually add most of these at light trace and blend them in.
With the sodium citrate I dissolve it in a small amount of water, add my oats, clays and powdered milk to the liquid (it is on the thick side) and blend it in at light trace. Sodium lactate goes into the lye water.
I have used frozen aloe as well as milks and blended the lye into it. I hope this is what you are asking

Amazing . The way you explain everything is simple, its much appreciated . I made your recipe this morning . Im excited to try it .

Are you making soap as a hobby ? Or do you have a soap business . I am interest to see some of your work .

Thanks for the information .

 

[Terri E]

Thank you and you’re quite welcome. I am glad to help anytime.
I guess I‘ve made soap, creams, lotion etc. the last 12 years mainly as a hobby but friends, family, coworkers and acquaintances seem to like to buy it from me. I have never had the desire to start up a real business due to work commitments.
I love making “things” period but soap making is something I totally enjoy, a real stress reliever. If you look in the Media section of this forum I have posted quite a few soaps I have made. It is listed under Media items Terri E