Coconut Oil Soap

[Carly B]

I remember reading (possibly here on the forum) that someone made a soap of 100% coconut oil with a 20% SF (no salt or brine). That sounded interesting, so I thought I'd try a small batch (6 oz of oil = ~2 1/2 bars).

So I measured, melted, blended, added a touch of color and a few drops of FO.

A little while after I poured them (in individual molds), I noticed an oil slick on top of them. I have never done a SF of over 5%, so I'm not sure if this is normal or not. Has anyone else done something like this, and if so, what were the results?

Thanks for any guidance....

 

[Lin19687]

No there should not be an oil slick. Maybe you measured wrong with it being such a tiny batch or your scale is off
There are a ton of posts on this subject. Try to do a search (google search works better), may posts are in the Beginners section too

 

[cmzaha]

Did you happen to insulate your mold? CO soap tends to build heat especially if you use the higher end of water or lower lye concentration such as 27%. You could have a little separation, so I would just leave it since it is contained in silicone and see what happens. If it is insulated, remove the insulation and you could even aim a fan towards it, you just do not want to blow off the liquid oil.

 

[Nanette]

I make a 100% CO with a 20% superfat and I have never had a problem with an oil slick on top...but I make a 3lb loaf...it may be harder with such a small batch..no help at all......sorry! I do make this soap often tho, sometimes use aloe vera juice instead of water and it always behaves well.

 

[Arimara]

Try to make sure they mold is on a lid or something nonreactive for easier transport if need be. Give it some time and check if the oil reabsorbed itself. Also, I get that you were trying not to make too much but it might have been a better idea to make 250-300g of soap for this batch. I state this in grams only because it is way easier(and possibly safer) to use that measurement for micro batches than to use ounces.

 

[Carly B]

Thanks, everyone. The oil mostly reabsorbed, and it hardened quickly (no surprise there) and has come cleanly out of the mold.

Animara, I did use grams when I made it. I set the Soap Calc for 6 oz of oil, but used the grams when pouring out the actual ingredients.

Nanette--what is the soap itself like? Does it need a longer cure?

A superfat question---how high can the SF go before it will be too much to make soap? Do you just end up with an oily mess if the SF is too high? My curiosity was piqued when I saw the oil slick, but not piqued enough to want to experiment.

 

[Nanette]

Thanks, everyone. The oil mostly reabsorbed, and it hardened quickly (no surprise there) and has come cleanly out of the mold.

Animara, I did use grams when I made it. I set the Soap Calc for 6 oz of oil, but used the grams when pouring out the actual ingredients.

Nanette--what is the soap itself like? Does it need a longer cure?

A superfat question---how high can the SF go before it will be too much to make soap? Do you just end up with an oily mess if the SF is too high? My curiosity was piqued when I saw the oil slick, but not piqued enough to want to experiment.

I like the soap very much--regular cure--4-5 weeks and terrific lather. One caveat...in hot and humid weather some of my coconut soaps began to get dossy at two months!! so I wouldnt count this as a long lived soap, alas. The high superfat may have contributed to the issue.