Design a formula

[CWB2017]

Hello hello everyone I am very fortunate to be part of the family here
I have started reading a lot about soap and is really fascinating field.

Someone advised that hot process is better than cold because I can use/ sell the product shortly
Also advised that better do the M&P because once I have the base I can later make different claims

I wanted to learn how the soap formula is put together
This is my understanding
You first design the % between oils
Than with soap calculator you calculate the water and Lye
1- what is guidance and consequence on water, Water:lye and lye concentration
2- is lye conc=lye/(lye+water)
3- for ingredients other than oil I failed to find guidelines for % and also understand the basis of percentages meaning when you say sorbitol is 20% does it mean 20% of total oil? Or total batch or oil+lye+water
4- It is my understanding that after the above steps you calculate the relative % so the formula become a recipe to produce any batch size

Really appreciate your help to put me on track

 

[Scooter]

There are a lot of good sticky posts in the Beginner Forum as well as the other dedicated areas of this site. One is specifically about Soapcalc:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=47

Hot process still needs to cure like cold process. There may be benefits to using HP but speeding up the time to market is not one of them, in the opinion of a lot of people here.

ETA: And welcome to the forum! There are a lot of fun and helpful folks on here.

 

[Susie]

Hey and welcome!

Loads of wonderful information in the beginner section!

I think you should try whichever soap type you want to begin with. I do not think it has to be melt and pour, despite prevailing opinions elsewhere. So, what do YOU want to do?

As stated above, hot process will not give you a usable soap any faster than cold process. There are folks here who love hot process, and ones who do not. Both groups are nice people who are happy to help you. So, start with what you want to do, not what someone else tells you to.

I use soapee.com lye calculator with a 38% water as % of oils. I just basically leave the lye concentration/etc section alone. I like to gel my soaps, so this works for me (and it is less complicated).

Take some time to go through that beginner section. Read at least the first five pages of threads, and if you want help formulating a recipe, just say so. Please also include any types of oils we need to avoid, as well as what you have available. That way we can give you a recipe faster.

 

[Arimara]

I use lye concentration and I can honestly say that using water:lye ratios is an easier way to go. the ratios are essentially the same as lye concentration but much more generalized. 2:1 water to lye is standard for CP soaps and 3:1 water to lye is standard for HP, generally speaking.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I second the idea of reading. Read 10 pages or more of these sections -

Beginner
Lye-based
Recipe feedback

Take note of any suggestions for recipes especially where the WHY is given. That is the most important part in formulating a recipe. WHY do many people keep coconut and similar oils below a certain percentage? WHY does a salt bar recipe go against that? WHY do certain soaps need a longer cure?

All of this and more is already in there - answers to questions which you don't even know you have. I did this myself and it gave me a great foundation to work from, asking questions to fill in the gaps and clear up any places I wasn't sure about.

 

[CWB2017]

Thank you guys I will go read and try taking notes maybe post them back as a summary for next person to benefit

I will surely come back with questions

 

[Susie]

I am sure that someone would appreciate a summary, however, the parts you don't think are important are the very parts that are. It is difficult for a newcomer to understand that. However, what you need to understand is when you have this happen, or that problem, you will say, "Oh, I read about that somewhere, let me go look!", instead of, "I'll never get this, I give up!". Because whatever it is, someone here has had that issue, and someone was able to tell them what went wrong, and what to do about it.

You will also want to be familiar with using the search function above. It will give you answers to questions without having to wait for us to answer, and I promise that you will learn something every time you use it. For instance, there is a thread where someone asked about masterbatching just today when I asked a very similar question yesterday, and people answered in detail. The person today could have already had answers, and been off making soap rather than waiting for an answer.