Feedback for beer soap, new recipes?

[cinnamaldehyde]

I'm still fussing around with this beer soap I'm trying to make. I want to use my husband's coffee stout and I *think* I've figured out recipes that will work well with the beer. Trying to use up some oils I already have as well as make a nice, balanced, all-purpose bar. After the basic trials, I will add fragrance and exfoliants, probably along the lines of coffee and/or oatmeal.

Trial 1:
Beer (de-carbonated) 171.17g
NaOH 62.56g

Olive oil (50%) 225.23g
Coconut oil (25%) 112.61g
Shea butter (10%) 45.05g
Sunflower oil (10%) 45.05g
Castor oil (5%) 22.52g

Trial 2 (haven't soap calc'd it yet):
Beer (de-carbonated)
NaOH

Olive oil (30%)
Coconut oil (30%)
Avocado oil (20%)
Shea butter (15%)
Castor oil (5%)

Both 5% superfat

I use soapcalc.net, and it's for a 3lb mold. And yes, being Canadian means I think in grams and pounds

Feedback? Ideas specifically for a beer soap?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would make it with your regular recipe - so you know what the beer is bringing to the party. If you change up the recipe and you either love or hate the soap, you won't know what it was that made it that way

 

[shunt2011]

I have to agree with TEG here. You need to use one of you recipes that are tried and true and add the beer to one of those. Since you've been soaping for a few years I'm sure you have a recipe you like and are familiar with enough to know what difference the beer brings to the party.

Also, with the recipes you've posted you dont' know how or if they will behave.

 

[cinnamaldehyde]

Good points, thank you. I am going to make mini batches of 2 of my stand-by recipes (one with palm, one without), plus the two I listed above. I know tiny batches have their own issues, but I make teeny tiny batches pretty frequently.

I'm very much a "compare and contrast" soaper. (The best in show in my trials over the next few months will be landing on my husband's brewery/taproom shelves for sale next Christmas.)

So much beer, so little time

 

[BrewerGeorge]

...

I'm very much a "compare and contrast" soaper. (The best in show in my trials over the next few months will be landing on my husband's brewery/taproom shelves for sale next Christmas.)

So much beer, so little time

I went into a small brewpub last week and noticed that they had soap at the register while I was paying. Funny thing was that I'm 100% sure it was scented with BB's Tobacco and Bay which is one of my favorites.

 

[amd]

Gasp! I have a homebrewed coffee stout in my freezer waiting for the same reason Please post back on how your soap came out - I would love to know.

 

[Misschief]

I have been approached by the brewery, whose ale I used to make my soaps, to make it to sell in their tasting room. My daughter brought them samples and they asked to meet with us to discuss making it for them. I'm excited!

 

[Arimara]

I have been approached by the brewery, whose ale I used to make my soaps, to make it to sell in their tasting room. My daughter brought them samples and they asked to meet with us to discuss making it for them. I'm excited!

Congrats.

 

[cinnamaldehyde]

Gasp! I have a homebrewed coffee stout in my freezer waiting for the same reason Please post back on how your soap came out - I would love to know.

Everything went well with 2 test batches (one old recipe, plus trial #1 recipe), and while the overall texture, feel, finish seem okay, this soap STINKS. I'm less than 24h out, so there's lots of development still to happen, but holy cow, it's rank.

I didn't add any fragrance to it because I wanted to see what the plain soap smelled like first.

Yuck, yuck, yuck. I've made beer soaps with paler beers and lagers and while they didn't smell fantastic, they were decent enough to use plain.

Blech. Definitely rebatching these. Will keep you posted though :neutral:

 

[lionprincess00]

Everything went well with 2 test batches (one old recipe, plus trial #1 recipe), and while the overall texture, feel, finish seem okay, this soap STINKS. I'm less than 24h out, so there's lots of development still to happen, but holy cow, it's rank.

I didn't add any fragrance to it because I wanted to see what the plain soap smelled like first.

Yuck, yuck, yuck. I've made beer soaps with paler beers and lagers and while they didn't smell fantastic, they were decent enough to use plain.

Blech. Definitely rebatching these. Will keep you posted though :neutral:

You may consider letting it sit two weeks. Smells tend to fade a lot, and if it still stinks you can rebatch then. Of course, I made watermelon soap that never cured out the funky odor, so there's a chance cure won't help.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Everything went well with 2 test batches (one old recipe, plus trial #1 recipe), and while the overall texture, feel, finish seem okay, this soap STINKS. I'm less than 24h out, so there's lots of development still to happen, but holy cow, it's rank.

I didn't add any fragrance to it because I wanted to see what the plain soap smelled like first.

Yuck, yuck, yuck. I've made beer soaps with paler beers and lagers and while they didn't smell fantastic, they were decent enough to use plain.

Blech. Definitely rebatching these. Will keep you posted though :neutral:

Beer soap does STINK, but it goes away.

 

[Obsidian]

I agree. I use a double dark chocolate stout in my soap and its usually pretty smelly at first but it goes away. Coffee soap smells even worse too, like a burned coffee pot and chemicals.

 

[cinnamaldehyde]

Yeah, I'll give it awhile before making decisions about rebatching. Glad to know that other people's beer soaps have been stinky!

 

[Arimara]

Beer soap does STINK, but it goes away.

I agree. I use a double dark chocolate stout in my soap and its usually pretty smelly at first but it goes away. Coffee soap smells even worse too, like a burned coffee pot and chemicals.

I guess I'm odd that I didn't mind how my beer soap smelled when I made it. Coffee soap too. I HATED the way my coconut milk soap smelled, however. It stank to high heaven and I like coconut. Obsidian, I used the same beer you did.