First attempt at recipe calc...

[Babyshoes]

I made my first batch the other day, but it was quite a large amount.
I wanted to create a recipe based on the oils I already have to practise and test fragrance & colours, in a tiny amount to fit a tub I have that will be a nice shape and size for about 3-4 bars, and will take around 400g of batter... (I'll have a few small silicone moulds handy in case I end up with a little extra.) I watched and read a load about sizing a batch for a mould, and I think I've cracked it...

Could someone please sanity check the recipe for me please? Many thanks.

 

[KimW]

Hello and welcome! I'm not entirely sure what you want checked, as it looks like you've achieved a total batter weight just under 400g, which I think was your goal. I suspect it will make a decent bar of soap that you will be pleased with. I'm glad to see you're starting with a small batch and with oils you already have on hand. I say go for it - and don't worry, it's just soap!

P.S. share a pic after it's cut!

 

[lsg]

The following recipe will give you a bar that is fairly hard and has creamy and sudsy lather.

5% Castor oil
25% Coconut oil
30% Palm oil (Can substitute tallow or lard)
40% Sunflower Oil (Be sure to use high oleic sunflower oil or add a few drops of rosemary oleoresin to the oils.)

 

[AliOop]

Good job on the batch size - right where you want it.

But that's a lot of sunflower oil, giving you a combined linoleic and linolenic number of 38. The usually rule of thumb is <18 to avoid increased risk of DOS. If you have high-oleic sunflower oil, that would help.

The other issue I see is that you are using the default "water as percent of oils" setting. That is not a reliable or consistent way to calculate the water and lye for your recipe. In this case, you end up with a 27% lye solution, which is far from ideal for this size of batch. That much water, combined with your high amount of soft oils, will keep your soap from setting up in a timely manner. It could also cause your soaps to warp as they cure.

For those reasons, I'd change the setting to "lye concentration" and choose 33%. That's a good starting point for new soapmakers.

ETA: I agree with @lsg about using ROE if you are doing to use that much sunflower oil. I also wanted to say that your cleansing number is really high, and could result in very dry or itchy skin. Notice that @lsg recommended lowering the coconut to 25%? That's because CO is very, very cleansing. Contrary to what most people think, even soap with a cleansing number of 0 will clean your skin. With exceptions for specific recipes, most folks try to keep that number at 15 or less.

 

[Babyshoes]

Yikes, that's confusing! Thank you for the feedback everyone, I'll try my best to work through it, and will definitely fix the lye concentration.

I really don't want to have to go out and buy more oils though, can this recipe be salvaged at all using what I already have? Increase the Shea perhaps?

 

[AliOop]

Do you have any interest in making salt bars? If so, consider 80% CO, 8% Shea, 12% sunflower. Run that through the soap calculator to get the lye amount needed. Mix it up to medium trace, and add anywhere from 20% to 100% of the weight of your oils in salt. So if you use 2 lbs of oils, that could be 1lb (50%) or 2 lbs (100%) of salt. Any salt will do unless it is Himalayan (too sharp), Dead Sea Salt (too many minerals), or Epsom Salt (too many minerals).

These are best poured into cavity molds because it will become an uncuttable brick in a few short hours. So if you do pour them in your loaf mold, watch them like a hawk because you need to cut them while they are still warm and barely firm.

They do need a really long cure, although I've heard people say that the lower the salt, the less of a cure is needed. I use 50% salt and don't like them till about 8 months. They are amazing at one year. I always have a batch curing so I don't run out. If you want to use them sooner, try 20% salt instead.

 

[Babyshoes]

Do you have any interest in making salt bars? If so, consider 80% CO, 8% Shea, 12% sunflower. Run that through the soap calculator to get the lye amount needed. Mix it up to medium trace, and add anywhere from 20% to 100% of the weight of your oils in salt. So if you use 2 lbs of oils, that could be 1lb (50%) or 2 lbs (100%) of salt. Any salt will do unless it is Himalayan (too sharp), Dead Sea Salt (too many minerals), or Epsom Salt (too many minerals).

These are best poured into cavity molds because it will become an uncuttable brick in a few short hours. So if you do pour them in your loaf mold, watch them like a hawk because you need to cut them while they are still warm and barely firm.

They do need a really long cure, although I've heard people say that the lower the salt, the less of a cure is needed. I use 50% salt and don't like them till about 8 months. They are amazing at one year. I always have a batch curing so I don't run out. If you want to use them sooner, try 20% salt instead.

Thank you for this suggestion!
I don't think I've ever encountered a salt bar. What does the salt bring to the party?
I don't have any cavity moulds yet, currently trying out soap making with recycled plastic tubs lined with baking paper...

 

[AliOop]

That is exactly how I started out making soap, as well! It's a great way to ease into it without spending a bunch of money.

If you are interested in salt bars, I'd recommend searching a few of the threads on this forum about that. Lots of great explanations and suggested recipes.

 

[Babyshoes]

Thanks AliOop, I'll have a look!

 

[Zing]

For leftovers, I use single-serving plastic yogurt cups lined with petroleum jelly. They act much differently than my silicone molds. With silicone molds, I unmold after 24 hours. With plastic cups, it takes a week and then 30 minutes in the freezer before coming out.
Keep us posted! Good luck and have fun,

 

[TheGecko]

Yikes, that's confusing! Thank you for the feedback everyone, I'll try my best to work through it, and will definitely fix the lye concentration.

Yes, soap making can seem to be a bit on the confusing when first starting out.

"Water as % of Oils" is supposedly a simpler way of calculating how much water to use based on oil weight, but you really have to understand the effect that 'water' has on the soap making and curing process. The more 'water', the longer the cure time.

At the very least, you need as much 'water' as you have lye because lye needs its own weight in water in order to dissolve. It should be noted that 'water' doesn't just mean Distilled Water...you can use milks (like goat, buttermilk, coconut), you can use Aloe Vera juice, you can use beer, coffee, whiskey, fruit juices (beware the sugars) and/or you can use a combination of any.

"Lye Concentration" is slightly deceptive because you aren't adding more lye...whether you go with a 33% LC or a 40%, the amount of Sodium Hydroxide you use doesn't change, but the amount of 'water' does. For my recipe (16 oz Oil Weight), with a 33% LC my Lye is 2.21 oz and my water is 4.49 oz. During the Fall/Winter, I go with a 35% LC, my Lye is still 2.21 oz, but my water is now 4.11 oz.

And to add to your (temporary) confusion, is understanding why the Lye amount doesn't change and also why it is recommended that you use a Soap Calculator when trying a new recipe, when modifying a recipe, when resizing a recipe, and that is that every oil and butter has a "Saponification Value". This is the amount of Sodium Hydroxide that is needed to turn your oils and butters into soap and each oil and butter has its own requirements. As an example...if I remove the Cocoa and Shea Butters from my recipe and increase the Olive, Coconut and Palm Oils...at 33% LC, I need 2.26 oz of Lye.

I really don't want to have to go out and buy more oils though, can this recipe be salvaged at all using what I already have? Increase the Shea perhaps?

Here's the thing. Your recipe will make "soap", but it most likely won't be something that you will enjoy and why waste your time and money on something that you'll be disappointed in or could potentially turn 'bad'. While DOS (dreaded orange spots) is mainly cosmetic, no one likes soap that looks like it has chicken pox. LOL

Olive Oil and Lard can be found at your local supermarket in the baking aisle and Castor Oil usually in the pharmacy aisle (or chemist shop).

 

[Babyshoes]

@TheGecko that makes sense, thank you for taking the time to explain.