First Batch Recipe

[ExplodingPie]

Hi, I'm totally new to soap making. I wanted to start, so I came up with this recipe. Can you tell me if it's any good or not, and how I can fix it.

30% Lard
20% Coconut oil
20% Canola oil
30% Olive oil

Also, I wondering if I can just put the oils in a bottle, followed by lye, and just shake the whole darn bottle. Will that work? I'm mostly gonna go to Goodwill and get a stick blender though.:?

 

[AnnaMarie]

I can't tell you whether or not it will be good, but after running the recipe through soapcalc I see it will be a rather soft, yet conditioning bar of soap. Experience will be the best teacher on this. Just be sure to run it through the lye calculator. As far as shaking goes....not thinking that's a good idea. You will probably get a whole lot of air bubbles which won't make your soap look so pretty, and you might be shaking for a while. I'd just wait till you get the stick blender. Have fun and be sure to post pictures!
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[ExplodingPie]

Thanks, I appreciate the help. I can't get much help from friends, as I am a teenage guy:smile:

 

[AnnaMarie]

Lard is supposed to make a great soap for skin. I haven't used it, but once for laundry soap. I do hear soapers caution people to melt lard over VERY low heat, or it can smell like wet dog in your final soap???? The coconut will give you good lather, and the olive is high conditioning, so you have good fats and oils in your recipe. Do you have a source of info for learning to make cold process soap (a book or videos)? If not, I'd highly recommend Soap Queens videos on YouTube. She has a short, four part series where she walks you through the process. They are great tutorials!
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Also, I wondering if I can just put the oils in a bottle, followed by lye, and just shake the whole darn bottle. Will that work?..."

Yes, theoretically you can. I know of a college professor (also a guy!) who shakes the soap batter in a heavy duty plastic bottle. He does this when making very small batches of soap when he's doing soap experiments in his lab. I want to emphasize ~very small~ though. If you want to do more of a normal small batch -- say a recipe with a pound of fat or more -- I'd definitely go with the stick blender. Honest, it's going to be easier and simpler to use the stick blender. Walmart has ones that work fine for about $20, if you can't find one at Goodwill.

I use lard a lot in my soaps, and I like it a lot. I agree with AnnaMarie that your recipe might make a soap that is not going to last long in the shower and might be a little softer than you'd like. Here's a a slightly different version that would increase the hardness of the soap and give it a longer life in the shower:

40% Lard
20% Coconut oil
10% Canola oil
30% Olive oil

Soap makers are an opinionated bunch. Every one of us will tweak a recipe a little bit differently, so don't worry too much about getting a recipe "perfect". They're all perfect, including your original recipe. It will make fine soap, so don't feel like you have to change it.

Welcome to the club! There are a lot of girls here, but there are some great guys in the bunch too.

 

[DeeAnna]

The SoapQueen videos on the "Basics of Cold Process Soapmaking": http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAADF6209996265D2

SoapQueen written tutorial: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-b...e-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-cold-process/

Here's another tutorial with lots of good pictures of the process: http://smallnotebook.org/tutorials/beginner-soapmaking/

 

[ExplodingPie]

Heh, I don't have a Walmart near me, live in NYC, they don't allow them. Any other cheap, but usable, places to get a stick blender.

 

[AnnaMarie]

You may find one at a larger pharmacy.

 

[craftymom0263]

I found one at Meijers on clearance