First time making soap

[La Ro]

Hi my names Lawrence and I have a diploma in laboratory technologies. I'm quite good at chemistry but I am having trouble using the soap calculator.

Could someone help me with the amounts (anything ive missed out or could improve would be helpful to) as I've read different oils need different amounts of hydroxide compounds.

I plan on using 500ml Total oil.
I'll be using in this recipecorrect me if I'm wrong any where)

For liquid soap (KOH 90%)
Oils:
Apricot kernel oil 45%
Grape seed oil 45%
Argan oil 10%

Additives:
Aloe vera gel
Sodium lauryl sulphate
Lavender essential oil

Super fat 5%(not sure if I add less koh or add extra oil after reaction is complete.

Also can this be done at room temp or do I need to do it under heating?

Thanks and any help is appreciated.

 

[AliOop]

Here are my thoughts in no particular order:

1. You can make LS at room temp (CP) or with heat (HP). I choose to heat my oils and use the lye solution while it is still hot. I don't add additional heat since my paste is typically zap-free within a few hours all on it's own.

2. For your first few batches, please consider skipping the aloe vera gel and the SLS. Those tricky additives will require extra faffing around. It's so much better to first get the feel for making a basic LS with the characteristics that you like. Instead of the SLS, consider adding some coconut oil or PKO for better lather. Personally I'd use that at 10% instead of the argan oil. Once you know how to make a good LS, argan will make a nice post-cook SF. But it's an expensive oil to use for the soap base.

3. What was your reason for choosing grapeseed oil and apricot seed oil? Because both have high amounts of linoleic acid, they have pretty short shelf lives. This means that your soap could go rancid quickly, especially if you don't use some sort of chelator or antioxidant.

4. Definitely reduce the superfat to no more than 2%, and 1% would be even better. Otherwise, you will have an oil slick on top of your diluted LS. You can add the SF at the time you make the paste, or at dilution with the EO - your choice. I like to add the SF and EO after dilution, with an equal amount of PS80 to solubilize them into the diluted soap.

5. This is a biggie! You must measure by weight (grams) not volume (ml). As an example I've attached a picture of how your revised recipe would look in the soap calculator.

 

[La Ro]

Here are my thoughts in no particular order:

Hey thanks for a quick reply, only reason is I have them on hand for hand oils I make with vitamin e for skin healing and hydration.
Which oils would you recommend? I'm looking to replace this skin liquid soap eventually. It leaves my hands clean but 2ith out feeling too clean and grippy or slippery, I want a hydrating natural soap that's good for skin health. I see now it says no sulphates.