Help me with this recipe--I'm a Newbie!

[dkhrbh]

Since I haven't made my first soap yet I need help with the recipe that I have come up with. Let me know your suggestions. I have put the numbers into soapcalc.com but I have no idea what all the numbers mean.

Here is the recipe:

Coconut Oil 28%
Olive Oil 42%
Crisco (new) 30%

Water 12.16 oz
Lye 4.545 oz

I plan on adding honey and oatmeal to the soap. How much do I need to add?
How do I need to adjust the recipe? I don't want a bar that is drying.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Dalonda

 

[kelleyaynn]

I would be wary of all the Crisco. I make a laundry soap that is 50% Crisco, and within a month it develops DOS (the dreaded orange spots). I don't care since it is just used for laundry soap, but it would be pretty ugly in a soap used to wash with.

Given that you are new to soapmaking, I would avoid adding honey to the soap. Honey can make it overheat. It would be better to try adding honey once you've had some experience. You can avoid making a drying soap by the oils and superfat percentage you choose. Some people are sensitive to the amount of coconut oil in soap, and the percentage you are using could end up feeling drying. However, that's some people, not all. That's why we all end up experimenting so much - to find out what we really like. What kind of oatmeal did you want to add? Oatmeal can make the bar more soothing, but even colloidal oatmeal (at least the type made with old fashioned oats) will make the bar of soap rough and scrubby. I can't speak to colloidal oatmeal made from instant or quick oats. The lather isn't rough (I make a face soap with colloidal oatmeal), but I wouldn't want to use the soap directly on my face.

As for what the numbers mean, your recipe is a bit confusing since you list the oils in percentages and lye and water in ounces. Without knowing what the oil amount is in ounces, we can't tell you if the amount of lye is too much or not. The other numbers in soapcalc (conditioning, bubbly, creamy, etc.) tell you about the properties of the soap. Here is the link to the explanation of soapcalc's numbers: http://www.soapcalc.net/info/soapqualities.asp . I ran your recipe in soapcalc and it is fairly conditioning, and the cleansing value isn't too high (for these two properties, if one value is high, the other is usually low). The lather may or may not be to your liking. You did not give the superfat % you used. I'm guessing it is 5%, since that is the default for soapcalc. 5% is fine, but if you go with 7% or 8% it will help it be less drying. Your recipe should make a decent soap, though potentially prone to DOS (especially if where you live is hot and humid).

Do you have any other oils available to you such as palm, palm kernel oil, or any butters like shea?

 

[dkhrbh]

Thanks for the quick reply kelleyaynn, I don't have any other oils at the moment but I think I will cut back on the coconut oil & maybe take out the Crisco (I don't want any ugly DOS). I will have to order the other oils. I may try shea or cocoa butter. I still need to get the lye but before I order it online I am going to check locally for it so I can save on the shipping. Thanks for telling me about the honey...I will skip adding that also. I don't want a catastrophe. I can see I still have some more researching to do before I attempt my first soap. Can someone tell me how many bars I will get out of a 1 lb batch. I don't want to make a lot for my first try just in case it's a flop.

 

[kelleyaynn]

I usually get 4 -5 bars from a 1 lb batch. I'll make test batches that size.

Just to clarify, I didn't mean you shouldn't use Crisco at all, but I'd make the percentage less - maybe 10% or so. If you cut back on the coconut, you'll need another hard oil, like palm kernel so your soap isn't really soft.

If you search this forum you'll find lots of soap recipes, many good for beginners. Here is the link for a "sticky" that has some:
http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=736

 

[honor435]

my fav oils to use are, oo, po, co, castor, i make 2 lb batches and get around 10 bars.

 

[Jezzy]

I won't use crisco anymore either. The only batch that I had DOS on was a crisco batch :?

 

[reallyrita]

I am going to chime in here about the oatmeal. I find it is always too abrasive no matter how finely I grind it up. I do make a soap with it for my SIL. I just grind up regular oatmeal flakes in a spice or coffee grinder and add it at trace so that it does not sink to the bottom of the mixture. A very little bit goes a long way. My skin is too sensitive for it, however. A very nice and soothing way to use oatmeal in a facial soap is to go to the drugstore and buy the colloidal oatmeal that comes in packets. It is intended to be used in bath water for very dry or irritated skin or for people suffering from rashes. Years and years ago, I found out about it when my kids got chicken pox. The doctor suggested it for soothing baths. I know that nowadays children get vaccinated for chicken pox so most people don't know that this colloidal oatmeal is still available in the store. It is as fine as face powder and is no way scratchy. I use one tablespoon per pound of oils. I dissolve the oatmeal in a little bit of the warm oils and then add it in as soon as I reach emulsion. It is best to use this with a recipe that does not trace instantly as you need to keep on stick blending it in really well. It does not seem to change the color of the soap even though the mixture itself is a little on the creamy or tan side colorwise.