How many ingredients do you use in your recipes?

[Wandering Woman]

Hi, I am new to this forum and this is my first ever post! I was just wondering, how many oils and butters do you use in your soap recipe?

Its just that all the beginners recipes stick to three or four ingredients but I am now playing around (on soapcalc) I keep finding myself with a list for 7 or 8 different oils and butters for my potential recipes! I just cannot stop!

So my question to those of you who formulate your own recipes, is there a minimum/maximum number of oils & butters you use in your recipes?

Oh and also, if there are a large number of ingredients, does it put people off?
Thanks
Louise

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I personally don't use too many. From my feeling, one can get in to a state where each oil has such a small % that it is pointless other than for the label appeal.

I think that would be the case with 7 - there would be a lot of cross-over in what the oils do so you could most likely use more of one and leave the other out.

But then I'm a simple soaper and don't even like the idea of butters in my soaps.

 

[Ruthie]

My "go to" recipe has 4 "oils" in it. Better to start out with just a few and learn how they work together and what you like. Try others, too- but just not all in the same recipe.

 

[hismrsfinnegan]

My basic "no fail" recipe has 7 oils. Right now I am in the process of looking for a recipe that doesn't have palm oil or palm kernel oil. I hope to try one of the several I found this week. The only time that recipe is changed is if I do a special bar of soap from Ann Marie Faiola, Soap Queen. I have been doing her Black and White, Black and Tan Beer Bar, and her special bar with hearts dragged on top. I have to start reminding myself that I can use ONE recipe and just use her design techniques.

 

[jenfrat]

The recipe that I'm currently playing with has 7 oils. That's probably as high as I would go. If I ever wanted to use another ingredient i'd see about switching something out before adding on.

 

[yadonm]

If I'm doing just a quick pour I might use more ingredients but if I'm doing swirls or layers I keep it to 4-5 ingredients.

 

[Wandering Woman]

Thanks for all your replies, I will rein myself in and keep to 5/6 ingredients (if I can)!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Do you mind me asking what ingredients you are looking at and why?

 

[Wandering Woman]

Well, am only 'playing' atm as I am new to formulating my own recipes. I want shea butter as well as the usual culprits: oo co co po - that's 5 right there!

I was also looking into using sunflower oil (cost reasons) and avocado oil as I have not used it before and many people on the forums swear by it (?stops the DOS and is conditioning).

The thing is, I do not want to stray to far from tried and tested but want to try something new! If that makes any sense?!

Soap Calc is like being a kid in a sweet shop as I have also played with mango butter, cocoa butter, canola oil amongst many others! Every oil has something to offer and its hard to choose Hence the question on the thread.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I do think many people add Castor out of habit - if you're using other things, you might well not need it at all. That's what I was getting at with the first comment.

There seems to be no direct swap for Castor in itself, but as we only use a small percentage usually, the unique attributes can be found by using other oils and maybe a spoon of sugar - just as an example.

This then makes it easier to play, when we can look at dropping out some things that we think we have to keep in. Of course, that doesn't always work....................

 

[linbrit]

I use 3 basic recipes, and they all have 3-4 ingredients. Ever so often I think I need to "step up" and add more and who doesn't want to try mango butter? What I find at the end of the day is my basic recipes seem better to me than the ones that I add in all the magic ingredients. One of the ladies I first learned from told me that "it's a wash off product - don't spend your money on all the fancy stuff...save the fancy stuff for stay-on products" Mostly that's what I try to do, but I do love to experiment with new things sometime.

 

[Candybee]

I have been experimenting with a variety of oils and butters in my soaps for the last couple of years. I started out on this course as I first began splitting my CO with PKO. Plus I wanted shea for label appeal. I eventually ended up with 7-8 oils and still keep tweaking because each recipe is good but not great.

But I keep coming back to my original recipes 2-4 oils. In all the experimenting I am still finding that with soapmaking less is more.

The other part of the recipe is the splitting of your types of oils; hard to soft; creamy to bubbly, etc. Going back to my original lessons in soapmaking I am finding that minimizing my oils and keeping the right split is what is helping me the most.

 

[ilovesoap2]

I'm new also and have been working on formulating some recipes, running them throw soapcalc. My plan was the holy trinity +1. It's not working out The ending #'s always seems to be off. For low cleansing, high bubbly and high creamy it looks like I'll always need 5 or 6. Castor will be a staple keeping it around 10% then it becomes a game of cat and mouse trying to get the other 3 and their percentages to play nice. *sigh*

 

[hmlove1218]

There seems to be no direct swap for Castor in itself, but as we only use a small percentage usually, the unique attributes can be found by using other oils and maybe a spoon of sugar - just as an example.

"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." Thanks EG ill be humming that all day lol.

To answer the OP, however, my recipes have between 3 and 7. I usually use 4-5 and will admit that I have never made the 7 ingredient recipe. Its just sitting there in case the fancy to make a triple butter soap ever strikes.

 

[Wandering Woman]

Thanks for your contributions everyone.

EG - I will consider adding sugar / salt etc instead of adding extra oils for the properties I want. That will help me whittle it down a little!

I am also going to try my first formulation for Shea Butter and it will only have 4 ingredients + sugar

 

[shunt2011]

I disagree with EG. I love castor and use it in all my recipes. I have used it up to 10% and would not make soap without it I generally use 6-8%. However, I agree with the less is more approach unless you are making a specialty bar like a facial bar or shampoo bar. My basic recipe contains oo, co, po, Castor and Shea.
I also make a Coconut Soap with 85% CO, 10% Shea and 5% Castor

 

[kaliquen]

I usually use 4 or 5...the only time I use more is when I'm trying to use up oils.

 

[Obsidian]

Generally I use 4, OO, palm kernel flakes, lard and castor. Some facial bars or shampoo bars will have more but usually not over 6. Salt bars might only have 2.

 

[Wandering Woman]

Yes, my salt bars only have three ingredients. I am waiting for my simple shea butter with sugar recipe to cure, grrrr... I am so impatient!

 

[fuzz-juzz]

My recipe has 7 oils and butters. I don't want to go any higher or lower to be honest. If I want to use new oil, I just replace one from the standard recipe tha has similar properties. I want all of those oils and butters in my body bars since each one them adds specific properties. For example, I love RBO as it gives soap specific shine as it cures, CO adds cleansing properties, lard is mild, etc.
My facial bars have only 3 oils as I have sensitive skin that can only tolerate few oils.