Local & Sustainable Soaps

[lionprincess00]

I was confused when I started regarding milk fat and the soap calc. I then learned, you don't calculate milk, cream, rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or goat's milk in the 'milk any bovine' oil/fat part of the calculator. You only calculate the fats and oils and or butters. You then replace the water amount, all or a portion, with the milk of your choice. It does automatically up the total fat/superfat, but it won't be calculated on the soapcalc because it was the "water amount".
I have read hemp seed and especially rapseed oils are prone to dos and rancidity. Hemp seed, I've seen, 5% is a good amount. Tallow and lard with no cleansing oil like coconut or babassau will make a creamy no cleansing soap. It is recommended to have one cleansing oil to help the soap, well, clean
I'd recommends
Coconut 20%
Lard or tallow 40%
Olive or rice bran or sweet almond oil, all great shelf life, 35%
And hemp seed if you want it 5%

With olive and lard read as
Hardness
Cleansing
Conditioning
Bubbles
Creamy

39
14
56
14
25

With olive and sheep tallow
43
19
48
19
24
*I've read beef tallow performs the best of the tallows

I'd try heavy cream like this, refrigerate half the required water amount as cream. Lye into half the water. Into the oils, stick blend two short pulses, add the cold cream, blend to trace. Keep a large bowl filled with ice and a tad water next to you so if it starts to over heat, put the soap bowl into the ice water bowl to cool until you're done. It'll keep it cool and creamy.

 

[dixiedragon]

The spent beer grain sounds fascinating. So is it dried and ground up into the soap? What are the benefits?

Google "soap making forum" and "beer soap" and you'll see some threads about it. I've never done it, so I can't really advise you. I think the spent grains add a gentle scrubbing effect - much like oatmeal or barley. I don't know that they even need to be dried.

Re: adding sugar for lather. I'm pretty sure that sugar isn't a local product, but you may be able to use honey instead.

Re: cleansing. It's true that an all-lard or all-tallow soap (no coconut), won't be as cleansing. But unless you are trying to wash dishes with it, or trying to remove heavy-duty grime, it will be plenty cleansing enough. I think "cleansing" refers to the ability to break down oil.