Mechanic's/Gardener's Soap

[LBussy]

I was taught a trick by an old mechanic for cleaning REALLY greasy hands: He told me to put a little bit of transmission fluid in my hands and work it real good, wipe that off, then wash with soap and water. Transmission fluid is a high-detergent oil. Since I started making soap I often wondered if maybe a relatively high superfat might make a soap perform better for mechanic's' hands? It flies in the face of all we know but it's just a tickler back there in the gray matter.

 

[Saponista]

You could also try a cream soap. I used to use lemon gojo which is an industrial hand cleaner. It's basically pumice, soap and petroleum distillates, which is the same reason the transmission fluid works too I think. But you could make a basic cream soap with pumice added which may work pretty well.

 

[LBussy]

You could also try a cream soap. I used to use lemon gojo which is an industrial hand cleaner. It's basically pumice, soap and petroleum distillates, which is the same reason the transmission fluid works too I think. But you could make a basic cream soap with pumice added which may work pretty well.

You know ... I'll never have an original idea ... :razz:

 

[kmarvel]

I was FINALLY able to unmold the bentonite clay batch (round). It took 4 days due to the high amount of water I had to add to hydrate the clay. They're still really spongy feeling. I also added sodium lactate to the lye water. I can only image how much longer it would have taken to unmold those without it. :crazy: The activated charcoal batch feels nice and firm so I'll probably start testing those next week just for fun.

WOW.....they look awesome!!!!!

I have decided on a Mechanic's soap recipe.

Now on to a Gardener's Soap.

I was thinking about this as a recipe. What does everyone think??

SF 7%
OO 25%
CO 40%
PO 30%
Castor 5%

1 Tbl each of dried coffee grounds, cornmeal, and 1/8th cup of pumice, fine.

Maybe coriander as a scent??

 

[MorpheusPA]

That's certainly worth a try as it looks like a great recipe.

 

[shunt2011]

It looks good to me too. Give it a shot.

 

[KristaY]

Cornmeal sounds interesting. I haven't used it. How does it behave in a soap? Any special prep needed? I think coriander sounds great as a scent too Kathie. Let us know how it works out!

 

[Obsidian]

I recently made a two bar batch to test a additive, I was in a hurry and wanted a simple recipe so I did 50% OO, 50% coconut with a 10% SF. I washed with it the first time a couple days ago and I liked it so much, I made a small batch with coffee grinds for a garden soap.
It had lots of lather while still having decent conditioning from the OO. I used a lot of grinds in this one too, around 3 Tbsp PPO.

 

[SweetBubbleTreat]

Will this pumice work or is there a better one on amazon that I can use??

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CB0T7KG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Obsidian]

Yep, that one will work.

 

[SweetBubbleTreat]

thank you obsidian...you are a real sweetheart!!!!

 

[kmarvel]

Cornmeal sounds interesting. I haven't used it. How does it behave in a soap? Any special prep needed? I think coriander sounds great as a scent too Kathie. Let us know how it works out!

Krista,

I used a Pringle's can and sliced 9 1" round bars. It turned out a nice light gray color with the coffee grind specks in it. The Coriander was a nice light scent to use, I think. They are curing now but I can't wait to try them.