My first shaving soap is a success!

[LBussy]

I think you'll find the lather is very toned down. 50/25/25 would be a nice place to start but really, try the base and go from there/. It's hard to say what your results are because we don't have your water and your preference.

If you make a 100g batch you are out nearly nothing if you completely hate it.

 

[IrishLass]

It won't be as cleansing and the lather would be different since saponified tallow is nowhere near as cleansing or bubbly as saponified coconut, but depending on the outcome you wish to achieve in your finished soap, that's not necessarily a bad thing, and can actually be a pretty good thing. You never know until you try!

One of the shaving recipes that I've been studying lately is this one here:
http://bubblelovesoap.weebly.com/blog/the-art-of-wet-shaving

It uses 40% stearic acid, 40% tallow and 20% shea butter, about 10% added glycerin, and a 60/40 KOH to NaOH ratio, and that's it! Well, other than water, that is. Notice that it doesn't contain any coconut or PKO or babassu (the really high-bubbly/cleansing oils). And if any of the comments below the recipe are to be believed, people who have tried it seem to really like it. I myself will be trying something similar hopefully some time next week for experiment sake.

And there's also a very successful artisan soap-maker whose shave soaps seem to have garnered a very loyal fan base amongst some of the wet shavers on the different shaving boards, and she doesn't use any coconut, pko, or babassu in her formula either.

So, what I am saying is- go for it! You never know unless you try. And let us know how it came out!


IrishLass

 

[Natural20]

One of the shaving recipes that I've been studying lately is this one here:
http://bubblelovesoap.weebly.com/blog/the-art-of-wet-shaving

Thank you for that link. That's exactly what I was wondering. (I love pictures.)

 

[reinbeau]

I have made Debbie Thomas' recipe (the Bubble love one mentioned above) and have had great reviews from three wet shaving friends. It's a great recipe to start out with.

 

[IrishLass]

That's great to hear, Ann! I can hardly wait to make my version of it next week!

IrishLass

 

[Lindy]

I use a lot of Stearic in mine and it creates a yogurt like lather....

 

[Natural20]

So how much stearic will it take to get to yogurt. I get to play with my recipes today if I can get to the bus depot fast enough after work. So excited.

 

[LBussy]

So how much stearic will it take to get to yogurt. I get to play with my recipes today if I can get to the bus depot fast enough after work. So excited.

The soaps I have made that I like are all > 50% stearic as calculated by soap calc.

 

[Natural20]

I thought that 60% looked pretty impressive on the stearic experiment video I saw on YouTube. But I thought it maybe too much in a recipe.

 

[Lindy]

Add 30% of your recipe as Stearic Acid and play

 

[TeriDk]

Ok, just made the original recipe but added raw Illipe butter after the cook. The lather on my hand was from a small, less than a pea, in size and no brush. Just worked up the lather with my other hand when cleaning up. As the soap cools, I'm finding it hard enough but pliable too. I think hubby will like this much better then the CP shaving soap I made using NaOH. Love this forum, always!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Looks good!

I was just thinking, with the 100% KOH version, is it practicable to whip it after the cook to make up a cream soap? Similar recipes and all that.........................

 

[shunt2011]

Hey effy.....not sure you would be able to whip it. It's pliable but not sure it's soft enough to whip. I may have to test it out though to see if it would work. I need to make more as I'm running very low on my supply.

 

[LBussy]

Looks good!

I was just thinking, with the 100% KOH version, is it practicable to whip it after the cook to make up a cream soap? Similar recipes and all that.........................

What would be the advantage? (seriously, not arguing, I have no idea why I'd want cream)

 

[shunt2011]

I'm thinking then someone could use it as a shaving cream as opposed to using a shave brush. I know several folks that don't want to be bothered with using a brush but would probably enjoy it if it could be whipped.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Some people like creams - I'm thinking about options for folk, not just what I personally want or do not want.

 

[LBussy]

I see. Not sure I'd ever agree a person could use it without a brush optimally, but whatever folks like I guess.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As LBus says, it would still need a brush, but dipped in to load the product rather than a swirly loading

 

[wetshavingproducts]

A cream is much easier to load. But I'm assuming we're talking about the same consistency. For reference, I will refer to the Taylor of Old Bond Street as a cream shaving soap meant to be used with a brush. Other creams come in tubes for easy squirting.

A croap would be in between a cream & hard puck (basically a less liquid cream IMO) and in terms of loading is in between a hard triple milled puck and a cream. However, a croap more or less loads just as easily as a KOH soap IME/IMO. Maybe a little easier, but not terribly noticeable to me.

 

[cpacamper]

I think you'll find the lather is very toned down. 50/25/25 would be a nice place to start but really, try the base and go from there/. It's hard to say what your results are because we don't have your water and your preference.

If you make a 100g batch you are out nearly nothing if you completely hate it.

Crazy shaving lurker dude here.

Excellent observation, LBussy. My vintage Williams Mug Soap clone experiment stands at: 72% tallow, 19% SA, 9% coconut oil; 60/40 NaOH/KOH, 0% superfat. I don't desire yogurt-like lather, I'm going for very slick, wet, lasting lather that does not leave my face dry; a lather very similar to the actual vintage Williams. So far, so good, by the way. I could probably cut the tallow for more SA, but I'm afraid it would be too drying. I guess I could superfat 5% or so, saponify SA separately as discussed elsewhere, and add coconut oil last so as to superfat only the coconut oil.

I'm going to try the SA/coconut oil recipe next.