My quest for soap that my skin loves

[kirsten.]

On my quest for soap I love, I'm creating this thread as a diary of the journey.

I made this one in September 2022. Used herbs (weeds, haha!) from my garden and surrounding area. My only complaint is that it's too soft, but I didn't add anything to firm it up, so I'll try that next batch.

Recipe (I know, it's pushing a few boundaries)
30% olive oil (steeped with comfrey, nettles and mint)
20% coconut oil
10% castor oil
15% cocoa butter
5% meadowfoam oil
5% carrot oil
15% almond oil

11% superfat
35% water as a percent of oils (steeped with cornsilk, horsetail and lavender)
3% fragrance (rosemary, lavender, and cedar EO)
2% citric acid
1/2 tsp silk protein

The batter was a hideous pale grey/green, so to make it worse I added some pink clay to 1/3 of the batter for a last minute itp swirl. In the end, I think it looks nice for an ugly soap! The green faded to a sort of taupe.

It's REALLY soft, lol! I couldn't even cut it for over a week in the mold, so yeah, we'll cut back on the water next time. Honestly, I can't remember why I went so high. Maybe I wanted to shoot for glycerine rivers? Maybe I just wanted as much herbal awesomeness as I could pack into it. I can't recall. It makes an extremely luxurious, fluffy lather in massive amounts. Guests often ask where I got it when they use the powder room, commenting how lathery it is, and the nice scent.

Ideas for next time: yellow/orange using (a tiny bit of) sea buckthorn oil with calendula and carrot rather than the mint and lavender. Less water. Add sodium lactate.

 

[Zing]

I think you've got great looking soap there, and I bet it smells wonderful! I really like rosemary.
You did not ask for feedback on your recipe, but I'm butting in to say a little castor goes a long way. I use it at 5% because it can make for a soggy bar in higher proportions.

 

[AliOop]

That's a very pretty soap, and the fragrance sounds delightful.

One thing to consider is that your lather may be extra voluminous because there is so much water. Besides making the soap soft, it makes the soap extra soluble, so that it lathers very freely.

If you do reduce the water, consider reducing the SF a bit, too. Unsaponified oils can really interfere with lather; you are likely to notice that more after you've reduced the water and thus reduced the solubility.

Of course, it's good to change one thing at a time, for science, right? I find it hard to stick to that myself.