Predictions for my for batch?

[Momstop]

Hey everyone!

did my first batch this afternoon and I think it turned out ok, I over mixed as I was warned against and panicked a bit. Only ended up getting about a quarter of my colour in before I felt like I had to pour, so instead of a beautiful lavender purple it looks brown with a purple tint lol oh well, live and learn!

It’s been about 2 hours and I of course couldn’t help but peak, looks to have or be going through gel phase nicely, all the way to the sides and no cracking, so that was cool.

Any predictions for the performance of the soap beyond what the calculators tell me?

Also, can some one let me know how long you think I’ll need to leave this recipe in the mold before take it out and cut it?

recipe is;
5.8 oz Avocado oil
3.2 oz castor
8.3 oz coconut oil
8.7 olive oil
3.2 cocoa butter
2.9 rice bran oil
2 tsp rhassoul clay
.75 oz Lavender EO
30% lye concentration

 

[penelopejane]

You don’t say how much lye you used so I can’t work out the SF. Should be <5% SF.
The CO is 25% which some people consider high. If the soap is drying for your skin drop it to 10% and add to the OO.
If the soap is sticky to the feel even after a good cure and the lather is sparse drop the Castor oil to 5% and add to the OO.

I like this soap. Compare is to one with Shea butter instead of cocoa butter.

you have 2% EO especially with EO this will fade to nothing. Most people use about 1 Oz ppo. Which is 6%.

 

[Momstop]

You don’t say how much lye you used so I can’t work out the SF. Should be <5% SF.
The CO is 25% which some people consider high. If the soap is drying for your skin drop it to 10% and add to the OO.
If the soap is sticky to the feel even after a good cure and the lather is sparse drop the Castor oil to 5% and add to the OO.

I like this soap. Compare is to one with Shea butter instead of cocoa butter.

you have 2% EO especially with EO this will fade to nothing. Most people use about 1 Oz ppo. Which is 6%.

Thanks for the reply and advice, looking forward to seeing how this cures and preforms! I’ll let you know if I end up with any stickiness or drying effect.

min the essential oils, I was a bit of a wuss here lol I read somewhere that Lavender essential oil should not be used over 3%, is that not the case? Because of that I was nervous and went a little less but did anchor with clay in hopes it’ll stick around. So far it smells great but it’ll be interesting to see how much it fades!

I have to say it was a bit intimidating at first but I’m already itching to make my next batch!

Side question, I build custom molds with poplar hard wood and it warped a bit already with just one batch! Anyone else have this issue and is there a better wood to use?

 

[dibbles]

I think this will be a nice soap. Coconut oil at 25% doesn’t bother my skin but, like penelopejane said, if it seems drying to you after it cures, try reducing it. I would maybe try 15% CO and see how that seems to you. I also don’t often go over 5% castor oil.

If it feels firm (like cheddar cheese) when you press on it, you can unmold it and since it did gel, most likely cut as well. If it seems too soft or sticky when you cut, let it sit for another day and try again. You will quickly get a feel for knowing that, you just need to do it a couple of times.

 

[Momstop]

You don’t say how much lye you used so I can’t work out the SF. Should be <5% SF.
The CO is 25% which some people consider high. If the soap is drying for your skin drop it to 10% and add to the OO.
If the soap is sticky to the feel even after a good cure and the lather is sparse drop the Castor oil to 5% and add to the OO.

I like this soap. Compare is to one with Shea butter instead of cocoa butter.

you have 2% EO especially with EO this will fade to nothing. Most people use about 1 Oz ppo. Which is 6%.

Thanks for the reply and advice, looking forward to seeing how this cures and preforms! I’ll let you know if I end up with any stickiness or drying effect.

min the essential oils, I was a bit of a wuss here lol I read somewhere that Lavender essential oil should not be used over 3%, is that not the case? Because of that I was nervous and went a little less but did anchor with clay in hopes it’ll stick around. So far it smells great but it’ll be interesting to see how much it fades!

I have to say it was a bit intimidating at first but I’m already itching to make my next batch!

Side question, I build custom molds with poplar hard wood and it warped a bit already with just one batch! Anyone else have this issue and is there a better wood to use?

 

[penelopejane]

Hardwood does warp unless it’s really well seasoned and then it’s difficult to work with and drill through. I used marine grade plywood 15mm thick and haven’t had any problems.
Here is the link to how I made my timber molds to go with nurture silicone liners:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/making-timber-molds.64078/

 

[Momstop]

I think this will be a nice soap. Coconut oil at 25% doesn’t bother my skin but, like penelopejane said, if it seems drying to you after it cures, try reducing it. I would maybe try 15% CO and see how that seems to you. I also don’t often go over 5% castor oil.

If it feels firm (like cheddar cheese) when you press on it, you can unmold it and since it did gel, most likely cut as well. If it seems too soft or sticky when you cut, let it sit for another day and try again. You will quickly get a feel for knowing that, you just need to do it a couple of times.

Thanks for the reply!

I’m trying to formulate a recipe that does not include palm oil or any lard/shortening ideally but seem to have trouble keeping the numbers where I feel I’ll want them when I lower the caster and or CO as suggested, not that I really know what I want yet lol Is there a way to make up for the loss of hardness and bubbling if I make those changes? I see adding sugar and salt are recommended ways but am I too new to be going there? Maybe I need another oil of some kind, I see babassu oil adds the same features as CO, should I get some of that and lower the other two maybe or would that result in the same problems?

by the way I used 4.46oz lye and 10.5 oz water (distilled).

Thanks so much for everyone’s help!

Kadin

 

[Momstop]

Oh and by the way I unmolded and cut the soap about 13 hours after making it and it seemed very much like cutting cheddar cheese so it sounds like I did that right, Woohoo lol here’s a pic, not the nicest looking soap of all time but hey!

 

[dibbles]

They look very nice indeed! Like I said, you may find 25% coconut to be just fine for your skin. Be sure to let it cure completely before making a judgement on that. Shea in addition to cocoa butter can help with the hardness if you decide you want to reduce the CO. Babassu is nice but is expensive, and can still be drying. Try adding 1 tsp PPO sugar dissolved in your batch water before adding the lye, or sub aloe juice for all or part of the water for a boost in bubbles.

 

[Dawni]

The hardest part for me when making soap with no palm or lard is hardness and longevity....

Even my soap that has three different butters totalling more or less 45% of the recipe still isn't as hard as my lard soaps for example and definitely doesn't last as long either. It uses all the oils you do in fact hehehe but also shea and mango butters.

Some have used soy wax in their no palm, no animal fats soap. Works for them quite well. There's several extensive threads around the forum if you search.

That's a nice looking soap btw looks like something I'd wanna eat lol

 

[Arimara]

Unlike coconut oil, babassu is also a bit deceptive as it feels more gentle. Your recipe, as is, would be more drying than you'd probably want, especially with the clay. If you wanted to us a mix of the two, try 10% each babassu and coconut. As for the castor oil, it stabilizes lather but it doesn't really add to it. If your soap feels sticky or really draggy, you could drop it to 5% with no trouble.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I use soy wax at 20% as my 'hardener'. I started out with cocoa butter but it's too expensive.
Your soap looks great BTW. Purple is often hard to achieve in soap - just use a little more than you think you need ( even then it sometimes still goes brown depending on your recipe and/or FO)

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks for the reply!

I’m trying to formulate a recipe that does not include palm oil or any lard/shortening ideally but seem to have trouble keeping the numbers where I feel I’ll want them when I lower the caster and or CO as suggested, not that I really know what I want yet lol Is there a way to make up for the loss of hardness and bubbling if I make those changes? I see adding sugar and salt are recommended ways but am I too new to be going there? Maybe I need another oil of some kind, I see babassu oil adds the same features as CO, should I get some of that and lower the other two maybe or would that result in the same problems?

by the way I used 4.46oz lye and 10.5 oz water (distilled).

Thanks so much for everyone’s help!

Kadin

Olive oil will harden your soap but needs a longer cure. The soap calc numbers don’t account for OO hardness over time so for any high OO soap they are useless. Your recipe with less CO and more OO will be hard and long lasting. High CO tend to dissolve fairly easily and reduced the longevity of your soap. Use 2tsp salt ppo and wait 9-12 weeks and see how long lasting the soap with lower CO and higher OO is.

go by the feel of the soap on your skin and how long it lasts after a good cure and forget the numbers.

“Cheddar cheese” for cutting is great. Cure it and it will be fine.

 

[Momstop]

Took everyone’s advice and adjusted my CO and Caster for my second batch (19 & 5%) and otherwise changed it up quite a bit. Added Olive oil, Lard, Shea & Cocoa. Also bumped up the EO, tried a blend of Sandalwood and Lavender, I don’t hate it but it needs something else... thoughts?

Took my time and was able to get a decent swirl but I think I need to use something thicker than a chop stick, maybe a wooden spoon? What do you guys use?