preferred superfat for shaving soap?

[SomethingGoodAustin]

Hey there;

Perhaps I'm slow, but I only recently realized that one can play with the superfat percentage without risking dire consequences. I'm thrilled to hear this, since it addresses a lot of my initial difficulties with making my soap both conditioning and able to produce a good lather. Initial feedback on my early attempts was mixed--boyfriend, who has very oily skin, liked it, but others not so much (sample reaction from the husband of a friend who tried two early versions of the soap: "Well, my face hurt less the first time." Oops).

Logically, raising the superfat should help make the soap gentler, hopefully without sacrificing utility. My last batch was a 10% and felt very nice on my legs. It took a while to lather up, though, so I'm reformulating yet again. Since I'm doing that, I'd like to know if those of you who make shaving soap have a preferred range for superfatting. I'm sure it depends to some extent on the oils you use, but is there a range you won't go under/over, and if so, why?

 

[IrishLass]

I use 8% on mine. I wouldn't go much higher than that for my particular formula.

Generally speaking, the higher you go on superfat, the more it affects your bubbly lather quotient (less bubbly lather), especially if you use predominantly more of the lower bubbly oils.

Also, depending on what kind of oils you use, you may risk the chance of DOS the higher you go on the superfat. You'll need to keep an eye on your total linoleic content and keep it on the lower end if you are going to go higher on the superfat. Higher superfats are very do-able, but it all comes down to knowing the variables that each of your oils bring, and then adjusting your formula accordingly. For example, I make a 100% coconut oil soap with a 20% superfat and it makes for a very bubbly, nicely conditioning soap that has never DOSed on me. I still have some that I made 6 years ago that are as fresh as the day I made them. I can get away with that because coconut oil has a really stable shelf life due to it's particular fatty acid makeup. If I were to do the same with canola oil or another oil high in linoleic acid I would have DOS all over it. Actually, that really happened to me once with a high superfatted canola soap I made. It was the only time I ever got DOS.

Formulating for all the variables is the most fun part of soapmaking for me.


IrishLass

 

[Fran2]

Hi Irishlass, I am going to try your Salt Bar recipe so many on here recommend your recipe. Aside from that, I am struggling with soap feeling dry on my skin. I am struggling with getting just the right formula. I want to keep it simple and use a base recipe and than if I want to make something special, than add to my base. I would like feedback, how does this sound as a base would you add anything so that my soap will not be so dry, since I added the castor it is a bit better. Pure olive oil, I feel, is so moisturizing and wonderful on my skin.

OO 16 ozs.
CO 16 ozs.
PO 15 ozs.
Shea between 5 and 7 ozs.
Castor 3 ozs.

Today I added Oat milk, honey and colloidal oatmeal, I am crossing my fingers.

Thank you experienced soapers for all your help.

Fran

 

[judymoody]

For the recipe you just posted, I'd try a superfat of 10%. All of those oils are pretty stable so even with that SF, it would not be too DOS-prone.

I usually work in % and keep my castor at 5% (no more than 7% unless shaving soap). Shea between 5-10%.

Hope this helps!

 

[new12soap]

I like soaps that are more conditioning than cleansing myself, and I try to keep my coconut oil under 20%. If It were me I would knock that CO amount down to 8-10oz.

Oatmeal is very soothing for skin irritations, but it can also be somewhat drying and abrasive. I would use it sparingly if at all.

You may also want to work in slightly smaller batches until you find a recipe you like, like 2lbs of oils.

 

[SomethingGoodAustin]

Thanks, Irish Lass, for the great information. It sounds as though I should not attempt to boost my superfat further than 10%, if that.

For purposes of discussion, the formula I've been working with contains
Castor (25-27%)
Shea and Cocoa Butters (about 30% total)
Stearic acid
Palm
Hemp, Avocado, Sunflower (about 20% total)
Coconut oil

This last batch, I dropped the CO down to 2 percent and had a creamy-bubbly ratio of 61 to 25 (Soapcalc value numbers, of course). But it took up to 30-40 seconds to work up a lather, which seems like too long. That was with an SF of 8-10 percent.

I also added 3 grams of ROE (New Directions Aromatics, carnosic acid content 7-7.5%). The manufacturer suggests a usage rate of .02 to .10 percent. For my 25.5 ounce batch, I think that would be .7 grams, but I had a slight measuring mishap and tripled the amount. More ROE doesn't seem like a bad thing, though.

I've retweaked the formula to boost the coconut up to 5 percent, with a creamy-bubbly ration of 57 - 29. Probably won't be able to try it out for a few days, so if you see any "danger, will robinson, danger!" signs, feel free to say so.