Recipe advice for newbie

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lanafana

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Hello everyone!

I am new to this forum (first post) although I've followed for a while. I was wondering if anyone out there could help me create a recipe with the ingredients I have on hand.

Olive oil
Coconut oil
Shea butter
Goats milk
(And of course lye)

Is it possible to make a quality soap with only these ingredients. Or do it have to get other oils, as I see most recipes have several oils listed (at least four). And could I superfat with one of these oils or would I need something else like castor, etc. Lastly, around what percentage of each oil should I use. Sorry for all the questions! Any help would be greatly appreciated as these are the oils most readily available to me on a regular basis.
 
i would do all the oils and butters, or a milk soap. Milks are hard to do for your first one, so i would do the oils and butters, make them a few times so that you can get a bit comfy with how the lye reacts. My favorite soap is 100% olive oil and then lye. You can make a fine soap with the oils and butters you have. Maybe do a 70% olive oil 25% coconut oil 5% shae? and use soap calc of course. study the numbers on the results page, and see if that is what you would like. otherwise, revamp the numbers to make it do what you want. good luck!
 
You're awesome, thanks for replying!! I am beyond excited to start making soap. I am overwhelmed (and a bit confused) with all the info out there though. I really need some guidance. Thanks again for the suggestion.
 
also wait for a few others to reply and see what they have to say about recipes, they may have a better percentage usage than i do. That, and become very familiar with soapcalc long before you start. there is no need for two confusing things at a time, so play with soap calc till you develope a recipe that you are really interested in.
 
I made a soap with 30% coconut oil and 70% olive oil at 5% superfat that hubby just loves. No scent and it cleans really well, but I find it a bit drying. Maybe try 25% coconut, 10% Shea and 30% olive oil with 5-7% superfat? Play around on http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp to see if that would do what you want.

Edit to add: I'm new as well, and I've not yet used any liquid but water, so I can't speak for the milk.
 
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Thanks so much! Can I superfat with one of these oils as well? And yes, I really do need to get the hang of soapcalc as it seems to be a great tool. Just seems a bit daunting at times making sure the numbers are right (or read right). I'll definitely post my first attempt at soap making (if it doesn't come out embarrassingly horrible...)

I've read here and other places using a high percentage of olive oil can be tricky. What has your experience been? Does this only apply to Castile soap? And although soap is not naturally moisturizing, are there ways to make it less drying still using these oils and butters? Any other tips are welcome!
 
I have goats, so....I was thinking why not use the milk in the soap as it seems to have great properties for the skin. Is it really difficult to use? I thought if I freeze the milk and add the lye slowly and carefully I wouldn't have too many problems. Of course this is all in theory ;)
 
olive oil is extremely moisturizing for me. Everything else dries me out. I am no expert, and am still learning about superfatting myself. I normally superfat at 8%, giving myself an increased margin of error. i have never had trouble with Olive Oil. just be sure to NOT insulate the mold, especially if it is a wood mold. I have never made castile soap either, and the oils you have are great oils.
 
I know superfatting is adding the oil at trace, but can I super fat with any oil? ie olive oil/coconut oil?
 
I have goats, so....I was thinking why not use the milk in the soap as it seems to have great properties for the skin. Is it really difficult to use? I thought if I freeze the milk and add the lye slowly and carefully I wouldn't have too many problems. Of course this is all in theory ;)

i have attempted to make milk soap three times, and have failed miserably at all. i have no idea why either, i did as you said, froze the milk and added it slowly, and it failed. one day i will venture towards milks again to conquer that now ugly beast :) but yes, milks are harder to deal with when starting out.
 
I know superfatting is adding the oil at trace, but can I super fat with any oil? ie olive oil/coconut oil?

that i am unsure of, sorry, you'll have to wait for someone who knows more than I do. This is where Hazel and Lizflowers42 come to the rescue usually :)
 
Sorry to hear about the failed attempts, although I strongly believe that not trying at all would be a true failure...so next time!! You know when people talk about it or make a video it seems so easy, lol. There is nothing like experience I guess.
 
You can do your superfatting by just melting and mixing up all the oils before you mix in the lye and water - that's the easy way and works just fine. I've only added specific oils to super fat after HP. If your bound and determined to add a specific oil, I would make it the Shea 'cause it's so nice and fancy, but honestly, I would just keep it simple and mix all the oils together. Get a feel for what trace is like, decide is you want it to gel (insulate and keep it warm) or not. If you're using unrefined Shea, it adds a lovely yellow color to the soap..
 
I know superfatting is adding the oil at trace, but can I super fat with any oil? ie olive oil/coconut oil?

in cold process soaps the superfat is the same proportion and composition of your soaping oils. Soapcalc and other calculators just take the lye deficiency from the start, so you do not need to add the superfat at trace. In hot process you can add your superfat after saponification is complete. Most people choose a fancy oil good for your skin.

Which one are you doing?

Also, soaping with milk is tricky but doable if you freeze the milk first. I wrote a tutorial for a goat milk castile that shows you how to deal with the milk.

http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/how-to-make-a-goat-milk-castile-bar-soap/
 
I know superfatting is adding the oil at trace, but can I super fat with any oil? ie olive oil/coconut oil?

Yes, any oil works for superfatting. When you make CP, the lye will use which ever oils it wants, you won't be able to choose which remain after saponification. If you want a certain oil to remain, you will need to make HP.

What kind of skin do you have? If you have really dry skin, you will want a lower amount of coconut.
 
Some things to consider:

Make sure all your percents add up to 100% (not including the superfat%) -- soapcalc will remind you if they don't add up.

I would agree with others and not try using the milk on your first try. It can be very tricky, as it can A) scorch and B) overheat the soap.

I would suggest using just water for your liquid until you experience how the whole soap-making process goes from start to finish without any complicating factors.

100% Olive Oil soaps are lovely for dry skin, but take a LONG time to cure -- up to a year to cure for the best results. And they take a long time to reach trace when making them. Probably not a soap for the first batch, as it can be frustrating. :) Also, Olive oil soaps tend to be less bubbly and more creamy with their lather, and a bit slippery. Some people don't like this aspect. I don't mind. And the longer they cure, the better they bubble.

When using coconut oil, most would recommend amounts under 20% to avoid being too cleansing/drying. Alternately, one could use 100% coconut oil with a very high superfat of at least 15-20%. 100% coconut oil soaps will trace very quickly and become very hard very quickly, so also probably not a good first soap.

Even a 0 cleansing number in soapcalc will clean just fine. :) It just means it won't strip as many oils from your skin. The higher the cleansing number, the more oils the soap will attach to and wash down the drain.

DO click on all the tips and explanations in soapcalc and also, here on SMF, search for DeeAnna's explanations of what the soapcalc numbers mean. Very useful stuff!

Adding superfat at trace doesn't really make much difference. The lye attaches to whichever oils are there until the saponification process is complete. The only way to ensure that only the oil you choose stays as superfat is to hot process the soap, so that saponification is complete before you add the superfat oil. So it's easiest when doing cold process soaps to just add the superfat oil right in along with all the other oils at the beginning. When you use soapcalc and enter the superfat % you want, soapcalc discounts the lye amount, so that the right percentage of your chosen oils remains unsaponified. So you don't have to figure what amount of oil to add extra.

If I personally was using the oils you have, I would probably go ahead and find one additional oil, like palm or lard. You can get a mix of soy and palm in Crisco shortening, or you can get pure palm oil in Spectrum brand shortening. You can also usually find Castor oil, if you want that, in the pharmacy section by the laxatives.

You can do a nice recipe with the ones you have, but it would be high in Olive Oil, which like mentioned will give it a longer cure time...

If I only had those 3 oils to work with, I would do:
70% Olive
20% Coconut
10% Shea
with a 7% superfat.
I would also mix in 1Tbsp (per pound of oils [ppo] )of plain sugar in the water BEFORE adding the lye to the water. This will help with bubbles. (if you try to mix it in after your lye, it will just clump up in weird melted clumps)

If I had some palm oil, or lard also, I would do:
40% Olive
20% Coconut
30% Lard or Palm
10% Shea Butter

And if I was able to also get Castor, I would try something like:
40% Olive
15% Coconut
30% Lard or Palm
10% Shea Butter
5% Castor Oil.
(I've actually done this one -- very nice soap)
 
grayceworks, that was such a terrific comprehensive answer!

Do you have a stick-blender? That's going to be an important tool for easy trace and happiness. If you don't, we have tips. Where do you live, by the way? (Since you have very particular oils easily available, I'm nosy!)

When you do move up to using milk, (I agree, wait until you're comfortable with water recipes) I recommend that you use small molds, or at least a narrow loaf mold. If it's a wooden or thick silicone mold, depending on its size have it in the fridge or freezer before adding the soap to it. Milk soaps tend to overheat because of all the sugar, and wood insulates. Most people put their milk soaps in the freezer to prevent overheating, which also prevents gelling (usually) but some larger molds will still partial-gel, which makes a dark area in the center of the soap.
 
I know superfatting is adding the oil at trace, but can I super fat with any oil? ie olive oil/coconut oil?
It really makes no difference, and the extra oil can be harder to mix in at trace. In soap calc adjust your superfat, 5 being the default. You really cannot control which oils will saponify and which will continue floating around in your soap
 
You can do your superfatting by just melting and mixing up all the oils before you mix in the lye and water - that's the easy way and works just fine. I've only added specific oils to super fat after HP. If your bound and determined to add a specific oil, I would make it the Shea 'cause it's so nice and fancy, but honestly, I would just keep it simple and mix all the oils together. Get a feel for what trace is like, decide is you want it to gel (insulate and keep it warm) or not. If you're using unrefined Shea, it adds a lovely yellow color to the soap..


Thanks! What is gelling? (Yes, I have no clue about this stuff). Does it change the texture of the soap? Do you mean insulate it after pouring it into the mold?
 
in cold process soaps the superfat is the same proportion and composition of your soaping oils. Soapcalc and other calculators just take the lye deficiency from the start, so you do not need to add the superfat at trace. In hot process you can add your superfat after saponification is complete. Most people choose a fancy oil good for your skin.



Which one are you doing?



Also, soaping with milk is tricky but doable if you freeze the milk first. I wrote a tutorial for a goat milk castile that shows you how to deal with the milk.



http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/how-to-make-a-goat-milk-castile-bar-soap/


I am doing cold process soap and I am definitely going to check out your tutorial, that's just what I need! When I hear things like "lye defecency" I realize just how deficient I am and how much I don't know about this process!
 
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